Baseball

The Ultimate Baseball Hall of Fame Autograph Set

Getting signatures of professional athletes can be a long and extensive effort. Getting complete sets full of autographed cards, particularly of some less recognized stars, is even harder. Now imagine a signed post card set of the 1980s and 1990s Perez-Steele Baseball Hall of Fame post cards. The art on these post cards was visually stunning. And collecting signatures on the 100+ players who were still alive at the time had to be a herculean effort and come with a serious expense.

Heritage Auctions just completed a sale of 105 cards of this 1980s and 1990s Perez-Steele Baseball. While Satchell Paige and Lloyd Waner cards were not in the auction (they had both died shortly after these cards were made), the cards were all listed as 8/10 or better and the cards were all designated PSA “Authentic” in either blue or black ink. The image below is courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Perez-Steele autograph set

What is amazing is that this set now has so many Hall of Fame players who are no longer alive. And many of these post cards were not ever signed because many collectors would have had those stars autograph either a bat, baseball, or a regular trading card ahead of the Hall of Fame post cards.

These are just some of the baseball legends who had signed this nearly complete set who are no longer alive:

  • Carl Hubbell
  • Joe DiMaggio
  • Hank Greenberg
  • Bob Feller
  • Ted Williams
  • Roy Campanella
  • Stan Musial
  • Yogi Berra
  • Warren Spahn
  • Cool Papa Bell
  • Mickey Mantle
  • Whitey Ford
  • Buck Leonard
  • Ernie Banks
  • Eddie Mathews
  • Al Kaline
  • Duke Snider
  • Bob Gibson
  • Johnny Mize
  • Hank Aaron
  • Frank Robinson
  • Don Drysdale
  • Harmon Killebrew
  • Pee Wee Reese
  • Lou Brock
  • Willie McCovey
  • Willie Stargell
  • Tom Seaver
  • Phil Rizzuto
  • Kirby Puckett

And many Hall of Famers who are still alive also have their signatures included — Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Willie Mays, and others.

Here was how Heritage Auctions described the 105 autographed Hall of Fame post cards:

If an autograph was possible, it’s here with the exceptions of super rare Satchell Paige and Lloyd Waner cards who both passed away soon after the cards appeared (Both are available elsewhere in this auction!) and Paul Kerr. This gallery is one of the most comprehensive assemblies of the artful post cards autographed by the featured players. All of the leg work is out of the equation for one smart collector, thanks to the efforts of another collectors labor of love. Unless otherwise noted, all appear in 8/10 or better in blue or black) marker. Each is slabbed “Authentic” by PSA/DNA for protection and unquestioned authenticity.

Autographs:Sports Cards, Signed 1980s-90s Perez-Steele Baseball Hall of Fame Post Cards
Nearly Completed Set (105). ...

What was really interesting here is that after 32 bids the auction’s final price was only $11,700.00. That is barely $100 per signature even after the PSA encapsulation costs. And for reference, the complete set of 108 cards (including Satchell Paige and Lloyd Waner) graded 9/10 or better and “Authentic” by PSA/DNA had sold back in October-2009 for $20,315.00.

ALSO READ: THE REAL VALUE OF A SIGNED BABE RUTH BASEBALL!

Another similar Perez-Steele set is the “Greatest Moments” artwork that is made of even larger cards created in the same style as the T3 Turkey Red cabinet series from over 100 years ago. This lot of 68 cards sold in the same July-2022 for only $6,800.00 and the image below is from Heritage Auctions.

Autographs:Sports Cards, Signed 1985-95 Perez-Steele "Greatest Moments" Nearly Complete
Autographed Set (68). ...