A ticket to the 1992 Nissan Open, which would have gotten a spectator in to see Tiger Woods play his first PGA event as an amateur player, is [on the auction block](Ticket from 1992 Nissan Open is signed, "Tiger Woods, 16 years old") Sunday night.
Not only is the ticket signed by Woods, it’s signed “Tiger Woods, 16 years” in Woods' early hand.
There are so many factors to what makes an autographed piece valuable, including quality of item it’s signed on, time it is purchased, where it is sold, etc. But all else being equal, an early signature — especially one that matches the timeframe of the item — is considered ideal.
“It’s hard to quantify the delta between an early signature and a contemporary one, but early for the big names are far more unique, scarce, desirable and warrant greater value and interest,” said Kevin Keating, principal autograph authenticator at PSA.
Stars whose signatures substantively changed over the years, and are in high demand, include Woods, Mickey Mantle and Michael Jordan.
Keating said the public is getting more and more educated in the differences between early autographs and more recent signatures. But how much they are willing to pay for that delta is questionable?
A typical Mantle-signed ball can be had for around $1,200. But a ball, believed to be the earliest known signature from Mantle’s pro career, has a reserve of $30,000 in Saturday night’s auction at Heritage. (The item has not hit that number yet.)
Earliest-known autographs has become more popular.
A Little League team baseball autographed by Derek Jeter at age 8 went for $14,400 in 2014 at REA. Lionel Messi’s ID, with a signature, playing for Newell’s Old Boys as an 8-year-old sold at Goldin in $181,200 in 2021. A year prior, Goldin sold a Little League baseball signed by 13-year-old Mike Jordan for $11,400.
On the Woods ticket, the nearest comparison is a full Nissan Open ticket that sold for $21,167 earlier this month. It is signed by Woods, features a contemporary signature and is signed “To Aidan.”
The personalization demerit, plus the added inscription by Tiger of “16 years old,” means the ticket currently up for auction should smash the former. Yet, the early signature is only at $18,600 with 12 hours left.
“The true collector and the person who is willing to pay the top prices searches for vintage signatures and, in the case of Jordan, Woods and Mantle, seeks them out,” Beckett’s chief autograph authenticator Steve Grad saud. “They have better value, and they are more desireable.”