They’ll go down in history as the players who were at their best in the biggest game of their lives. Gathering the autographs of Super Bowl MVPs can take several different forms.
The Super Bowl
It seems unfathomable now but even at $12 a ticket, the first Super Bowl in January of 1967 wasn’t a sellout. Fans seemed to treat the AFL vs NFL game as sort of an exhibition. It didn’t take long, though, for the game to become an international sports spectacle and both the championship team and it’s most valuable player to become household names.
Items to Collect
Autographs from Super Bowl MVPs come in many forms. There are signed mini helmets, which are colorful and don’t take up a lot of room. Some have collected full-size helmets or posters with the Super Bowl MVP signatures.
Photos are the easiest and cheapest ways to snare a championship game MVP.
Footballs, of course, are another option. You can find autographed footballs featuring Bart Starr, the MVP of Super Bowls I and II and those signed recently by perhaps the greatest clutch quarterback ever, Tom Brady. Many books have been written about the Super Bowl games and some have collected the MVP signatures on those. You can also try and hunt down the rookie cards of each MVP that have been signed.
And then there’s the guy with the signed Super Bowl program collection:
Acquiring Autographs
While the MVPs of the earliest Super Bowl games are elderly and some are no longer able to sign, as of this writing, only one Super Bowl MVP is deceased (Harvey Martin, who passed away in 2001).
Most MVPs have at some point or another signed a lot of autographs, many times at sports card shows, Hall of Fame appearances, private signings, personal appearances or elsewhere. While the players who went on to become Hall of Famers can be the most expensive, sometimes it’s the “other guy” who is hardest to get since they don’t appear as often.
Authentication and Preservation
The safest way to buy Super Bowl MVP autographs is by sticking with a reputable company for authentication. PSA and JSA are the two best-known authenticators but Tri-Star Productions has an exclusive arrangement with Tom Brady while Peyton Manning has one with Fanatics. Other players have private signing agreements with other companies, often near their homes.
While they’re great to own, nice-looking collectibles can turn sour in a hurry. Be sure to keep your autographs away from the impact of sunlight, preferably protected by display cases.
Future of Super Bowl MVP Autographs
The Super Bowl remains the top championship sporting event in the US and is recognized worldwide. Even football fans who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves collectors often own a piece of Super Bowl memorabilia. Unlike events held by the other three major professional sports, the Super Bowl is a winner-take-all, one game championship. Each game becomes part of the lore and each MVP is celebrated. The future of Super Bowl MVP autograph collecting would seem to be on pretty solid ground.
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