Searching for "The One"

By Adam Halloran

Jun 10, 2019

We might not ever find "THE ONE". It might take a bit of searching around to finally find that special something you sinply will fall head over heels in love with and just can't live without, and you know what?! That is okay too! There are plenty of fish in the sea! As Bono once said (...And again over and over at every concert since) "I still haven't found what I'm looking for!"

No, I am not talking about your (or my) love life! (...But hey if you get any ideas that help keep following along!) I am talking about when deciding to add, or not to add, an autograph into your collection because it has some type of imperfection. Sometimes we like to call those items fillers. They might simply "fill" in that empty void for now, but It doesn't have to be the end of the road either for yourself or that piece!

Not everything signed is going to be what you wish for, especially out in the streets with guys jumping over each other to get the ink flowing. These items may get bumped or bent and it is also possible that you might just get a quick flipant autograph in a dark area of an album or they hit a photo with a dead marker. Sometimes you get what you get. Such is life.

These items will sometimes get traded onward or resold and while I personally think saving your money for something special and unique is probably best in the long run, I also understand that good deals can be made for these misfit autographs too.

That is all in all what upgrading is for anyways! It might be time to finally dump those lower end items later on for either a fuller, much nicer signature, or perhaps you finally decided to buy that Harrison Ford signed Han Solo or Indiana Jones shot you dreamed of and are finally passing on that signed Six Days Seven Nights 8x10 to a newer collector looking for a deal that might just be their NOW. Making the circle of collecting complete!

I will still say, that while tempting as it is to pick up these lower quality items at a fraction of the cost to a more desirable version, make sure you trust the source! It is getting harder (as perhaps it should be) for a TPA to pass a few squiggled lines on paper and the last thing you want is to keep 2nd guessing the authenticity. If you have to keep asking people every year if it is real to ease your mind, then you are better just to walk away!

Heck you may never find the one, but you may find your one for right now! ...And you know what? That is half the fun. The search. Just keep your eyes and ears (and wallet) open and maybe you will eventually do something Bono never did.

Adam Halloran

RACC Administrator

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