2012 Topps: "Rookie Patches" Insert Set
2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot: "Rookie Gallery Jerseys" Insert Set
1997 Proline: "Emerald Autographs" Insert Set
2012 Topps: "Rookie Patches" Insert Set
Jay's Football Cards
My Favorite / Least Favorite Signatures
My Top 10 List (Updated May 19th, 2023)
This list is of my Favorite Autograph / Least Favorite player Signatures. Since I'm a collector of sets, I am forced, indirectly, to collect some really bad signed cards. In other words, I do spend the time and money putting as many Autograph sets together. And when it comes to bad Autograph cards, oh well. It has to be done.
I always wonder though, does the player really NOT want to do this, or was his signature always that bad, or maybe he plans to go into the medical field after his playing days are over. Whatever the case may be, some of these signatures are bad. On the flip side, I've included some really nice signatures too. These guys make my signature look bad. One thing you'll notice though, the older players have some very nice autographs, the younger players' signatures are horrible. Now that is truly a sign of the times. Schools just don't teach cursive anymore and it shows. In either case, the cards below are either really bad or iconic and worth the money.
The cards shown below are my Favorite Autograph / Least Favorite Signatures, insert or otherwise. (Note: I don't have to own the card to be on this list.)
“The Good”
1) 1998 Topps: “Kordell Stewart” Autograph - This autograph is the staple by which all others are judged. It's legible, it's stylish and it stands the test of time.
1998 Topps: “Kordell Stewart” Autograph #A5
2) 1999 Upper Deck SP: “Randy Moss" Player's Ink - What could be better than getting a stellar signature from a first ballot Hall-of-Famer. The answer? Very little.
1999 Upper Deck SP: “Randy Moss” Player's Ink #RM-A
3) 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated: “Jim Brown” Autograph - Again, what beats a rock solid signature that is both legible and iconic. Well, nothing.
1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated: “Jim Brown” autographs #5
4) 2017 Absolute: “Curtis Martin” Marks of Fame - Curtis didn't sign much, but when he did it was a stroke of perfection.
2017 Absolute: “Curtis Martin” Marks of Fame #ED
5) 2000 Press Pass: “Chris Redman” Autograph - Say what you want about Chris and his career or lack thereof, but his signature lacks nothing.
2000 Press Pass: “Chris Redman” Autograph #40
6) 1999 Donruss: "Bart Starr" All-Time Gridiron Kings Autograph - Another iconic signature that just happens to be from an iconic man.
1999 Donruss: “Bart Starr” All-Time Gridiron Kings Autographs #AGK1
7) 1990 Topps: "Bubba McDowell" Autograph - Bubba may not be a household name like some of the other names on this page, but his signature should be.
1990 Topps: “Bubba McDowell” Autograph #213
8) 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends: “Raymond Berry” Epic Signature - When it comes to players from yesteryear, not many of today's youth will remember Raymond Berry. However, his signature is something you'll not soon forget.
1999 Upper Deck Century Legends: "Raymond Berry "Epic Signatures #RB
9) 2002 Bowman: “Joey Harrington” Signs of the Future - Joey may not have lit it up in the Pros, but his signature is anything but amatuer. That's a pretty significant signature, right there.
2002 Bowman: "Joey Harrington" Signs of the Future #SF-JH
10) 2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve: “Chad Pennington” UD Authentics - If you're gonna be in the pros and last, you might as well have a signature that lasts, Chad's signature does just that.
2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve: "Chad Pennington" UD Authentics #CP
“The Bad and the Ugly”
1) 2012 Topps Prime: “Brock Osweiler” Rookie Autograph - When I first saw Brock's signature I thought, "Did he let his kids sign for him?" My second thought was, "His signature would be so simple to forge. All you have to do is scribble in a circle."
2012 Topps Prime: “Brock Osweiler” Rookie Autograph #18
2) 2000 Donruss Preferred: “Neil O'Donnell” Pen Pals - What is that, Neil? A form of short-hand?
2000 Donruss Preferred: “Neil O'Donnell” Pen Pals #PP31
3) 1992 Proline Portraits: “Mike Merriweather” Autograph - Maybe this isn't all Mike's fault, I mean it was a really condensed area. Still, his grade school teacher cannot be proud.
1992 Proline Portraits: “Mike Merriweather” Autographs #95
4) 2005 Upper Deck SP: “Vernand Morency” Scripts for Success - My initial thought when seeing this signature was that Vernand had a Ph.D. I mean look at that signature, that signature says, "Take 2 of these pills and call me in the morning."
2005 Upper Deck SP: “Vernand Morency” Scrips for Success #SSVM
5) 2014 Panini Contenders: "Jordan Matthews" Rookie Ticket Autograph - I'm positive that Jordan signed 5,000 of these cards that day and his hand was tired. That is the only excuse for having a signature that looks like this. Either that or he enrolled at the same medical school as Vernand Morency.
2014 Panini Contenders: “Jordan Matthews” Rookie Ticket Auto #222B
6) 2019 Panini Prism: "Tony Siragusa" Franchise Legends Autograph - While Tony may have been one of the best personalities on the football gridiron, his signature was nothing close.
2019 Panini Prizm: "Tony Siragusa" Franchise Legends Autograph #FR-TS
7) 2004 Leaf Rookies & Stars: "D.J. Williams" Rookie Autograph - While D.J. made an immediate impact on the field during his rookie season, his autograph did not. I can't tell if that is his signature or directions to his house.
2004 Leaf Rookies & Stars: "D.J. Williams" Rookie Autograph #215
8) 2004 Press Pass: "Bernard Berrian" Rookie Autograph - In some of those rare cases, it's not so much the signature as it is where they signed. In Bernard's case, are you kidding me? It should be plainly obvious why there is a huge open area on this card.
2004 Press Pass: "Bernard Berrian" Rookie Autograph (Bronze) #1
9) 2003 Press Pass: "Carson Palmer" Rookie Autograph - Carson's playing career might have been Hall-Of-Fame worthy, but his autograph may not make it.
2003 Press Pass: "Carson Palmer" Rookie Autograph (Bronze) #44
2000 Fleer Tradition: "Shannon Sharpe" Autographics #132
10) 2000 Fleer Tradition: "Shannon Sharpe" Autographics - During his playing days, Shannon was one of football's most dynamic TEs, but his signature...well, a little less dynamic. Everytime I see his signature I can't help but see a little kid with 2 sparklers, one in each hand. Tell me you don't see that too?
11) 2006 Upper Deck SP Authentic: "Josh Betts" Chirographics - Josh never made it out of the pre-season and he only played in a handful of them at that, so this just might be the most you'll read about him. His signature isn't as bad as his performance, but I've always thought it would be perfect if he was an offensive lineman and his jersey # was 73.
2006 Upper Deck SP Authentic: "Josh Betts" Chirographics #CH-JB
12) 2006 Upper Deck SP Authentic: "Ingle Martin" Autograph - Ingle's NFL career basically boils down to one game back in 2006 and he basically did nothing. Kinda like his signature.
2006 Upper Deck SP Authentic: "Ingle Martin" #SP-IM
