Tuesday Tips: A Guide to Autograph Signing Events from Ultimate Autographs

So you just found out Ultimate Autographs is holding an autograph signing with your favorite athlete and you just purchased your tickets. You're excited to meet one of your team's star athletes and add an autographed sports memorabilia item to your man cave or office. But what's next? Check out this week's Tuesday Tips on how autograph signings with Ultimate Autographs work!

Tickets

For starters, tickets are never mailed out to people. Once you purchase your ticket, your order goes into our database where we keep track of who bought what kind of ticket for each athlete. The tickets are created in-house by the Ultimate Autographs team and will be ready for pick up the day of the autograph signing event.

We suggest bringing a copy of your order confirmation or having quick access on your mobile device so our team can reference the order# as this is how the tickets are organized. We can look up by last name and email but the quickest and easiest method is via order#. Once we locate your tickets, our team will review your autograph options with you to ensure everything was recorded accurately.

You will have the option to add on to your order should you want to purchase another autograph ticket, additional inscriptions or a certificate of authenticity (COA) from the third-party authenticator on-site.

To help this process be as streamlined as possible, Ultimate Autographs recommends arriving at the venue at least 45 minutes before the signing is scheduled to begin. This will allow you to pick up your tickets, grab any additional merch and have everything ready to go as soon as the athlete arrives.

Plus most venues we work with offer ice cold beverages and fresh food to ensure you're fueled up for the autograph signing event!

Each ticket will have a number on them which is designated by when the ticket is purchased. Ultimate Autographs will call people to line up based on the number on each ticket. It is similar to when boarding an airplane where passengers get on the plane in designated turns. This is why we always recommend pre-ordering tickets for our autograph signings. The sooner you order, the better your number which means less time waiting in line!

We will often offer VIP packages and combo deals (if applicable) for the athletes at our autograph signing events. These tickets ensure you have the best spot in line and feature savings on multiple add-ons. Please be sure to read the details of what is included in each package to make sure you get the correct  VIP/combo ticket.

Photo Ops

One of the most exciting parts of our autograph signing events is the chance to get a picture with the athlete. A photo op ticket is good for one picture with the athlete and does not include an autograph. This photo can include yourself and up to 3 additional guests.

When taking the photo, we recommend removing any jackets or additional items you do not want in the photo well before it is your turn. This allows for everyone to get their photo taken in a timely manner and we can move on to the autograph signing portion of the event. It is important to remember that the athlete is only scheduled for a limited time and while most will gladly stay longer to meet with fans, we respect the athlete's time and always attempt to have them finished prior to their designated end time.

Photo ops are taken on your camera either by someone in your party or by one of our helpful staff members. 

Signatures and Inscriptions

There are typically two different levels of autograph signatures. Flat tickets cover photos up to 16x20, mini helmets and trading cards. Premium tickets typically cover anything else that is not a Flat. We recommend reviewing the classifications for Flats vs. Premiums for the particular signing you're going to as each signing is different from the next. In some cases, athletes offer one price to encompass all items.

An autograph ticket covers 1 autograph on 1 particular item. You can purchase multiple autograph tickets if you would like the athlete to sign multiple items. If you add additional autograph tickets to a previous order, your place in line is based on your first purchase.

Inscriptions are additional words the athlete applies to the autographed item. Typically, inscriptions are up to three words per inscription ticket and each stat counts as one inscription ticket. These rules can differ from one signing to the next so we always recommend double-checking how many words you're wanting the athlete to add and how many inscription tickets are needed.

Inscriptions can be personalized, player-related slogans, team slogans or player stats. Inscriptions that we do not allow is "Game Used" or "Game Worn." The reason for this is that there is no way to verify an item at a signing is an actual game used or game worn item. We pride ourselves on offering authentic memorabilia and are unable to do these inscriptions on items at our autograph signing events.

Athletes always have the right of refusal for any item or inscription.

After having your item autographed, we recommend waiting a few minutes to let the ink properly dry before putting the item in protective packaging. This will help avoid smears and smudges on the autograph.

Signing Supplies

Ultimate Autographs will have a collection of standard colors of sharpies and paint pens but we always recommend bringing your own to the autograph signing event. This ensures you will receive the particular ink color you would like and that the paint pen is primed to go.

When sending in a mail-in item to one of our autograph signings, we recommend sending in your own paint pen or sharpie if you would like a specific color. Given all of the moving parts involved in our autograph signing events, we cannot guarantee your paint pen or sharpie will be returned with the autographed item.

Ultimate Autographs will not have protective materials available for items at events. We recommend bringing your own protective cover or packaging for the items you are autographing to ensure the item is not damaged.

Have Fun!

This is the most important thing for fans to remember! Autograph signing events are meant to be a great opportunity to meet professional athletes and we always make sure each fan enjoys their experience at our events!