Hockey cards have come a long way since the bubble gum carrying twenty five cent packs from the seventies and eighties. They have transformed from a hobby for kids to an industry for grown men. There are many reasons for this, perhaps the children who used to collect have grown up, or perhaps enough time had passed to make the cards we used to collect as kids valuable. A long time ago, people realized there was a market for a player’s autograph. The autograph has had its hand in the transformation we’ve seen in the hockey card industry. Surprisingly, it has not been that long since autographs had found its way onto hockey cards.

Nowadays you can find autographed cards in almost every hockey set available. We see autographs on plain cards, serial numbered cards, and on cards which feature a piece of equipment which was used by a player either in a game or in a photo shoot. Players are contracted by large sport card companies in order to produce a number of autographs for them per year. Some hockey players sign thousands of stickers and cards in a single year. Hockey cards players normally autograph either stickers, which are placed on whatever cards the card company wishes, or the cards themselves. There are differing opinions on whether or not a card with an autographed sticker on it should even be considered an autograph card at all. Some people feel that autograph sticker cards are not as valuable as a card which was "hard signed" because the player did not actually have the card you received in his possession to sign it. In other words, it’s not a truly autographed card. Others are grateful to obtain an autograph of their favorite stars regardless of whether it’s on a sticker or on the card itself.

Regardless of opinion on hard signed or sticker signed cards, the consensus is that autographed cards are definitely rarer than regular cards, and a joy to pull out of a pack. Autographed cards come in many different "grades" depending on the set. Of course an autographed card of a superstar would definitely have more generated interest and value then an autographed card of a common player, but this is not the only reason an autographed card may have value. Many products now serial number their autographed cards. An autographed card which has two thousand copies would definitely have less value then a card which was numbered out of fifty, twenty-five, ten, or even one. To add another level of value, a lot of sets come out with serial numbered autographed cards which feature a piece of a player’s game used equipment. It is definitely a special thrill to get a card of a player you love which is low numbered, autographed, and has a piece of jersey in which was game used. As it is intended, it brings you closer to the game you love.

Autographed cards are now a staple in the hockey card industry. Every year, several sets come out with special autographed cards. People buy boxes of packs of these sets just for the chance to pull a card. Thousands of cards get autographed every year from hundreds of players. As an avid hockey card collector, it’s not hard to see why an autograph from a star player would hold such value in our hearts. Autographed cards are an exciting part of hobby collecting and it’s safe to say they are here to stay.