My friends gf is working a convention this weekend and she's working with liliana of the dark realms, so I pulled out my copy and had her sign it! It may be worthless but I thought it was awesome! So I have a signed liliana and was curious if the value goes up?
With very, very rare exception, the only cards that retain most of their original value when signed are MTG Invitational cards (Dark Confidant, Snapcaster Mage, etc.) signed by the players that designed them and cards signed by their artists. The rare exceptions tend to be cards that have well known design stories signed by key people in those stories (most often Richard Garfield and Alpha/Beta/Unlimited cards) or cards otherwise based on a real person (Maro signed by Mark Rosewater, Richard Garfield Ph.D signed by Richard Garfield).
Outside those circumstances, the card would be graded as "heavily played" by most grading scales. How much value loss you're looking at depends a lot on the specific card, but for reference a near-mint Sol Ring from Unlimited goes for about $18-20. A "moderately played" Sol Ring from Unlimited fetches about $10. Most resellers won't even deal in "heavily played" cards.
Generally speaking, purely from a value retention standpoint getting a card altered by a decent artist is a much better way to personalize your cards than getting them signed.
Unless it's signed by the artist, it's going to make the card worthless to most people (although I'm not sure why you'd ask anyone else to sign a card).
Obviously, Invitational cards are an exception, having them signed by whose likeness is featured on the card would also be desirable to a lot of people.
Aside from that, maybe Richard Garfield.
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Bident Layers B Devotion RG Devotion UW Control Modern:
Jund
UW Control
Combo Pod Legacy: DeathBlade RUG Delver BUG Control
With very, very rare exception, the only cards that retain most of their original value when signed are MTG Invitational cards
Actually, signed cards demand a premium pretty much everywhere. Don't take my word for it, go to literally any online shop that has them or even eBay right now and look at the prices. Cards with bad art by little-known artists still go for a couple dollars. ABU tacks a $5 minimum premium on all signed cards.
Outside those circumstances, the card would be graded as "heavily played" by most grading scales. How much value loss you're looking at depends a lot on the specific card, but for reference a near-mint Sol Ring from Unlimited goes for about $18-20. A "moderately played" Sol Ring from Unlimited fetches about $10. Most resellers won't even deal in "heavily played" cards.
This argument comes from an old attitude of baseball card collectors. It simply doesn't hold true. Signed cards aren't considered damaged. PSA and BGS both do autographed card grading and authentication. The signature doesn't automatically ruin the cards grade. Do an eBay search for "BGS signed MTG" to find signed cards professionally rated as "Mint".
Generally speaking, purely from a value retention standpoint getting a card altered by a decent artist is a much better way to personalize your cards than getting them signed.
I get that you don't like autographed cards but you should do a little research. Personally I think that alterations by anyone except the original artist ruin it. But I won't deny that a good alteration can command a premium the way that an autograph can. Ask Markers if he got all of his autographed cards for cheap because they are all "heavily played".
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The Collection:
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
Actually, signed cards demand a premium pretty much everywhere. Don't take my word for it, go to literally any online shop that has them or even eBay right now and look at the prices. Cards with bad art by little-known artists still go for a couple dollars. ABU tacks a $5 minimum premium on all signed cards.
And SCG rates any signed card as slightly played at best, selling them at a discount. If you can't verify the signature, it's heavily played. As for "cards with bad art by little-known artists", that's alter territory, not signed cards. Altered art tends to be a much more popular avenue for pimping out collections since every card is a unique work, while there's thousands of cards out there signed by Rob Alexander or Mark Poole.
This argument comes from an old attitude of baseball card collectors. It simply doesn't hold true. Signed cards aren't considered damaged. PSA and BGS both do autographed card grading and authentication. The signature doesn't automatically ruin the cards grade. Do an eBay search for "BGS signed MTG" to find signed cards professionally rated as "Mint".
What someone wants to sell a card for and what it actually ends up selling for are two different things. Sometimes you'll luck out and find someone who is willing to pay a premium because it's a hard-to-get signature or because they really like the card and the artist. Most buyers would rather have an unsigned card. If you can get the former, lucky you. If you don't want to go through the trouble of trying to get that premium, though, you should be prepared to let the card go for less-than-mint, BSG grade or no.
I get that you don't like autographed cards but you should do a little research. Personally I think that alterations by anyone except the original artist ruin it. But I won't deny that a good alteration can command a premium the way that an autograph can. Ask Markers if he got all of his autographed cards for cheap because they are all "heavily played".
I actually like signed cards. I really do. But trying to get a premium on them when trying to offload the cards takes a lot more work than trying to get a premium on a remotely decent card alter. If you're trading, you might be able to get the other guy to value the card as though it weren't signed. If you're selling to a store, you're getting well under what you would've gotten if it weren't signed. And if you're selling on eBay... well, you're taking your chances on if anyone actually wants to buy it at all.
Ask Markers if he got all of his autographed cards for cheap because they are all "heavily played".
Ah, I wish...
I pay premium for signed cards and I know a lot of fellow sig collectors who do the same.
I love the fact that signed cards have such a niche existence. Makes our hobby more affordable and we can contact the artist without the fear of another "fan" have pissed him/her off before (if you want see some of these people go the Magic Kickstarter book and check the comment section!!!:mad:).
If signed cards were as much loved as foils or foreign cards we´d be in deep trouble.
And SCG rates any signed card as slightly played at best, selling them at a discount.
This is because they got complaints from people who didn't realize that writing on the card was a signature and they decided that it isn't worth their time to separate the signed cards since it is a niche market. I don't blame them with the volume of cards that they handle. I just went through about a dozen major card sellers and couldn't find another that discounts signed cards.
Most buyers would rather have an unsigned card. If you can get the former, lucky you. If you don't want to go through the trouble of trying to get that premium, though, you should be prepared to let the card go for less-than-mint, BSG grade or no.
Most buyers would also rather have an unaltered card. The logic works exactly the same. One difference is that BGS won't even grade an altered card, all they will do is authenticate it. I have actually purchased altered cards because they were cheaper than unaltered cards and stripped the alterations. (That's a pain in the butt let me tell you).
I actually like signed cards. I really do. But trying to get a premium on them when trying to offload the cards takes a lot more work than trying to get a premium on a remotely decent card alter.
Here it seems like a matter of personal experience. It sounds like mine has been the opposite of yours. I buy and sell a lot of cards and I have had a much easier time convincing someone that a card signed by the artist is worth a premium than a card which some random artist drew a pony across. In either case, most people seem to prefer regular untouched cards and foreign or foil cards draw a much more consistent premium than either.
Maybe it is a difference of demographics. I deal in mostly Vintage/Legacy cards with older clients. The people I see with a lot of alters tend to be younger Standard players. I'm the only person in my playgroup who likes sigs or alters.
If you're trading, you might be able to get the other guy to value the card as though it weren't signed. If you're selling to a store, you're getting well under what you would've gotten if it weren't signed. And if you're selling on eBay... well, you're taking your chances on if anyone actually wants to buy it at all.
All of these arguments could be made for altered cards as well. And my LGS pays a small premium for signatures.
I've been looking around online and I'm seen the exact disagreement we are having in other places and times. Signatures are a niche market, no doubt, but apart from SCG I also can't find a devaluement reflected in the market. Maybe my experience is the exception and I've been overpaying for my signatures or maybe it's regional. :shrug
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The Collection:
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
Here's a tip for ya: The only people who will value an artist-signed card lower want your card so bad they don't want you to know how bad they want it.
As for getting it signed by the model... I wouldn't unless I got to meet the person, because then it's a memento. The only artist model whose name transcends the field is Stacy Walker, and she's never posed for a Magic card as far as I know.
Wait Planeswalker arts are based on real models? I didn't know that. What models are Lily and Jace based on?
I'd like to know where he got impression that Planeswalkers are based on models, because I'm pretty sure they designed the costumes and everything for these people based on the already existing artwork. In other words, the woman in the Liliana costume is a hired, well-costumed cosplayer. Her signature is practically worthless, although like Powdered Blackblade I could understand getting it signed if you were there in person as a memento or something.
Completely depends on the signature and card. There are some artist out there that rarely sign cards that they have created art for. Finding such a signature on a highly played card will substantially increase its value to the right buyer.
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Some people think its cool and worth more.
A lot more people think it just makes the card not mint anymore.
Therefore signing makes it harder to get rid of it. However it shouldn't be an issue if its just for yourself.
Of course signatures depends on who signs it. Artist vs random person.
Maybe the artist is dead or is hard to get hold of to sign cards.
Some people (even LGS) may value the cards as damaged
Outside those circumstances, the card would be graded as "heavily played" by most grading scales. How much value loss you're looking at depends a lot on the specific card, but for reference a near-mint Sol Ring from Unlimited goes for about $18-20. A "moderately played" Sol Ring from Unlimited fetches about $10. Most resellers won't even deal in "heavily played" cards.
Generally speaking, purely from a value retention standpoint getting a card altered by a decent artist is a much better way to personalize your cards than getting them signed.
If you are selling them to dealers then having them signed kills the value.
But trading/selling to other players you could end up improving the value if you find the right audience.
Obviously, Invitational cards are an exception, having them signed by whose likeness is featured on the card would also be desirable to a lot of people.
Aside from that, maybe Richard Garfield.
Bident Layers
B Devotion
RG Devotion
UW Control
Modern:
Jund
UW Control
Combo Pod
Legacy:
DeathBlade
RUG Delver
BUG Control
Actually, signed cards demand a premium pretty much everywhere. Don't take my word for it, go to literally any online shop that has them or even eBay right now and look at the prices. Cards with bad art by little-known artists still go for a couple dollars. ABU tacks a $5 minimum premium on all signed cards.
This argument comes from an old attitude of baseball card collectors. It simply doesn't hold true. Signed cards aren't considered damaged. PSA and BGS both do autographed card grading and authentication. The signature doesn't automatically ruin the cards grade. Do an eBay search for "BGS signed MTG" to find signed cards professionally rated as "Mint".
I get that you don't like autographed cards but you should do a little research. Personally I think that alterations by anyone except the original artist ruin it. But I won't deny that a good alteration can command a premium the way that an autograph can. Ask Markers if he got all of his autographed cards for cheap because they are all "heavily played".
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
And SCG rates any signed card as slightly played at best, selling them at a discount. If you can't verify the signature, it's heavily played. As for "cards with bad art by little-known artists", that's alter territory, not signed cards. Altered art tends to be a much more popular avenue for pimping out collections since every card is a unique work, while there's thousands of cards out there signed by Rob Alexander or Mark Poole.
What someone wants to sell a card for and what it actually ends up selling for are two different things. Sometimes you'll luck out and find someone who is willing to pay a premium because it's a hard-to-get signature or because they really like the card and the artist. Most buyers would rather have an unsigned card. If you can get the former, lucky you. If you don't want to go through the trouble of trying to get that premium, though, you should be prepared to let the card go for less-than-mint, BSG grade or no.
I actually like signed cards. I really do. But trying to get a premium on them when trying to offload the cards takes a lot more work than trying to get a premium on a remotely decent card alter. If you're trading, you might be able to get the other guy to value the card as though it weren't signed. If you're selling to a store, you're getting well under what you would've gotten if it weren't signed. And if you're selling on eBay... well, you're taking your chances on if anyone actually wants to buy it at all.
I'm not sure if you realize that Liliana is not a real person...
Ah, I wish...
I pay premium for signed cards and I know a lot of fellow sig collectors who do the same.
I love the fact that signed cards have such a niche existence. Makes our hobby more affordable and we can contact the artist without the fear of another "fan" have pissed him/her off before (if you want see some of these people go the Magic Kickstarter book and check the comment section!!!:mad:).
If signed cards were as much loved as foils or foreign cards we´d be in deep trouble.
Current signed cards count (31.12.16):
Artist alters: 828
Beta Project: 2574/2853
Grand Total signed cards: 42'091
All my stuff in a FB group
Me@WOTC
Thanks Einstein. I didn't realize a card isn't a person, however she WAS the model for the card. Also jace was there, but I didn't have my jace.
This is because they got complaints from people who didn't realize that writing on the card was a signature and they decided that it isn't worth their time to separate the signed cards since it is a niche market. I don't blame them with the volume of cards that they handle. I just went through about a dozen major card sellers and couldn't find another that discounts signed cards.
Most buyers would also rather have an unaltered card. The logic works exactly the same. One difference is that BGS won't even grade an altered card, all they will do is authenticate it. I have actually purchased altered cards because they were cheaper than unaltered cards and stripped the alterations. (That's a pain in the butt let me tell you).
Here it seems like a matter of personal experience. It sounds like mine has been the opposite of yours. I buy and sell a lot of cards and I have had a much easier time convincing someone that a card signed by the artist is worth a premium than a card which some random artist drew a pony across. In either case, most people seem to prefer regular untouched cards and foreign or foil cards draw a much more consistent premium than either.
Maybe it is a difference of demographics. I deal in mostly Vintage/Legacy cards with older clients. The people I see with a lot of alters tend to be younger Standard players. I'm the only person in my playgroup who likes sigs or alters.
All of these arguments could be made for altered cards as well. And my LGS pays a small premium for signatures.
I've been looking around online and I'm seen the exact disagreement we are having in other places and times. Signatures are a niche market, no doubt, but apart from SCG I also can't find a devaluement reflected in the market. Maybe my experience is the exception and I've been overpaying for my signatures or maybe it's regional. :shrug
Every English card ever printed: 99.02%
Arabian Nights through Lorwyn: Complete
Alpha: 94.2% Beta: 95.0%
Unlimited through M10: Complete
Wait Planeswalker arts are based on real models? I didn't know that. What models are Lily and Jace based on?
As for getting it signed by the model... I wouldn't unless I got to meet the person, because then it's a memento. The only artist model whose name transcends the field is Stacy Walker, and she's never posed for a Magic card as far as I know.
I'd like to know where he got impression that Planeswalkers are based on models, because I'm pretty sure they designed the costumes and everything for these people based on the already existing artwork. In other words, the woman in the Liliana costume is a hired, well-costumed cosplayer. Her signature is practically worthless, although like Powdered Blackblade I could understand getting it signed if you were there in person as a memento or something.
(Also known as Xenphire)