An article in an old issue of Beckett Basketball Magazine got me thinking one day that collector's spend countless hours and good money opening packs hoping to pull an autographed card of their favorite player.  In some cases, these fans even wait patiently in long lines just for a chance to get their idols john hancocks on their cards, jerseys, shorts, pictures, etc.  But at the end of the day, what constitutes a good autograph that would make every fan's efforts worth it?  Let me explain.

Beckett Basketball Magazine usually has an article wherein they open boxes of cards to see the ratio of inserts that they could pull.  In this particular case, the spotlight was on Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant.  Beckett noted that with Bryant's name being only four letters, he could have done a better job signing out of respect to fans who indirectly (since the fan directly buys the packs and boxes) pay good money for his signature.

 Why pay for this?  

  When you can get his whole name at half the price.

Looking deeper into this issue, I've found other players who could be considered guilty of the same offense.  These are two-time MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns, Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, and Chris Paul of the New Orleans/Oaklahoma City Hornets.

 Was Nash pressured to sign? 

   A signature worthy of a 2-time MVP

 As a rookie, Kidd would sign his full name.

 12 years in the league can take it's toll on you, even in your signature.

 If he never put his middle initial, I would have never known it was "E."

 Not only a space-saver, a time-saver as well.

In fairness to these players, I have taken into consideration of the space that is usually allotted for them to sign in.  Think of those bank statements wherein your personal signature cannot cross the boarder of the designated box.  Players go through these problems as well.  Take the NBA rookie photo shoot for example, during breaks, players are given signing sheets wherein there are made to sign on them in an "assembly line" manner.  These sheets are eventually cut apart/peeled off and placed into the inserts you have today.

Other factors involved in signing can be both a blessing and a curse.  What if the player's pen runs low on ink?  What if your three people away from meeting your favorite player and he has to leave? etc.  Several remedies come to mind.  First, bring your own pen.  Preferably a black or silver Sharpie depending on the quality of your card.  Second, have your item on hand so that not that much time is taken away from your favorite player.  Third, if necessary, make sure your signing object has proper support.

I really hope this guide helped.  Kindly vote if you found it helpful.