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signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:22 pm
by akicer
Saw the topic posted by RelativityCards and this is always an interesting topic for me. Don't want to flood that thread since he's asking for advice to help him determine how he wanna sign the decks for the backers. More what I want to discuss is the preference between signed and unsigned decks.
On one hand I have friends who wants to get every signed deck and view them as something special and willing to pay a lot; on the other hand I would much prefer unsigned decks, to some extent I don't even want to keep any signed deck at all... (with exceptions including those signed on bottom, those all decks are signed as part of the deck - some Lotrek decks)
So what's your preference guys? Do you also think that signed deck are more precious?
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:03 pm
by Outsider
Depends on who signed it. For the most part I wouldn't be interested in a deck of cards - or anything else - signed by anyone who isn't pretty damn important. Got a Houdini autographed deck? That's interesting. But if I just wanted some random asshole's name on my tuck I'd sign it myself.
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:34 pm
by brownsl
I have zero interest in a signed deck unless as Outsider says, it is someone pretty important. I have had deck designers ask if I wanted them to sign decks of theirs that I have purchased. I have respectfully declined.
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:16 pm
by Adonael
I reckon it adds around $10 of value. For a known creator. And only on the tuck directly, not the gross ass cello.
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:54 pm
by STLBluesNut
If I were to meet the person that I wanted the signature from and they signed it in person, I would say that would add a high amount of sentimental value for me.
If I had a designer offer to sign the deck, it would need to be for free in most cases. There are a handful of designers or personalities I would pay extra for them to sign but not much $5 to $10
As i am not in it for resale value, i would prefer it to be something personalized over just a signature.
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Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:25 am
by RelativityCards
As someone who's offered signed decks, I've seen a few kinds of people.
Some collect the things that they like with VIGOR and apparently have room for signed versions of everything they buy, including uncut sheets. These people are rare.
Some people are looking for that increased (perceived or real) value that a signed deck brings when they resell later. I almost certainly didn't attract anyone like that because of the cost I set for unsigned decks...
Which brings me to the third type of person, who's just looking to support you but doesn't necessarily want a pile of decks, so they channel their support into something that maybe means more to them personally, possibly as a sort of proof of what they've done. I know that at least two of my signed deck tier backers are friends who live within short driving distance. I would have signed whatever they wanted if they asked. I had no intention of asking them for money in the first place. They decided to give me more support while leaving more decks for me to sell down the line. I hope everyone has people like that.
As far as a designer signing for free, I'd ask you to consider the logistics a little. In some cases, that's totally doable and I'd be happy to do it (provided I didn't promise that only backers could have such a thing, as I did with signed uncut sheets.) But sometimes you're using a fulfillment company, which I highly recommend in terms of time savings AND shipping savings--seriously, the rates they charge for international is half to a third of what I'd pay. And that fulfillment company likely isn't local to you. So if you're signing decks, you are having decks shipped to you, signing, and then packing them up and putting them in the mail to your fulfillment company. There is a cost there. Moreso if you're signing the decks before they are cello wrapped. No comment on Chris Ramsay, but he was almost certainly in a factory somewhere, whether USPCC or Clove St., Gambler's Warehouse, etc. unless he had the V3 tucks / decks shipped to him internationally and then sent them back for (re?)wrapping. Madness in any case, and not cheap. Dude can afford it, though, and he probably sold more bricks as a result.
I wasn't even going to offer signed uncuts, but someone asked. I literally only turned up the price to account for the extra shipping costs for the sheets--which are awful
Sorry if I ended up hijacking your thread
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:35 am
by Harvonsgard
STLBluesNut wrote:If I were to meet the person that I wanted the signature from and they signed it in person, I would say that would add a high amount of sentimental value for me.
If I had a designer offer to sign the deck, it would need to be for free in most cases. There are a handful of designers or personalities I would pay extra for them to sign but not much $5 to $10
As i am not in it for resale value, i would prefer it to be something personalized over just a signature.
99.8% of how I feel. I would never pay extra though, not a single cent. Doesn't matter if you are Lotrék, Gio, Lorenzo or how much I respect the art or the artist. I'm not paying for a sharpie line.
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 10:02 am
by STLBluesNut
RelativityCards wrote:As someone who's offered signed decks, I've seen a few kinds of people.
Some collect the things that they like with VIGOR and apparently have room for signed versions of everything they buy, including uncut sheets. These people are rare.
Some people are looking for that increased (perceived or real) value that a signed deck brings when they resell later. I almost certainly didn't attract anyone like that because of the cost I set for unsigned decks...
Which brings me to the third type of person, who's just looking to support you but doesn't necessarily want a pile of decks, so they channel their support into something that maybe means more to them personally, possibly as a sort of proof of what they've done. I know that at least two of my signed deck tier backers are friends who live within short driving distance. I would have signed whatever they wanted if they asked. I had no intention of asking them for money in the first place. They decided to give me more support while leaving more decks for me to sell down the line. I hope everyone has people like that.
As far as a designer signing for free, I'd ask you to consider the logistics a little. In some cases, that's totally doable and I'd be happy to do it (provided I didn't promise that only backers could have such a thing, as I did with signed uncut sheets.) But sometimes you're using a fulfillment company, which I highly recommend in terms of time savings AND shipping savings--seriously, the rates they charge for international is half to a third of what I'd pay. And that fulfillment company likely isn't local to you. So if you're signing decks, you are having decks shipped to you, signing, and then packing them up and putting them in the mail to your fulfillment company. There is a cost there. Moreso if you're signing the decks before they are cello wrapped. No comment on Chris Ramsay, but he was almost certainly in a factory somewhere, whether USPCC or Clove St., Gambler's Warehouse, etc. unless he had the V3 tucks / decks shipped to him internationally and then sent them back for (re?)wrapping. Madness in any case, and not cheap. Dude can afford it, though, and he probably sold more bricks as a result.
I wasn't even going to offer signed uncuts, but someone asked. I literally only turned up the price to account for the extra shipping costs for the sheets--which are awful [emoji38]
Sorry if I ended up hijacking your thread
I was speaking more from the perspective of paying for the signature itself. However, when you put in logistical costs in some cases, it makes a little more sense. I was thinking more of a situation where there wasnt a bunch of shipping back ond forth.
I still wouldnt pay extra for most signatures even if it were low strictly covering logistical costs.
Also, I seem to recall a Ramsay youtube video of him in his home studio showing a box of tuck cases he had to sign. Shipping one box back and forth was surely made up for in this case in the number of bricks he sold, as you pointed out.
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Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:43 pm
by RelativityCards
To answer the
actual question, I have little use for signed decks. Whenever I get one, it becomes a case of "what am I going to
do with this?" Moreso if they've just signed a card or printed ad they've stuffed in my order
I've mentioned before that I have a deck of Sentinels that I had with me when I went to a small Wayne Houchin lecture. I asked him to sign one of the cards and he obliged. I find that pretty cool. I think I have a deck that I similarly had signed by Jay Sankey, but I can't find it and can't prove it
But if either of them had said, "Sure, that'll be $X..." I would have done a classic pass
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:07 pm
by akicer
I don't know if I'm the only one but signatures actually are negative for me. If I receive a signed deck I almost wanna sell it right away and get one without signature...
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 6:32 pm
by bradstarnes
I'd like the personality of it, but definitely wouldn't pay extra for it. I backed De'vo's Unicorn deck, and got a signed card and thought, "Well that's cool". But I also had him sign a card for my daughter's birthday (that's who the deck was for), and he personalized it to her. The smile it put on her face meant everything.
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:05 pm
by almondmilk
It’s really all about how you view your collection. I like signed tucks as I have no plans on selling any of my acquisitions,, it’s somehow similar to book collecting, wouldn’t mind a signed first edition Poe or Hemingway, lol.
Re: signed vs. unsigned decks
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:36 pm
by Bradius
A quick search didn't yield me a signed Edgar Allen Poe book, but no surprise there. I think I can find you a signed letter though, but it will cost you.
If you want a signed book by Hemingway, then that is easier. I found several of those. Here is one of the least expensive on a used book exchange market for $5,000 USD.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDe ... -_-title26
If you are really interested in rare books. I suggest checking out Bonhams Action House for their rare book auctions they hold (
https://www.bonhams.com/departments/BOK). I forgot they had a first edition of Origin of the Species for sale. I wonder what that sold for? It is fun to dream. I remember being offered a book printed by William Caxton (the first printer in England) for $10,000
. I passed, that was more than my car cost at the time. Stupid. I hate to think how much that book is worth now, meanwhile my car has long since been processed by a scrap yard. I could have used my bicycle for a few years. I could use the exersize.