About 25 years ago before there were autographed inserts and chase cards and high price premium packs, and living in an area where there aren't any professional teams, one of the things I enjoyed doing was collecting autographs through the mail by sending cards to the athletes. There are a number of tips I'd like to share with you so as to get the best results and to have the most fun while you are doing this. After all, it is about fun.

Question: Where do I send the cards?

In most cases you can send the cards to the home stadium of the players you are interested in. These addresses can be found on most of the team web addresses Now a days with most prominent athletes having their own websites, or you want to send requests to non team athletes (Tennis, Golf, Auto Racing etc.) you may find specific addresses and procedures on how the handle these types of requests.

Question: What do I send to the athlete for signing?

There are a number of things to include when you are sending requests to athletes, and this is what I have had the most success with.

1. Include a hand written letter to the athlete referencing what you like about the them or a specific play or accomplishment. If they won an award or a championship congratulate them. Then ask them to sign the cards you have included. Don't use a form letter. If you expect them to take the time to sign something, take the time to write something. Personalize it.
2. Include a self addressed stamped envelope. An SASE makes it simple for the athlete to return your items to you. In some instances this can be difficult especially if you are in Canada and want to request an autograph from someone in the US. If this is the case, explain that you don't have access to other country's postage. You will still get a reply in some cases.
3. Include 3 cards or "flat" items. I always used cards because of the availability. If you send less, you may miss out on the opportunity for multiple signatures. If you send more, chances are the athlete won't sign all of them. In some instances even with 3, you will only get 1 or 2 signed and returned.

Question: What other items can I send to be autographed?

I always sent cards, but photos or pictures are probably OK. You can also send a blank card known as an "index card". You can also ask for any other promotional items that the may send out, or the may include them any way.

Question: What shouldn't I send?

 Non flat items like balls or pucks or whatever are generally not a good idea. There are shipping and cost considerations here. Also never send an expensive card or rookie card or generally a card you are not willing to not get back. There isn't a 100% return rate (probably closer to 50%) so if you don't want to lose it, don't send it.

Question: How long will it take to get the items back?

I've had cards returned in as little as 2 weeks or as long as 10 months. patience is definately part of this game.

Question: Is there anything else I should know?

A few other things to mention, first, some athletes have exclusivity deals with card companies and may not sign that particular product. You may get a better result from sending to semi-stars, rookies or retired players. I have gotten results from Superstars, but for ever 1 I got back from a Superstar, I've gotten 2 back from a journeyman. If you have a favorite team, collect that, remembering to send each request to each different player in a different envelope. Obviously there isn't any way to know 100% for sure if the autograph is authentic, but there are enough known samples that can be found on the Internet to check to see if it is a match.

In summary, everyone likes to get mail and when you open an envelope and it has a signed card or 2 from your favorite player, even better. It's kind of an old way to do things and there aren't any certificates of authentication, but this is a great hobby to help you get closer to the game.

I hope you found this interesting and the main thing to remember HAVE FUN!!