Skip to content
Fivecardguys.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission from eBay and/or PWCC.

Why are autographed sports cards graded for authenticity valued less?

Visit our Daily Auctions page to see the latest sports card deals on auction ending daily! And listen to our podcast Cards To The Moon!

The value of autographed sports cards with the signatures certified by the card manufacturers themselves give the card itself an incredible boost.
It’s especially true of cards belonging to superstar players and top prospects.
And once they’re graded, the value of those cards can skyrocket even further. For those chasing Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 Bowman Chrome rookie autographs, just click on the link here to see what those values are for an assortment of those cards.
But how do you value exactly those sports cards that have autographs signed the old fashioned (or traditional) way?
There are a couple of the Ohtani baseball cards that didn’t come with an autograph, which were signed by Ohtani himself later on. Both have been graded by PSA and authenticated the autograph like the one here.
2018 Bowman #49 Shohei Ohtani Angels RC Rookie Signed AUTO PSA/DNA Auction #2
Screen Shot 2018-05-30 at 10.22.54 AM.png
The value of the card, however, is significantly lower.
Our question: why is that? Is there still the uncertainty that the autograph could have been forged? Is it the fact that there are potentially many more base cards, which can all be theoretically signed thus devaluing the autographed card?
Or is it just a good opportunity to get a signed, graded card of your favorite player at much better value?
CK
* Follow us on Twitter at @fivecardguys where we post eBay auctions ending within 24 hours of the tweet for potentially great deals!
* Follow us on Instagram at @fivecardguys where we regularly post amazing sports cards we find online! 
* Follow us on Facebook at @fivecardguys where we post eBay auctions and sports card news regularly!

Leave a Reply