Auotgraphing Pops?

[mastakimchi]

If you do get an auto graph do some research first. Like what markers are bette. I got a Pop signed years ago by Stan Lee. He signed it with a regular black sharpie marker and the paint has faded over the years.

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

Have you seen the GITD paint pens? they look fkin amazing

[mastakimchi]

Autographs are cool, but i think the whole quote fad is getting out of control. when i see a wall of text on the front and side cover with illegible handwriting i wonder why people are trying to give their favorite actors/actresses arthritis.

[Elewitt2022]

Love all the comments from everyone!

When you pick a pop to get signed do you look for a rare pop or a common?

I like to get my autographs personalized, which I know makes them less valuable in the future, so I pick a common pop that wasn't going to have much value for resale anyway.....but now it will always be valuable to me, because of the experience of having it signed to me by the artist....

[Ronnie18]

I wouldn’t mind getting a pop signed. But with the lines being so long, I would only get one if I won a lottery.

[FunkoEmu]

Love all the comments from everyone!

When you pick a pop to get signed do you look for a rare pop or a common?

I like to get my autographs personalized, which I know makes them less valuable in the future, so I pick a common pop that wasn't going to have much value for resale anyway.....but now it will always be valuable to me, because of the experience of having it signed to me by the artist....

Value isn't the primary concern for me. I try to go for the character (or mold) that most closely represents how I see them. For example, when I got Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, I got the chases signed since the characters wore the suits a LOT, but not normally the helmet. When I meet Andy Serkis coming up at DragonCon, I plan to just get the common Gollum done since Gollum with a fish doesn't really add anything for me (granted I'm a junkie and plan to get Klaue and Snoke also signed. haha).

[FunkoEmu]

If you do get an auto graph do some research first. Like what markers are bette. I got a Pop signed years ago by Stan Lee. He signed it with a regular black sharpie marker and the paint has faded over the years.

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

I'm a vet with getting autographs done. Quick tip for you when testing out pens and box/color combinations... Get some ziplock bags and cut them into single-ply sheets... sign on those (you have to hold it down to get it to stay flat for the sig, but it's not hard... you'll get the hang of it). Once you have done that, you can just set that sheet on a box to see how it would look... and you could quickly set it on a different pop if you're debating the same pen color on that one too.

[FunkoEmu]

Autographs are cool, but i think the whole quote fad is getting out of control. when i see a wall of text on the front and side cover with illegible handwriting i wonder why people are trying to give their favorite actors/actresses arthritis.

I don't mind a short/quick quote.... that can add to it (if there is something iconic by the character). But I totally agree that it is out of hand. Anything more than a short quote just takes away from the actual autograph at that point. Plus it gets celebs to get tired of doing quotes and raising prices.

[mastakimchi]

Love all the comments from everyone!

When you pick a pop to get signed do you look for a rare pop or a common?

I like to get my autographs personalized, which I know makes them less valuable in the future, so I pick a common pop that wasn't going to have much value for resale anyway.....but now it will always be valuable to me, because of the experience of having it signed to me by the artist....

first of all u can always wipe away the personalization as long as it wasnt written on the box. second, these so called "common" funkos get vaulted and sometimes end up more expensive than exclusive versions.

but with that being said i usually opt for the rare pop since if im spending 100+ on an auto.. might as well get it on the most rare pop i can get a hold of.

[mastakimchi]

I wouldn’t mind getting a pop signed. But with the lines being so long, I would only get one if I won a lottery.

Are you saying you will only get it if its free? because the lottery lines are usually a lot longer and more waiting. But if its cuz of the money, theres lots of ways to get free autographs just takes way more effort and luck. you can send fan mail with a blank window and return postage and hope for the best. startiger.com can help you with addresses and stuff like that. you can attend the shows and wait for them, or ask the theatre directly if they can get something signed for you.

[plumb102]

As I grow as a collector, I think my drive for autographed Pops is my #1 want.
I collect horror, certain animation, rock, and some other movies- and try to get those signed.
I have maybe... 23 signed now

[S_E_R_G_I_O]

If you do get an auto graph do some research first. Like what markers are bette. I got a Pop signed years ago by Stan Lee. He signed it with a regular black sharpie marker and the paint has faded over the years.

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

Have you seen the GITD paint pens? they look fkin amazing

Wow I didn't know they had glow in the dark paint markers

[S_E_R_G_I_O]

If you do get an auto graph do some research first. Like what markers are bette. I got a Pop signed years ago by Stan Lee. He signed it with a regular black sharpie marker and the paint has faded over the years.

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

I'm a vet with getting autographs done. Quick tip for you when testing out pens and box/color combinations... Get some ziplock bags and cut them into single-ply sheets... sign on those (you have to hold it down to get it to stay flat for the sig, but it's not hard... you'll get the hang of it). Once you have done that, you can just set that sheet on a box to see how it would look... and you could quickly set it on a different pop if you're debating the same pen color on that one too.

Thanks for the tip

[Ronnie18]

I wouldn’t mind getting a pop signed. But with the lines being so long, I would only get one if I won a lottery.

Are you saying you will only get it if its free? because the lottery lines are usually a lot longer and more waiting. But if its cuz of the money, theres lots of ways to get free autographs just takes way more effort and luck. you can send fan mail with a blank window and return postage and hope for the best. startiger.com can help you with addresses and stuff like that. you can attend the shows and wait for them, or ask the theatre directly if they can get something signed for you.

If the lines are longer, then I might pass. I have never won a lottery time and assumed the lines would be shorter.

[Alanamaslama]

What are people’s thoughts on authenticated signatures that aren’t witnessed by the authenticating company? Companies like CGC only verify signatures one of their employees or a certified third party witness, and even then there’s a whole chain of custody thing.

It’s not perfect, but it seems stricter than my experiences with JSA at cons. With JSA, the JSA employee sits at his own table and you bring your signed items to him. They don’t really examine it closely, but they’ll verify signatures of guests at the cons. There’s nothing really stopping you from bringing items signed by the same signee from years ago, or even doing a good copy job. Just seems a little sketchy.

It all depends on what your objective is imo. Although you can probably pass fakes at these authenication places probably pretty easily, it still gives a buyer a piece of mind when it does have the authentication when you sell it. And as the piece gets more expensive, the more i expect some sort of authenication when i buy it. Cgc is great.. but do they do auto authentication for funkos? And keep in mind jsa charges what $10-15.. cgc with all its fees probably end up costing $75-$100

After seeing the process for JSA, it just makes me really hesitant buy autos with their certification seeing how someone could take advantage of the process. I’m not sure how other companies do theirs. CGC doesn’t do Funko, but their fee also includes grading. That was just an example of a stricter way of verifying signatures.

[mastakimchi]

What are people’s thoughts on authenticated signatures that aren’t witnessed by the authenticating company? Companies like CGC only verify signatures one of their employees or a certified third party witness, and even then there’s a whole chain of custody thing.

It’s not perfect, but it seems stricter than my experiences with JSA at cons. With JSA, the JSA employee sits at his own table and you bring your signed items to him. They don’t really examine it closely, but they’ll verify signatures of guests at the cons. There’s nothing really stopping you from bringing items signed by the same signee from years ago, or even doing a good copy job. Just seems a little sketchy.

It all depends on what your objective is imo. Although you can probably pass fakes at these authenication places probably pretty easily, it still gives a buyer a piece of mind when it does have the authentication when you sell it. And as the piece gets more expensive, the more i expect some sort of authenication when i buy it. Cgc is great.. but do they do auto authentication for funkos? And keep in mind jsa charges what $10-15.. cgc with all its fees probably end up costing $75-$100

After seeing the process for JSA, it just makes me really hesitant buy autos with their certification seeing how someone could take advantage of the process. I’m not sure how other companies do theirs. CGC doesn’t do Funko, but their fee also includes grading. That was just an example of a stricter way of verifying signatures.

honestly, besides cgc, the rest are equally as bad or worse.

[binarykaos]

It all depends on what your objective is imo. Although you can probably pass fakes at these authenication places probably pretty easily, it still gives a buyer a piece of mind when it does have the authentication when you sell it. And as the piece gets more expensive, the more i expect some sort of authenication when i buy it. Cgc is great.. but do they do auto authentication for funkos? And keep in mind jsa charges what $10-15.. cgc with all its fees probably end up costing $75-$100

After seeing the process for JSA, it just makes me really hesitant buy autos with their certification seeing how someone could take advantage of the process. I’m not sure how other companies do theirs. CGC doesn’t do Funko, but their fee also includes grading. That was just an example of a stricter way of verifying signatures.

honestly, besides cgc, the rest are equally as bad or worse.

Completely agree I am at a show right now and just see them giving out the stickers as long as the person was “there”

[Katers]

If you do get an auto graph do some research first. Like what markers are bette. I got a Pop signed years ago by Stan Lee. He signed it with a regular black sharpie marker and the paint has faded over the years.

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

Have you seen the GITD paint pens? they look fkin amazing

Oh no, why would you send me down this rabbit hole??? I hadn't, but thank you!! I'll go look those up!

[POP&lock]

My wife and I love getting our pops autographed. We like the experience of getting the pops autographed. We have so many fun stories from over the years!

Some celebs are better than others.. but me and my wife do the same, always a good time waiting in line and trying to think of something clever to say to them.. loved the video of you getting all the Freddy Optimus Primes signed! Not gonna lie the pink looked the best super epic!

one of the nicest celebs was JDF. i have yet to meet a celeb that was as nice and sincere as he was with every single fan.

Definitely agree! You can tell he really appreciated and enjoyed meeting his fans.. I'm not crying you are

[brunette_nerdette]

Love all the comments from everyone!

When you pick a pop to get signed do you look for a rare pop or a common?

I like to get my autographs personalized, which I know makes them less valuable in the future, so I pick a common pop that wasn't going to have much value for resale anyway.....but now it will always be valuable to me, because of the experience of having it signed to me by the artist....

I just started getting into getting my stuff signed in last year or so. Since they are for my private collection I usually don’t got for value but go for the mold I like the most or matches the quote I am getting.

[lazcommalisa]

I've been collecting autograph pops since 2018. I'm a big MCU and ATLA fan so I mainly get those. MCU is hard to do personally so I usually use companies that do private signings since I trust they're legitimate. Plus, it's cheaper that way than to book a flight, hotel, tickets to the con-those expenses add up. I was going to do the Chadwick Boseman signing back in 2020 so now I make sure to take advantage of any opportunity for a character or celebrity I enjoy. ATLA has been fun since the VA do a lot of cons so its been easier. Pop wise, I usually go with something not super expensive just in case it gets lost in the mail or something weird happens. But my biggest piece of advice I would give to anyone is learn to flatten your boxes for cons (makes the process of attain a signature easier) and invest in some paint pens from sharpie or deco.

[S_E_R_G_I_O]

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

Have you seen the GITD paint pens? they look fkin amazing

Oh no, why would you send me down this rabbit hole??? I hadn't, but thank you!! I'll go look those up!

I know. Imagine a glow in the dark signature on a glow in the dark pop

[Katers]

If you do get an auto graph do some research first. Like what markers are bette. I got a Pop signed years ago by Stan Lee. He signed it with a regular black sharpie marker and the paint has faded over the years.

So true, and I'm so glad you mentioned it - I thought I was alone in this rabbit hole! I have had a lot of fun the last few weeks ordering paint pens off Amazon, testing colors on old posters that I need to throw away or pop boxes of OOB pops. Does this color show up against a dark poster? Does this color blend in too much to the pop? Does this color POP on top of the pop?? It's a spiral, I tell ya!

But I also got a great signature from Stephen Amell last weekend on an Arrow pop. Used a light green, and it shows up SO WELL against the pop. Really feeling like all my research and testing worked out! And then - lesson learned, William Shatner in a light blue so it doesn't blend into his Starfleet uniform. Well worth the additional checking to make sure those autographs stand out!

I'm a vet with getting autographs done. Quick tip for you when testing out pens and box/color combinations... Get some ziplock bags and cut them into single-ply sheets... sign on those (you have to hold it down to get it to stay flat for the sig, but it's not hard... you'll get the hang of it). Once you have done that, you can just set that sheet on a box to see how it would look... and you could quickly set it on a different pop if you're debating the same pen color on that one too.

That's a great idea, thank you! I had an oversized box that I will be keeping OOB, so I tucked the pop boxes I was getting signed into the oversized box to get an idea, but your method sounds much easier! This is truly one of the best things about our community, passing on help for things like this!

[Anhtrung05]

I guess I will be the weird one here. I do not collect autographs nor do I consider autographs make my pops better. The reason is, I already have a problem remembering my co workers name. So I have a major problem remembering celebrity names!!

[Katers]

Have you seen the GITD paint pens? they look fkin amazing

Oh no, why would you send me down this rabbit hole??? I hadn't, but thank you!! I'll go look those up!

I know. Imagine a glow in the dark signature on a glow in the dark pop

Definitely gonna have to find the right color GITD pen to go with the right GITD pop! This opens up a whole new world for autographs!

[Alanamaslama]

Autographs are cool, but i think the whole quote fad is getting out of control. when i see a wall of text on the front and side cover with illegible handwriting i wonder why people are trying to give their favorite actors/actresses arthritis.

I don't mind a short/quick quote.... that can add to it (if there is something iconic by the character). But I totally agree that it is out of hand. Anything more than a short quote just takes away from the actual autograph at that point. Plus it gets celebs to get tired of doing quotes and raising prices.

Some celebs and VA are doing it so quickly it comes out as a wall of chicken scratch text, too. I like a quick quote on the front. If it’s a slightly longer quote, it goes on the side window. I still like to see the pop through the front.

[FunkoEmu]

Autographs are cool, but i think the whole quote fad is getting out of control. when i see a wall of text on the front and side cover with illegible handwriting i wonder why people are trying to give their favorite actors/actresses arthritis.

I don't mind a short/quick quote.... that can add to it (if there is something iconic by the character). But I totally agree that it is out of hand. Anything more than a short quote just takes away from the actual autograph at that point. Plus it gets celebs to get tired of doing quotes and raising prices.

Some celebs and VA are doing it so quickly it comes out as a wall of chicken scratch text, too. I like a quick quote on the front. If it’s a slightly longer quote, it goes on the side window. I still like to see the pop through the front.

Totally agree!

[grumpysf23]

For the cost on a lot of these celebs that charge for an auto, I want my ROI here so long chicken scratch quotes is completely fine by me. Make them work for what you paid for right and a much longer experience (even though its like an extra 2 min) with that celeb.

[Katers]

Autographs are cool, but i think the whole quote fad is getting out of control. when i see a wall of text on the front and side cover with illegible handwriting i wonder why people are trying to give their favorite actors/actresses arthritis.

I don't mind a short/quick quote.... that can add to it (if there is something iconic by the character). But I totally agree that it is out of hand. Anything more than a short quote just takes away from the actual autograph at that point. Plus it gets celebs to get tired of doing quotes and raising prices.

Some celebs and VA are doing it so quickly it comes out as a wall of chicken scratch text, too. I like a quick quote on the front. If it’s a slightly longer quote, it goes on the side window. I still like to see the pop through the front.

So, awhile ago, I got a William Shatner autograph. I decided I was going to use gold (sharpie....oh, the pain of poor decisions!) on the pop of Captain Kirk sitting in his captain's chair. After I got it, I was so unhappy with the autograph. I decided the problem was a) sharpie, and b) that the gold blended too well into the pop.

Recently I had another chance to get an autograph from Shatner, and since that og autograph really annoys me, I got another pop, and decided to go with a bright blue paint pen so the autograph would really POP! And it does! And it's still a horrible autograph! CHICKEN SCRATCH!!! The ultimate problem was not the autograph (though it's also not great), but just that Shatner has a horrible signature. Very expensive and important lesson learned!

[Rondall31]

Have you seen the GITD paint pens? they look fkin amazing

This is an amazing idea! Do you know if the ink holds up? Does it fade overtime?

[FunkoFresh253]

For me personally I love the look of a well setup auto on my pops that I get myself. Currently trying to finish my Hall H collection of autograph pops but missing the Freddy signature and the Star Wars (never officially released) pop.

Do you like autographs or without?
Do you have any autograph collections going?

i like autograph if its something im truly a fan of, and obtain the auto myself

[Pogiboy67]

if im able to, i would always get my pops auto'd if possible

[Goatedfunko]

if im able to, i would always get my pops auto'd if possible

I feel the same. Love the ones that I have autographed and I feel it makes it fun for me.

[zonkttc]

When I get pops sign i ask them to do it on the film so I can just put it in a protector for safe keeping. I don't get signing on the back. Not knocking it just don't get it.

[jigsaw]

i have some autographed pops but never really got addicted to autos on pops. Cast signed movie posters are much easier and take up less space imo

[TheAzOne]

Not a fan of auto until last year. Currently got a few Kevin Eastman, a Brendan Fraser, Steve Burns, Rob Paulson, Phil LaMarr autos on my pops. Hopefully spots open up for Chris Evans at NYCC so I can get an auto from him.

[Baseman314]

Autographs are cool, but i think the whole quote fad is getting out of control. when i see a wall of text on the front and side cover with illegible handwriting i wonder why people are trying to give their favorite actors/actresses arthritis.

Yea when I get a quote sometimes they ask if I want something but I let them go dealers choice and sometimes I end up with some pretty funny quotes and I love it because it's more personal that way.

[Baseman314]

i have some autographed pops but never really got addicted to autos on pops. Cast signed movie posters are much easier and take up less space imo

Oh yea that is definitely true. I kind of do both but I just love getting autographs in general and getting a story with them all.

[Baseman314]

For me personally I love the look of a well setup auto on my pops that I get myself. Currently trying to finish my Hall H collection of autograph pops but missing the Freddy signature and the Star Wars (never officially released) pop.

Do you like autographs or without?
Do you have any autograph collections going?

i like autograph if its something im truly a fan of, and obtain the auto myself

This is what I completely agree on as well. I like getting the autograph in person just because now it is a fun talking point of your collection.

[Darthawz]

It’s cool to have them signed, but I think the hard part is showcasing them, since you don’t want the signature to fade. Since ink and paint will eventually fade.

[Goatedfunko]

It’s cool to have them signed, but I think the hard part is showcasing them, since you don’t want the signature to fade. Since ink and paint will eventually fade.

This is a good point that I didn’t think about. I do keep my pops out of the sun though so hope that helps