Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Greatest Autograph Signer Ever

Forget Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Wayne Gretzky and Tiger Woods. Billy Drago is the hobby's greatest autograph signer.

For most, the name Billy Drago probably doesn't mean a heck of a lot. For me, he's the creepy bad guy not named Capone in The Untouchables, one of my all-time favorite movies featuring machine guns. But other than that, he's a character actor with roles in such ill-regarded sequels like Tremors 4; Delta Force 2; Martial Law 2; Lady Dragon 2; Cyborg 2; Mirror, Mirror III; and Convict 762. I didn't even know there was a Martial Law, Lady Dragon or Mirror, Mirror to begin with. And yes, I know that Convict 762 doesn't preceed Convict 761, although if it did I'd hope that it starred Chuck Norris and Carl Weathers in a fight to the death.

So for a guy who has largely made a career out of B-sequels, why would I hold him in such high regard. Behold, mere samples of some of his cards from various Inkworks Charmed sets:




Even sticker autographs don't stop the guy:




These aren't 1-of-1 or super-rare variants either. Every card Drago has signed is this way. The shorest inscription I've seen is, "Yours in death, Billy Drago."

The time and dedication Drago has put into his cards has pushed many of his cards into the realm of about $50. Prices vary, especially with the flood of cards that have hit in the last year following the Inkworks bankruptcy.

Many of the inscriptions follow a common theme of fear. Most are hilarious. Besides the poetry and witty quips, I've also seen some doodles and other creative uses of the card. Seeing the short stories Drago has put onto cardboard further puts into perspective the scribbles many athetes and stars try to pass off.




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I want...no..I need all of those!