Celebrity Autographs And Celebrity Addresses

Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek and New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri have something in common other than playing for world championship teams.

They’ve both climbed into their vehicles and driven to the same Nashua destination: a sports memorabilia shop on Main Street.

Varitek and Vinatieri - two of the most popular athletes in New England - aren’t the only sports celebrities to make the trek to Nashua Sports Collectibles to sign autographs.

Bill McLaughlin, owner of the 135 Main St. store, has also managed to get Red Sox outfielders Johnny Damon and Trot Nixon and designated hitter David Ortiz, Patriots linebacker TedyBruschi and Boston Bruins legend Cam Neely, among a scorecard of others, to come and sign at his small shop.

But the celebrity signings on Main Street came at a price. One Sox player charged close to $30,000 for his local appearance. Manny Ramirez’s autograph would have cost $300 per person.

With the popularity of sports figures, autographs are big business, and it doesn’t look as if the $2 billion-a-year industry is slowing.

“There’s a huge demand now with the Red Sox winning the World Series,” said autograph authenticator Bob Eaton, owner of R&R Enterprises of Bedford, a catalog-based autograph auction house. “There’s a frenzy: ‘I have to have it. I have to have it now.’ ”

Just check out eBay. A Babe Ruth autographed baseball was listed for $24,000 on the online marketplace last week. A Peyton Manning autographed rookie card had a bid of $3,150.

While there are some people who have the time to hang out near the players’ parking lot at Fenway Park or by the dugout or bullpen for a free autograph, most fans pay a steep price.

“It’s all about money,” said Dave McCarthy, executive director of the Ted Williams Museum in Hernando, Fla. “It’s affected everything. It’s affected the game. It’s affected this industry.”

Still, the hobby remains a captivating one for more than 16 million Americans.

“You might have never seen Babe Ruth, but here’s a document he signed for somebody or a baseball,” McCarthy said. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know what other hobby has that fascination today.”

Breaking the bank?

Just how does McLaughlin stay on top of such a hot industry and get big-name pro athletes to make the trek to Nashua when there are plenty of paid signing opportunities closer to Boston?

The players themselves talk him up, according to Red Sox left fielder Dave Roberts, who signed at the store last month.

“I heard it was kind of like a small, mom-and-pop facility,” Roberts said in a telephone interview from his California home. “(My teammates) just said it was definitely not the corporate setting, a lot more laid back and just fan-friendly. It was appealing to me.”

It all started when McCarthy, who is good friends with Vinatieri, offered to bring the kicker to Nashua. The signing drew 850 people and kicked off the lineup of star athletes at Nashua Sports Collectibles.

McLaughlin has since earned some respect in the industry.

“He’s made a name for himself,” said Kim Zayotti, vice president and chief operating officer of Boston-based Blue Sky Sports & Entertainment, the agent who worked on getting various Red Sox players to McLaughlin’s store. “He’s honest, hardworking. He’s known for treating them with respect and not taking advantage of them.”

Roberts gained the love of Red Sox fans with his steal of second base in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Roberts’ steal, which led to him scoring on a Bill Mueller single to tie the game, was considered a key play in launching the Red Sox to their come-from-behind series win.

Last month, tickets to the Roberts signing were $35, and included an autographed 8-by-10 color photograph of the outfielder. Roberts even posed with any autograph-seeker who happened to bring a camera. For every person in line, he stood up and shook their hand, McLaughlin said - something Roberts was not paid to do.

“Dave Roberts was the best guy I ever had up,” McLaughlin said.

So the public got to meet a player who had an impact on the team’s first World Series championship since 1918, got an autographed photo and didn’t break the bank to do it.

McLaughlin said he lost a couple thousand dollars on the deal. Still, he keeps a positive attitude.

“I never lose,” he said. “I’m always getting exposure.”

But skyrocketing fees have scared off some promoters, including Tom Bunevich of Tampa, Fla. Through his company, TB Sports Promotions, he hosted more than 300 athlete autograph events over eight years, but left the business in 1997.

“I looked at the fees and said, ‘It’s over,’ ” Bunevich said. “I made a very good living until ’96 or ’97, when the players’ fees started rising. I couldn’t pay (players) $20,000 and get it back by charging.”

As one player started charging a certain price, the others followed suit.

“They started raising the fees, and it just got out of hand and it never stopped,” Bunevich said.

McLaughlin agrees that what the athletes charge is getting out of hand. He paid $17,500 to another Sox player for his appearance. That player demanded another $10,000 because the session went longer than expected. So McLaughin said he emptied his cash register and borrowed money from friends to pay the celebrity so he’d stay. (McLaughlin wouldn’t name the player, citing a confidentiality clause).

Contrary to popular belief, McLaughlin doesn’t name the price of tickets to autograph events. Prices are based on what the player demands. And in most cases, McLaughlin said he doesn’t make a profit off the show. In the case of the player who cost him $27,500, he still made about $2,500 profit - and that’s because the show sold out ahead of time.

“I only charge what they charge me,” McLauglin said.

“Sometimes you wonder if it’s really worth it, then you get a show that just works,” McLaughlin said.

Ortiz, one of three athletes who has appeared at Nashua Sports Collectibles on two occasions, signed 250 autographs for the public and 300 privately for wholesalers. Because of the number of tickets sold for that September event, McLaughlin was able to make about $1 off every autograph Ortiz signed, or about $550.

But McLaughlin says he doesn’t do it for the money.

“If they didn’t charge anything, I wouldn’t charge a penny,” he said.

He does it because he enjoys giving his customers, many of whom are friends, a place where they can come and meet celebrities - something that, long ago, didn’t cost a dime.

To sign or not to sign

Autographs have been collected for as long as sports have been around.

But athletes have only been charging for autographs since about 1976, according to Eaton of R&R Enterprises.

“Mickey Mantle was the first big star to do it,” Eaton said. “In the ’40s and ’50s, you could just write to any sports athlete, people like Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson - all original Hall of Famers - you could write to them and they’d sign your cards and they’d mail them back to you.

“In the ’60s, they were good about it. Then this whole thing happened.”

Autographs today are more than a memory of “meeting” a pro athlete. They’re a way for people to make money - and the players know it.

“You definitely like to pick out the kids and people you know are genuine,” Roberts said.

Players start seeing the same people at the ballpark every day and begin to wonder about their intentions, he said.

Roberts said players carefully pick their spots on where to sign, and they typically don’t sign multiple items for people.

“Some major-league players and professional athletes are unwilling to sign because that small percentage of people who try to make money on us,” he said.

The Red Sox organization does not have a policy requiring players to sign autographs at the ballpark, but most Boston players sign frequently, Roberts said.

“It’s basically up to the players,” he said. “We have Fan Appreciation Day or Photo Day, when they can come onto the field and take pictures of players.”

But signing at the park - when you’re supposed to be taking batting practice or otherwise working - can get difficult, Roberts said.

“If you sign for 50 people, you’re going to make the 51st person upset, so it’s almost a no-win situation,” he said. “At a signing (event), it’s a lot easier.”

Some athletes refuse to sign altogether. Bill Russell, the biggest basketball star before Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, hated the idea that people wanted his signature. He thought it led to idolization.

One player who made it a ritual to sign at the exact same spot at Fenway Park, but refused to do autograph shows, is former Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra.

“You’ll never see him at an autograph show,” McCarthy said of Garciaparra, who is now with the Chicago Cubs. “He doesn’t like to do it. Some players don’t like doing that.”

The negative light that reselling an autograph casts on the hobby bothers Chris Merrow, 29, of Londonderry, who has been collecting sports autographs since he was 12.

“I don’t blame Tom Brady for not wanting to stop and sign for people because he knows people are going to turn around and try to sell them,” Merrow said.

Merrow is one of more than 16.7 million collectors around the world, according to Tri-Star Productions, a sports memorabilia company. And he’s probably one of many who collect autographs for the love of the sport, not for the money.

Merrow has autographs from Sox stars Tim Wakefield, Kevin Millar, Mueller and Ortiz.

He and a friend even got some Yankees’ signatures while staking out the Ritz-Carlton team hotel in Boston last season. There, Merrow was able to get a ball signed by Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui and even longtime Yankees fan Billy Crystal.

“I don’t pay for autographs,” Merrow said. “For me, most of the fun is getting it on my own. I figure these guys make enough money, they can sign a baseball for me for free.”

Money talks

While some ballplayers still sign for free both inside and outside the ballparks, others will sign only when paid.

Unless you’re savvy enough to get autographs at the park - or at a team hotel - paid signings are probably the only place a fan will be able to get one, since not all athletes choose to sign at the ballparks.

“I still think players will sign for a kid no matter what,” said Brandon Steiner, founder and CEO of Steiner Sports Marketing & Memorabilia in New Rochelle, N.Y.

And that doesn’t bother Steiner, who has exclusivity agreements with Damon, Ortiz and Curt Schilling, meaning any autograph they sign must be sold through Steiner Sports, and anyone who wants to book those players for an autograph session must go through Steiner.

But anyone who wants an autograph from Roberts need only to send him a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

“I make sure I still get back to everyone,” Roberts said.

Some players don’t bother opening their fan mail, never mind responding to it. Fortunately for Red Sox fans in Southern New Hampshire, McLaughlin got Damon and Ortiz before they signed exclusives with Steiner.

In the future, agents such as Zayotti of Blue Sky Sports will have to go through Steiner before booking those athletes at Nashua Sports Collectibles.

People need to realize that pro athletes make lots of money but that their career is short compared to nonathletes, said Zayotti, who booked every Red Sox player who signed at Nashua Sports.

“A lot of them play until they’re 36, 37 or 38,” she said, adding that the athletes are deserving of the fees they charge. “It’s certainly not outrageous.”

For a one-time appearance signing, Zayotti said pro athletes charge anywhere from $3,000 for a one-and-a-half- or two-hour session to as much as $200,000 - a price former basketball superstar Jordan, for instance, might charge.

Agents, who make sure the contracts are drafted properly, get paid by the athlete. Zayotti’s commission ranges from 10 percent to 20 percent. Contracts outline agreements about the particular signing, such as the number of items both parties agree will be signed during the time period.

Going online

McLaughlin blames eBay for inflating the prices of autographs, thus making it harder for sports memorabilia dealers such as himself to bring in the most popular athletes.

Scott Whipps, manager of eBay’s sports collectibles category, said all eBay does is create an “open and transparent” marketplace for autographs.

The sports collectible category on eBay is a popular one, with nearly 853,000 listings on a daily basis. Those listings include autographs, souvenirs, old programs, ticket stubs and fan apparel.

But people such as McCarthy warn fans to be wary of what they buy on eBay and encourage them to go through reputable dealers such as McLaughlin.

Whipps said eBay has pulled “questionable” autographed items from the auction site. He recommends people buy items that are authenticated from a well-known authentication company, such as Professional Sports Authenticator or Global Authentication.

“If you don’t know the seller and you’re not familiar with the signee, there is always some form of risk,” Whipps said.

Another risk, says R&R’s Eaton, is spending too much money on something that won’t hold its value. A 16-by-20 signed team photo of the Red Sox that’s going for $3,000 or more will be worth only a fraction of that price in five years, Eaton said.

McCarthy agrees.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid right now people are spending a lot of money on current players that aren’t going to be worth anything in five or 10 years,” he said. “Johnny Damon is a great player, but that’s it. He’s not a Hall of Famer.”

Autographs that will hold their value come from long-ago players such as Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig, McCarthy said.

“It’s supply and demand,” he said. “Those players didn’t sign as much as the current players sign.”

McCarthy added it wasn’t the players who made autographs big business: “The public made it a business.”

Bunevich, the former promoter, blames not only the athlete charging the fees, but also the promoter willing to pay it.

“They took the novice collector out of it and ruined it,” Bunevich said. “Sports is big business in our country.

“We’ve overly fanatical about our heroes, especially if they have the ability to help us win. It’s sad.”