What got you started in autograph collecting?

[mightyswagman]

being given a scrap of paper with Kim Wilde's autograph on it by my best friend,it got me interested

[SilentEcho219]

I just started last month, actually. I was browsing the blog of Lost actor Jorge Garcia and saw he had an address for fanmail. I found this website a few days after that, don't remember how, but it's been very, very helpful! I sent quite a lot of requests out over the next few weeks and I've slowly been getting some back. I decided to turn it into a hobby because I never had a hobby and I figured it would be something reasonable when it comes to money and time. I've also always loved film, television, music -- you name it -- and it's really cool to have something that your friends and family will be able to look at and appreciate also.

EDIT: If you want to be technical, my first autograph was Mr. McFeely from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Since the show was filmed here in Pittsburgh, him and a lot of the other cast would frequently make appearances at community days and other events. I think I got his autograph at a community fair for my grandma's township.

[crisabell]

I started collecting after I ordered a Selena Gomez SFM thinking it was authentic, and doing research, finding out it's not, and getting angry. At that point I decided I was going to do what ever I had to do to get an authentic, then I found this site. It's amazing how a few days on here, reading around, can teach you so much!

[Myself205]

I collect movie posters as I love cinema.
A new cinema opened near my place and they started to have movie premiere (promotional tour) with directors and actors. I started to have my posters signed :-)

My best souvenir of theses premieres: Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou

[kelly_pendragon]

Okay so I haven't received any autographs yet.
But I decided I want to start collecting because...
My cousin got David Tennants for her birthday and im sooo jealous...
Since i was a kid i have had this love for famous people and ALWAYS wanted some autographs...
and my friend recently sent a letter to Rob Pattinson and got me thinking about sending letters and asking for autographs

[capmonte]

At 10 years old, Vincent Price was (still is) my favorite actor. My mom raised me on all the old horror movies. Vincent Price was doing a little segment on the Disney Channel called "Read, Write, and Draw," so I tried writing him a letter care of Disney Channel Magazine. A couple months later, I received back a color signed/inscribed photo of Mr. Price from Batman, as Egghead. That's pretty much what started it; I guess you could say it's Batman's fault because my next letter was to Burgess Meredith (it wasn't even a request, I just sent him a get well card when I read he was in the hospital), and I got a really nice Penguin photo from him. Being a kid, I had no idea about sending SASE so I was pretty lucky!

[harrypotterfan.]

i started in 1998 i wanted to write to some of days of our lives people and now i have almost all them. this site has help me out a lot thank you fan mail biz this is the only site i trust.

[carlyscala]

I agree that this is the site I go to and trust for autograph collecting...there are so many friendly people on here!

[margotchanning]

As a kid I used to go to a lot of cheesy theatre shows on holiday with my grandparents! We used to collect autographs of the stars and that's how I started collecting ip! My first ttm was from Jan Pearson from Holby City back in 2004! She was my favourite actress on the show and I wrote her to say I was sad she was leaving and she sent me a signed photo! I got the bug then lol!