Priscilla Molina in Los Angeles does a minimum of 300 custom signatures a month, offering packages that include up to three ways to sign, limitless drafts or a new set of initials. Happily winding my way through the crowd of vendors and buyers and fans and artistsI reached the photo-op ticket window. Freedom to not charge. For some reason this has become a hot topic of discussion lately. Some celebrities still enjoy signing autographs for free for fans. It would be ok in a charity event that athletes are asking for money for autograph and the collection goes to charity George Herman Ruth used his legal signature on checks, and "Babe Ruth" on his autographs. I mentioned I had copies I bought for my friend, and you jumped in and said, Let me autograph them for him. I hesitated a moment, then handed them over. But I am only an hour away from the Tidewater event, so my wife and oldest daughter can tend to them long enough for me to finally meet you!! My firm represents sports and entertainment figures and we have a strong relationship with the NBA Retired Players Association. Yes, celebrities do charge for autographs, although the prices vary depending on the celebrity. Wouldnt have occurred to them. As of today, its completely legal to sell a celebrity autograph and claim its the real deal even if its forged but come January that will all change, thanks to a law signed by Governor Brown. Same here. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. And never more than when in Jr High. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. I wish all comic writers thought about this like you Peter. Ive gotten a few nice autographs there (Spike Spencer, English dub voice of Shinji from Evangelion; Mari Ijima, original Japanese voice of Minmay from Macross/Robotech; Wantanabe Nabeshin Shinichi, afro-tastic director of Excel Saga) and none of them have ever charged. This is a sad state of affairs consideringsome years ago autographs were reasonably priced. In recent years, Taylor Swift has made herself known as one of the biggest celebrities that have made their autograph available to her fans in mass quantities. Heres the standard advice we give about signatures: Since fame has a value, dont devalue it. Michael J. I got quite a few autographs back in the day. The people are more important enjoy them. However, I dont feel like me buying the book entitles me to a signature, and I realize that writers and artists are simply being gracious when they do sign their stuff. I'm not talking about buying signed headshots. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Sounds good. Cannot express my glee when I heard that news. Florence Pugh is gearing up to do her first ever autograph signing in 2022. Why didnt we think of that?!. If he used an excuse that she didnt pay for it, I guess you could chalk that up to his capitalistic virtues huh? Yes, this is america, but have you looked outside your window lately? Why do actors, actresses, and most celebrities in general charge money for autographs at conventions? if i were doing it, it would be crowd control via profit. I rarely draw attention to it, unless someone brings me something like 50 comics to sign. On Saturday of the Con, I thought I had better buy a ticket to get my picture with Joe. b : a person's handwritten signature. Those will cost you though, sometimes upwards of hundreds of dollars depending on whose signature youre looking to collect. People came to see the stars, and the stars would oblige their fans' reasonable requests. Find your record within your folders or upload a new one. Labor for the event is $1,000. 3. 3 weeks after the autograph was sent, the celebrity sees that autograph for sale on eBay. The cost of celebrity appearances starts somewhere near five months of rent and only climbs from there, so think wisely about whom you want to show up at your birthday party. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Robert Downey Jr. is another first time signer also arranged by Star Wars Autograph Universe. Compared to what even the b- and c-listers charge at todays cons, what Mr. Stewart was charging back then was probably quite reasonable! The Motor City Comic Con is known for its celebrity/fan experience. . He also charged if you wanted the first issue of the new Spider-Man series signed. Until Star Wars Autograph Universe announced their signing with Natalie Portman in 2021, a signing with the Star Wars-actor was thought to be impossible. Do you really think this world is heading in the right direction? The fans in the stands are who pay for the NFL stars salaries. If youve never been to a comic convention, or anywhere with some kind of celebrity appearance, then you may not know the outlandish cost of celebrity autographs. It was very nice of you. I gave tables FREE to writers, artist and fan clubs. Why do athletes charge for autographs? One of the first ways to go about looking for your favorite celebrities' addresses is by searching public records. At photo ops, it's sometimes considered rude to try to talk to the celebrity for too long because other people are waiting to do the same thing. Mantle, whose autograph has sold for as much as $30, earned more than $150,000 last year signing on occasional weekends--more than he ever . Im ok with charging memorabilia collectors, but not kids. You dont take a paycheck home? I occasionally talk with actors who refuse to do comic book conventions because they are required to charge. The up and coming you can usually get for free. Typically there is only a two or three day window to purchase a signed copy from her site. Some will be more, sometimes substantially more. Before anyone criticizes Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for setting up a table and charging more than $100 to sign his name to photos, jerseys, and/or footballs, its important to remember that any athlete who can get paid to give his autograph does. Selma Hayek's autograph starts at $225 but can be as expensive as $730 depending on the size of the item being signed and the number of add-ons. Costs could quickly add up though. I lost the autograph a week later. It is unreasonable to ask someone, even someone well-known to sit for several hours for a couple of days meeting with people without any compensation. Was he in the playoffs? After the letters are opened and read, they are recycled. The response may come as a disappointment to any devotee who imagines, as they compose their letters that Swift makes time to view each one personally. Stephen Amell One source deeply involved in the convention circuit estimates that Amell walks away with $250,000 a weekend more than he makes per episode of Arrow a figure he denies. Or is you bank account nudging you towards Lindsay Lohan? Some may charge a few dollars while others may charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars. What are they going to do next, start charging a per minute conversation rate with the celebrity?! Thats why Im attending cons less and less. Then saying just dont buy it then is what every defense says about something thats wrong like go play a video game people cheat and say the same thing oh well its in the game well ya what thy doesnt mean you should do it and ruin the game same thing here he shouldnt do it. This weekend, Long Islands NYCB Live at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum hosts Ace Comic Con,three days celebrating comics, movies, and television showswith artist master classes and 30+ hours of programming. There are also special guests, and the chance to get autographs. Why do celebrities charge for autographs at conventions? 4) Also, if prices seem strangely low for an autographed item, chances are its a fake. Although, the satisfaction of getting one may be on a case-by-case basis, but there was a complaint about the staff members being overly protective of Patrick Stewart and some people agreed how the photo looked uncomfortable enough to appear on AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. As a fan, of course, I prefer it when Im not getting charged. Come clean my house! Youre no celebrity, but who cares, right? The price of an autograph ranges, generally, from about $30 to about $80 with most in the $30 to $60 range. They were the best of times. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Yes he did, indeed! Find out which actors will not be signing your movie poster any time soon. But by then youve already done your duty reinforcing the cycle, and the people are even less likely to allow fan photos at the tables. If you saw Sylvester Stallone at New York Comic-Con in 2013 then there's a good chance you paid close to $1,000. Charging for autographs. I had a Montana picture in a plaque-like display frame that I got around 1990. In that signing, Natalie Portmans autograph started at $560 for a signed 810 photo. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. For a kid, meeting your hero is one of them until he charges you for it. (Maybe it was two books for free?) (Even cooler when an artist includes a sketch!) I ran several conventions back in the 90s, and, things where much different then. Im noticing that quite a few writers are still not charging, but are selling samples of written work at their table. One more thing that can add value to your autographed baseball are inscriptions such as when a player adds his MVP year or when he won the World Series MVP. I remember seeing you once at SDCC in the mid-90s when they were cracking down on autographing at any location other than a booth. How much do celebrities charge for autographs? Sohow much is a ticket just for the photo with Joe?. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Now, it's expected that each scrawl will be worth a set amount of money as a way to defray the cost of bringing the guests down. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. As of 2022, the going rate for Michael J. Foxs autograph is $245. For a number of them, this is a source of income. (My guess is that people were selling them on eBay?) There actually are a few movie/TV people who wont charge. Im ok with charging an adult to pay the fee, considering some get it just to sell it. So I thought I would make my own position clear. Large format items like posters start at $440 while add-ons like character name or an inscription will each cost an additional $145. The value of an autograph depends primarily on the person, but also what was signed, the condition, the availability, and trends that affect supply and demand.Research autograph values in the extensive archives of Heritage . For one, celebrities can often make a lot of money from autographs. Not everything should be about money, especially to those whom have more than enough. So an autograph that was costing $20, is now at $26. Reason being is a ball with TO JOHN on it is hard to sell to someone named Matt! There are a number of them, some because they dont want autograph fans to make money from their autographs, others because they just dont want to do it. Youre a favorite of mine and I reread Calhouns exploits as often as I reread Pratchett. This coming from the guy who chastized Aaron Rodgers for not stopping for to autograph something for a cancer patient. Even the local Buffalo newsgave a mention on how autographs could take a good chunk of change out of your paycheck at that event and how first timers could be in for some sticker shock as it wont likely be expected. I can even recall a time where both an autograph and a picture with a celebrity at his/her table was all lumped into the charge of the autograph. Your email address will not be published. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. It helps to cover convention expenses because many conventions dont provide per diems. Most will run between $10 and $100 but we have found that many of our celebrities do not even set their price until they see what others are charging. It was an expected part of celebrity and was included in the price of admission. Now, even more sadly, they are charging for selfies. 1) I met Bruce Lee when he played Kato. Especially for autographs! And the rest of us are free to think they are greedy for doing so. Learn how your comment data is processed. Its not a god complex its them working. Some even tried to hand me money anyway. I think that it's a real big slap in the face to see that X is going to be attending and doing a signing, and then finding out that in addition to ~$75 in train and convention tickets I now need to spend another $50 (Christopher Lloyd.). Paul McCartney made the decision to stop signing autographs for his fans. I remember going to a Star Trek convention some ages ago and getting autographs from several of the cast members. 1 draft pick, Athletes charging for autographs is no big deal, Report: Derek Carr wants $35 million per year, The Raiders are the betting favorites to land Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy: Kellen Moore wants to light the scoreboard up, I want to run the damn ball, ESPN reiterates report that Lamar Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed deal, Arrest warrant issued for Jalen Carter for reckless driving, racing, Aaron Rodgers says hell make a decision soon enough, Competition Committee begins to explore the quarterback push play, Players say Chiefs discourage them from reporting injuries, have NFLs worst training staff, Report: Jalen Carter was present at teammates fatal crash, misled police about it. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. If people value his autograph at $125 (or whatever . I would gladly tip you just for the laugh you gave me that day. Personalizations like TO JOHN, always devalue the autographed baseball. Selma Hayek will be a first time signer for 2022. But my money was tight so I bought just a bit of all the things I liked, including your book. It never occurred to me that theyd charge for them, and on reflection I suspect it never would have occurred to them. Actors? #bluetooth #noisecancelling pic.twitter.com/0M79GjdsPZ, (Not that Im posting her tweet as a subtle hint.). PAD: as long as its reasonable. Why do actors charge for autographs? Some fans prefer face time with the celebrities at their tables and have their photos taken at that venue, for a fee of course. Thank them. Perhaps they should contribute their portion to a charity of their choice. Most conventions charge an entry fee, collect $5 for every autograph and $10 per photo (with a photographer taking another $10). While items sent in by customers started at $560, the cost of add-ons, like character names, started at an additional $300. dont need an autograph, I got one of those 30 years ago in San Fran. At the recent Orlando MegaCon I bought2 T-Shirts with funny geek quotes that poke fun at sci-fi pop culture because nothing is more satisfying than getting laughs when a new set of eyes stops to read your shirt. I knew from long experience that just to meet Sexy Star would be fairly easy, but a keepsake was more or less out of my budget after I paid $126 for getting the assorted Doctor Who . Youre one of the good ones. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. Fox is a regular guest at comic cons. Create a signNow account (if you haven't registered yet) or log in using your Google or Facebook. If Joe fan wants a signature for free, give him the B signature. Click Upload and select one of your documents. After that, buyers have to go to the secondary market where prices can reach $300 or more. Freedom to spend. amzn_assoc_link_id = "F2DH2IXURVA2FV2B"; I met you and your young daughter at c2e2 a couple of years ago. Of course, I dont know how many people/fans have looked at the autograph prices and thought F that! Freedom to do whatever you want to do within the confines of the law. One of the problems is that sometimes, like in my case, you dont realize how awkward and awful the photos will look until after youve already gotten one or two your first time. However, fame surely isn't free and neither are signatures! Fan Mail Gone Too Far; Five Stories of Abused Generosity. As a general rule of thumb, it is not the best idea to ask a celebrity for their autograph or a picture while they are with their family. Heres to my freedom in being able to label cam newton as a greedy, classless, sad human being.