Our Story

My Story

When I Was Eleven Years Old, I Discovered My Passion for Autograph Collecting

I started collecting autographs as a child in 1987.

Back then, there was no internet, no online marketplace and no instant way of finding information about players or contacting them.

Every week, I bought Sport-Bild with my small amount of pocket money. I read it from cover to cover. It was full of reports and photographs from the Bundesliga – but for me, one part was especially exciting: the autograph addresses of the football clubs.

Every week, the magazine published three new addresses.

I will never forget that.

I began writing letters to football players and sending them to the addresses I found in the magazine. Then came the waiting.

After school, I would hurry to the mailbox every day, hoping that one of the players I had written to had answered.

And sometimes, there really was a letter waiting for me.

A Memory That Stayed With Me

One of those moments has stayed with me ever since.

During the 1988/89 season, when I was twelve years old, I received a reply from Jürgen Klinsmann, who was playing for VfB Stuttgart at the time.

Inside was this signed card, personally dedicated:

“Für Andreas”

I still remember how overwhelming it felt to receive an autograph from such a great player. I don’t know how many times I looked at that card.

Decades later, I still have it.

My collection has grown enormously since those childhood days, but cards like this remind me of where everything began.

What started with my pocket money, a copy of Sport-Bild, a few addresses and the excitement of checking the mailbox became a lifelong passion.

Because for me, an autograph has never been just a signature on a card.

It is a connection to a person, a moment, a memory and a piece of sporting history.

Every autograph tells a story. This is one of mine.

Almost 40 Years Later

That childhood passion eventually grew into Autographs-World – a collection of official football club cards, Panini stickers, Topps collectibles and other original cards personally signed by players and athletes from around the world.

Some signatures were collected in person. Others arrived through the mail, just like that Jürgen Klinsmann card all those years ago. Others became part of the collection through trusted collectors and long-term contacts.

A Collector First

I still consider myself a collector first and a seller second.

Every collectible has its own story, and every sale helps the collection continue to grow while making room for its next chapter.

My goal with Autographs-World is not simply to sell autographs. It is to preserve pieces of sporting history and make selected collectibles available to collectors around the world.

Nearly four decades after I first began checking the mailbox for replies from football players, I still feel the same fascination when a new autograph arrives.

Every autograph tells a story.

And the collection continues.