Topps signs Hank Aaron to autograph deal
By Chris Olds | Editor
First it was Sandy Koufax, now it’s “Hammerin’ Hank.”
Topps announced on Wednesday morning that it is adding former home run champ and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron to its 2011 autograph lineup — Aaron’s first signatures for the company in five years.
Aaron’s first 2011 autograph will be found in Topps Heritage as part of the Real One Autographs program, while he will also appear in 2011 Topps Tribute and the company’s inaugural 2011 Gypsy Queen baseball set.
The former Atlanta braves great last appeared on a Topps autograph card in 2005 — also in Topps Heritage — and on a 2005 Bowman Two of a Kind autograph card paired with potential future home run champion, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
In all, Aaron appears on 393 different autographed cards through the years. His first certified autograph came back in 1983 when he signed a limited number of cards that were found with a boxed set about his career , “The Hank Aaron Story, made by ASA. His most recent autographs came in 2008 Donruss products, though TRISTAR did include a cut autograph of Aaron and his brother, Tommie, in 2010 Obak.
While most Aaron certified autograph cards can be found for about $200 (or less), his cheapest is his 1983 ASA, which books for just $100. Most of Aaron’s certified autograph cards have been limited to fewer than 25 copies by manufacturers through the years, so they have no established book value on Beckett.com because of their relative scarcity.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
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[…] announced on Wednesday morning that it is adding former home run champ and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron to its 2011 autograph lineup — Aaron’s first signatures for the company in five years. Aaron’s first 2011 autograph will […]