Total Access: Signing Day with Derek Jeter
ESPN Magazine / John Broder
October, 2001
The Bottom Line
Ever wonder why it's so tough to get an autograph from your favorite player? Welcome to our private signing party. It's at sessions like this one, at an office building in New Rochelle, N.Y., that Derek Jeter puts his name on the line over and over again. He's one of many jocks who sign autographs for Steiner Sports, a marketing company owned by Brandon Steiner that rakes in some $ 30 million yearly athlete appearances like this one. Jeter has an exclusive three year, multimillion dollar deal with Steiner (this year $750,000 went to his Turn2 Foundation). Steiner's client list includes Mia Hamm (top seller), Mark Messier and Phil Rizzuto (who sent the company's fortunes skyrocketing when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994). But today it's all about Jeter and he won't charge admission.
Batting Order
Jeter signed just about every kind of item imaginable - bats, balls, helmets, jerseys, photos in all shapes and sizes, even a Wheaties box. He's armed to get the job done with four different pens: a black and a blue Vis-a-vis and a gold and silver paint pen. Up first:162 bats signed seven at a time in silver in just 53 seconds. Today is only the beginning of a long session: Jeter sits for these signings as many as a dozen times a year.
Penmanship Lessons
Derek says he never thought his signature would be worth a dime - but just in case, he did practice as a kid, to no avail: They're all sloppy. He stopped four times during the hour session to stretch out and crack his knuckles. I get tired after a while. He says with a smile. The one autograph in his own collection? One he got when he was 12. The only person I ever asked was Dave Winfield. It's still at my parents house.
Special Moments
Jeter's favorite photo to sign is one of Phil Rizzuto and himself, taken after The Scooter threw out the first pitch against Boston during the '99 playoffs. (See Bad signs photo on right.) That 16x20 shot penned by both stars cost only $500. Some other best-selling Steiner items will set you back a bit more Messier and Gretzky hugging after a '97 playoff game runs $925; an '86 Giants Super Bowl team jersey with 45 signatures goes for $900.
On The Clock
Time is money in this room. It took about one hour for DJ to sign 1,000 items. His best times: 38 seconds for a dozen baseballs ($300 each) and nine minutes for 100 game model jerseys (1,299 each). He rounded out the hour signing 24 helmets ($999 per) and one of the most unique items: 24 game-model Turn2 gloves, each of which go for a cool $800. Total retail value for all these goods: $176,676.
Bad Signs
Steiner tells his players not to sign memorabilia they feel will be resold. We tell them to personalize stuff or not sign at all, he says, because adding a name makes an item harder to sell. Jeter signs every day, but only inside the stadium: I don't like little kids coming up to get things signed and then seeing grownups pay them. I know who they are. I see the same faces in every city.
Hot Bats
Steiner knows what's hot: He commissioned a commemorative bat stamped with both the All-Star Game and the World Series logos. Jeter, MVP of both in 2000, adds $599 in value by simply signing as Derek Jeter, MVP. (A regular Jeter game-model bat sells for $700; this one will go for $1,299.) Want Derek's scrawl on your team bat? That'll cost you $500.
Old Shoes
One collector sent in a game-used baseball shoe for DJ to sign, with strict instructions about where. You always see some of your old stuff popping up. It's kind of weird, Says Jeter. He wants to sign in silver, on the plastic covering the Jordan symbol, where he usually signs spikes, But it's not what the customer wants, so Jeter signs on the front. Cha-ching! Another $500.
Sticky Fingers
Wacky requests come in all the time. Someone wanted me to sign his forehead, and I wouldn't do it, says DJ. I don't sign body parts. Although the Yankees shortstop is puzzled by the collecting bug, he totally gets the business. Want him to sign a skippy jar? Sure Forget about card shows: He won't work those. But he's always got a pen out for fans at games.
