Book It, Buzz: The Sandlot hits my autograph collection for $12

For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? A member of The Sandlot cast, Patrick Renna.

THE RUNDOWN ... 
The Book: A Little Slugger's Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Baseball and Life (autographed bookplate edition via Premiere Collectibles)
The Author: Patrick Renna (aka Hamilton "Ham" Porter in The Sandlot) with illustrations by Tommy Parker
The Specs: Penguin Workshop -- released on Feb. 25, 2025 (32 pages)
The Price: $12 ($16.99 cover price)
The Spot: Premiere Collectibles

Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The stars from The Sandlot have made a number of show appearances in recent years and have had their share of cardboard in Topps releases, on sets (more than once) inserted into DVDs, and also in catch-all celebrity non-sports brands such as Pop Century where his teammates are on some multi-signed cards without him. Despite all those options, I'd never landed ink for any of them but when I spotted this one for this price? Well, I bit.

Why this item: The cover art has an image that evokes the iconic pose of his most-iconic promo photo -- the one seen at right here on his pricey card from Topps Archives a few years ago -- so that works to a degree. It's not a perfect item, but it's a solid one as an autograph collector for that price.

Chase ink on cards: The cards from 2018 Topps Archives are not cheap with asking prices on eBay for certified cards big, in-person and slabbed card prices also big and, well, they're too big for me. (While this one is firmly a favorite of many as an iconic childhood film, it was too kiddy for me back when it arrived in 1993. I have bought it on DVD more than once ... just for the baseball cards.) His 2019 Panini America National VIP autos -- two cards only found at that event -- also are a pricey one, though finding his auto not on cards is the way to go here as prices can be more reasonable and it all depends on the appeal of the item.

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The Bottom Line: This price was a no-brainer but I could find some nice stuff I needed to spend five to 10 times as much. I'll stick with the book for now and add something else if a bargain ever presents itself.

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