re: Anyone here collect autographed sports memorabilia?

Grading ruined cards for me. It was so much more fun when cards were sold and traded "out of the pack" and mostly hand to hand. Lots more money in the smaller end of the market. Talking lock flea markets, card shows and shops. Great times. Nothing more exciting that busting hundreds of packs at a time just to see what you get.
Had a monstrous, valuable Griffey Jr collection from '89 through the inception of subsets, inserts, parallels, memorabilia cards, autographs and one of ones. Small fortune in cardboard. Got me through some poor times in my young adult years.