Autographs 101 Started as a Way to Find My People

February 5, 202615 min read8 views

I started Autographs 101 when I was 15 years old.

I started Autographs 101 when I was 15 years old.

At the time, I did not have anyone at school who shared my interest in collecting. My friends were great people, but they did not care about autographs, memorabilia, or sports cards. I did. I wanted to talk about players, signatures, sets, stories, and why certain pieces mattered. I wanted to learn from others and compare notes. I wanted to feel understood in a hobby that already meant a lot to me.

So I created a Facebook group.

The original goal was simple. I thought maybe I could find a few hundred people who felt the same way I did. If I could get to 500 members, maybe 1,000 if things went really well, I would have been thrilled. I just wanted a place to talk collecting with people who cared.

I never imagined what it would turn into.

Over the last 13 years, Autographs 101 has grown into a community of more than 51,000 members and counting. That number still feels surreal to say out loud. More importantly, it represents tens of thousands of individual collectors with different stories, budgets, goals, and levels of experience. Beginners asking their first questions. Seasoned collectors sharing decades of knowledge. People reconnecting with the hobby after years away. Parents learning so they can help their kids collect the right way.

Somewhere along the way, Autographs 101 stopped being just a group I ran and became something I felt responsible for.

This community has been a constant through every stage of my life. Through wins and losses. Through growth and setbacks. Through moments where collecting was the center of my world and moments where it had to take a back seat. No matter what was happening, Autographs 101 was there. The conversations continued. The questions kept coming. The hobby kept moving forward.

Running this community taught me things I never expected to learn when I was 15. It taught me patience. It taught me how to listen. It taught me how much trust matters in a hobby where mistakes can be expensive and misinformation spreads easily. It taught me that education is not about telling people what to do, but helping them understand how to think.

Most of all, it taught me that collecting is not really about the items.

It is about connection. It is about shared excitement. It is about learning from one another. It is about preserving history and stories for the next person who comes along and feels that same spark.

Today, I do not see Autographs 101 as just a Facebook group. I see it as a long term responsibility. A place that should remain steady, honest, and collector first. A place that future generations can come to when they are looking for guidance, community, or simply people who understand why this hobby matters to them.

What started as a way for a 15 year old kid to find people to talk to has become one of the most meaningful things in my life.

And I am grateful every day to everyone who has been part of the journey.

Thank you for helping build this with me.