By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Readers ask question on the value of some signatures, reliable sources for wrestling memorabilia, and rare action figures.

Question: “Many years ago, WWE did a house show in my northern Ontario city and I was fortunate enough to meet Bret Hart, the late Owen Hart, the late Davey Boy Smith, and the late Brian Pillman. All of them were a treat to meet at the time and signed my WWE Summerslam magazine. Just wondering what those autographs would go for right now.” - Anthony Santelli

Moore Answers: That’s a pretty impressive group of signatures to have in one place. Because your item is so unique – and potentially one of a kind, with all four signatures – there is no one way to determine the value. If you ever decide you want to sell the item, your best bet would be to get the autographs authenticated by a company like PSA (www.psadna.com). Bret and Owen are the only two of those four wrestlers to have ever signed certified autographed items. Pillman and Davey Boy both died before wrestling memorabilia became the big business it is today.

In some cases, having multiple signatures on one piece can turn collectors off. For example, if an item is signed by Kurt Angle and nine wrestlers who lasted only a couple months in WWE, an Angle fan would likely pass on that and just spend his money on an item signed only by Angle. However, the four wrestlers you mentioned have careers and lives that are very intertwined. Someone who wants a Bret Hart autograph would probably be interested in signatures from Owen, Bulldog and Pillman as well. The fact that three of the four wrestlers are deceased certainly adds to value of the item too.

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact price on an item like this, but if you were to have all four signatures authenticated and find the right buyer, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see it sell for well over $1,000.

Question: “I went to a TNA event back in October. I met Jeff Hardy. I purchased his NASCAR replica truck that he had designed, and was used in an actual NASCAR race. The truck itself is worth $50, I believe. But, it was autographed by Jeff Hardy himself on the back of the truck. I was wondering how much it is worth now, and possibly how much it would be worth later in the future?”

Moore Answers: Jeff Hardy’s collectibles are still among the hottest in all of wrestling. Since his arrival in TNA in 2010, however, Hardy has signed a plethora of items – cards, action figures, photographs, plaques and more. Because of this, the secondary market value has autograph has dropped somewhat. TNA has sold autographed Hardy figures for as low as $19.99.

Even so, you have a unique item, and if you could find someone who is both a Jeff Hardy fan and a die-cast collector, you could probably get somewhere in the $100-150 range for your truck.
It’s impossible to tell what an item might be worth in the future, because there are so many factors involved. If Hardy never signs another truck again, you would probably have a unique item. But if Hardy keeps signing items at the pace he has during the last two years, the market will be flooded with Hardy signatures.

Question: “Where is the most reliable source to buy authentic autographs in your opinion? What do you think of Highspots?” – Justin Fox

Moore Answers: It depends on the type of item you are looking for. Topps has been inserting certified autographs in its WWE products since 2005, and TRISTAR has been doing the same for TNA since 2008. Keep in mind that the majority of these sets use sticker autographs – the wrestler signs a sheet full of stickers, and then Topps and TRISTAR then apply those stickers to the cards. Autograph cards usually feature the words “authentic autograph” or “certified autograph” somewhere on the front and a certificate of authenticity on the back. Older cards – specifically the WWF and WCW sets from the late 1990s – featured on-card signatures instead of stickers, and those cards also featured COAs on the back.

Several other trading card companies have produced signatures of wrestlers as well. Roddy Piper, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, and others have been included in Sport Kings products, Donruss (now Panini) offered signatures from Ultimate Warrior and Brutus Beefcake in its Americana product, and In the Game included Hart and Trish Stratus in its recent Canadiana product.

If you’re looking for autographed plaques or memorabilia, the TNA and WWE websites are the best way to go. WWE rarely sells autographed pieces for less than $100, but TNA often offers some very reasonable prices.

Wrestlers who are not affiliated with WWE often sell autographed items directly through their own websites. Colt Cabana, Missy Hyatt, Ric Flair, and others offer signed items at very low prices; some will even sign items that you mail to them, provided that you pay the fee and shipping costs. Highspots.com is a good source for autographs, and one of the more reputable wrestling sites out there. High spots often offers inexpensive signed photos of older and independent wrestlers.

Question: “What do you consider to be the most valuable Matt Hardy figure? Depending on your definition of valuable, I'm looking for either the least produced one, or a figure with some unique feature to it.” – Justin Berglund

Moore Answers: Matt Hardy wrestled for WWE for so long that he has more action figures than most wrestlers. Jakks-Pacific produced a ridiculous amount of his toys from 2000 to 2009, and Mattel also made a few in 2010. There are figures of the Hardy Boyz, Matt Hardy V1, Hardy as MVP’s tag team partner and even Hardy as a member of Immortal in TNA.

One of Matt’s coolest figures was released as a Ringside Collectibles exclusive in 2009. It is a two-pack with Jeff, and features the heel Matt with a scowl on his face. The package comes with a ladder and painted WWE and Intercontinental belts. It’s very tough to find today, and a packaged set will run you about $100-140.

Another popular Matt figure can be found in the Team Xtreme three-pack from 2001. It was sold exclusively at Kmart and features Matt and Jeff in matching purple Hardy Boyz shirts, along with Lita in a white top and black pants. These sets sell in the $50-75 range packaged.

Sloppy Signature Trivia




Can you identify the awful autograph of this wrestling legend? Send your responses to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com. Make sure to include your name so that you will receive credit in next Tuesday’s Collectibles Column.

[Torch photo (c) PWTorch.com]

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