best thing to do would be just clean his signature off with some novus that's my opinion EDIT: & then get Steve Ritchie to sign it in the same spot because after all he finished it .......right ?!

It's a fair question. In my limited experience with a few pinball autographed items (backglasses), I wouldn't say it increased the value but it did increase the demand during sale. For example, if there are two High Speeds for sale in the same area that are roughly same condition, the one with the Steve Ritchie autograph will sell first.

Depends on the autograph and the game.

For the most part I think it just adds to the cool feature of a game but doesn't add $$$ unless it's a rare autograph. For instance, I bet some people would pay more for a Tron Girls backglass if it was signed by Olivia Wilde and Beau Garret as those are theme specific and rare. Nobody would pay extra for a Gary Stern signature because it's not exactly a rare signature on a pinball machine.

I have the entire cast on my ST:TNG. I had to fly around part of the country to get them and about $75 a pop. If I had to sell a machine with autographs. I would go and buy a new translite to put in the machine. Then give the buyer the option with or without. If they do not choose the autographed price, keep the backglass, hang it on the wall and back light it.

Maybe it's just me but I don't want people, whoever they are, writing on my machines.

Not even Sr. Patrick Stewart?

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I like my machines original. Autographs would devalue the machine to me.

Agreed - autographs are like photographs. They really only hold value to the person that received them. So if like the other poster said - they traveled the country and got multiple autographs for STTNG - that holds major value to them because of those memories. But for someone else? Minimal value because they don't have the connection to the autographs. It's a lot different to say "I traveled around the country to get these!" vs "I bought them from someone who said they traveled across the country to get these! I'm assuming they are legit."

No value to me. But still pretty cool when u got everyone that designed the game signature.

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I think it really only works in some cases. For example, trekkies like myself are borderline insane. We buy star trek stuff that other people think is crap. I bought a Leonard Nimoy autograph in an auction for $190. To some people, it's worthless. To me, it is something I value even if I was not the person he autographed it for.

Many Trekkies are unable to travel around the country to get all the autographs but would kill for it. Now, lets say they are after the Pinball Machine. Two options, one with the entire cast and the other without. Assuming the price was reasonable to them. They would most definitely buy the autographed ST:TNG.

That said, the odds are that will never happen as like myself who got the backglass autographed will never sell it anyway. IF the autograph is for something with a cult following like Star Trek or Star Wars or Doctor Who and so on... Autographs = Awesome.

I couldn't care less for the most part. Elvira's signature on a Scared Stiff or something would be cool, and when people really go all out and get everyone involved in the game's sigs that's cool. But it's not really something I'd pay extra for. More just a piece of the machine's story that might help it stand out.

I'd pay extra for that signed STTNG

You'd have to find the right buyer who actually cares enough to pay more for it, like any "mod". To me it wouldn't add or detract value either way.

Autographs wouldn't add value for me. But, I don't generally get excited about autographs to begin with.

I wouldn't mind them on an apron, but to me, signatures on the backglass kind of detract from the artwork a bit. I'd hang the signed backglass on the wall, and put a clean one in the game.

I am not into anyone writing on my machines, at all. Maybe under the skirt so if you really had to show someone.

What I did instead was ask Greg Ferris to sign the keyfob on my EATPM and my STTNG. Which he was more than happy to do.

Depends on the person. I like Pinball, but I'm not knowledgeable about the history or designers of Pinball, so their signature wouldn't mean much to me, other than a novelty.

But if I had a movie themed pin, having it signed by the stars of the movie featured on the backglass would be pretty cool.

But as someone said above, me getting those signatures would be pretty cool and a great feature. Buying the machine with those signatures already there would still be cool, but less so.

Make sense?

So what is your take on the new LE's that have some of the PF's signed from the factory Both my TFLE and METLE have signed PF's both from the factory. I thought it was a pretty neat thing.

that's not really an "extra" since they all came like that.

i recently had everyone at Spooky Pinball sign my America's Most Haunted backglass, now i am getting the voice actors to do it as well. I have Bryan and Ben done, working on the Allison, Ken, Denis, Jason, etc. I like the looks of it myself, but i do not think it adds any value.

To most it won't add value, unless it's a Star Wars.
Heard that signatures on that one rises the price enormously

Whenever talk of autographs comes up, I always think of this:

I think the signatures are very cool, but don't add value. At one point all my games were signed by the designer. But even when I sold them I forgot to mention they were singled. Again cool yes, add value no.....not even enough value for me to buy a new translights to keep my signed one

I agree and disagree, for example a signed guitar from Kirk Hammet would raise its value but on a pin maybe not so much.

if it's a game i'm already a huge fan of, then yes. for example, if my STTNG translite were signed by the cast, that would certainly increase its overall awesomeness in my eyes.

However, if it's some game i'm just lukewarm towards, like say Road Show, then having the translite signed by the designers or the stars wouldn't really do anything for me.

I dont think that they add much value, but will add some. I have a Wheel of Fortune. I was selected to be a contestant on the show, I took two translites with me to the taping and had them autographed. On one of them I had them sign it to me personally, and that is framed and hung up in my gameroom. The other I had them just autograph it and reinstalled it into the game. I think that it adds 50-100 to value, but no more than that, and that is just "cool factor".

I don't think autographs add any value at all to a machine. Not even the designer signed playfields on the LE's.