Collecting 101

A signature is ink on a surface, and ink fades. Sunlight, humidity, cheap frames and the wrong pen have wrecked more collections than any forger ever did.

This is the practical section. Which pen to bring to a signing: Sharpie for most items, a paint pen for helmets and dark surfaces, and never a ballpoint on a photo. How to display a jersey or a full-size helmet so it looks great and the signature stays sharp for decades. UV glass, shadow boxes, acrylic cases, and when each one's actually worth the money. How to store the pieces that aren't on the wall yet.

There's a starting point for new collectors here too. What to buy first, what to skip, how signings and send-ins work, and the handful of mistakes almost everybody makes in year one, us included.

None of this is complicated. It just has to be done on purpose.