I think a more accurate description would be "If you are a Baltimore Orioles autograph collector, you know how hard it is to...". There are those obscure players that appeared for just about every team out there and I'm sure there are plenty of autograph seekers who are frustrated by these less than household name players who just disappear. Why? Most of the time it is those collectors who are building a certain card set or who want every (or as many as possible) players from that team. If the players were a little more than a no-name common, maybe you need them for a ALL STAR theme collection or an AWARD collection.
I found it most interesting that Hazewood and so many others either don't understand the demand or want to analyze it further and still keep the supply minimal or nonexistent. Who cares WHY someone wants your autograph? You played MLB baseball and there is a market for that signature, even if you only had a brief career. If it is inconvenient for you to sign through the mail or for free, then certainly charge a fee. A few people have even exploited the demand for foreign born players and think that is great. I wish there were more people out there with the connections and means to "discover" more hidden players and bring those autographs to those who want them. Signers like Feller, Kell, Doerr and the likes had it right though. Make your signature plentiful and price isn't a factor, just the demand. I know as a collector myself, if I had a signature that was in demand, I'd be stockpiling stuff to sign for my family to distribute and/or sell, even after I was gone! But for players to avoid the scene all together is something I question, but just as I said why question why someone would want an autograph, I guess the same could be said for why question why the player doesn't want to sign.
I know those Oriole fans and the Crown set builders will be wanting that one and at $15 for someone who apparently is a near impossibility, this is a good reason to favor a guy like Potter. I still think most of his pricing is too high for the average player he has signing (typically $10-25 or more per signature), but then again I have no idea how he goes about pricing these players and if he controls the fee or if it is more a factor of the player and their required fee. The guy deserves to at least cover his costs and even turn a little profit. I doubt most people would do it without making some sort of a profit, although I would be willing to spend some of my free time getting other peoples items signed and as a benefit get to hang out with ballplayers for a while and getting my own personal items signed for free (assuming Potter can get as much stuff as he wants signed as the promoter and not at his asking prices either) if I had the opportunity.
I am actually contemplating my first purchase from him with this signing. I'd like to see the price drop a bit more, but I might just bite the bullet and send off a 1969 Topps card featuring Bobby Darwin as a Dodger. He is also $15. More than I'd like to pay, but if one came to auction, I'd probably toss out a higher snipe bid just to be safe and end up paying that much anyway. If he could land a few players on my obscure Dodgers want list (under 15 players) and keep the fees within what I feel is reasonable, I'd probably do more business with him.
