From astronauts to Bigfoot, Eunice man collects them all

If it’s an autograph, it’s a living.
Eunice resident Don Secia is marking his 30th year as an “autograph dealer”-- purveyor of autographs and autographed collectibles. Since 1984, Don has made a steady living by doing what he loves best: buying, collecting and selling autographs of famous people.
Don and his wife set-up shop at The Spotted Cat Antiques, Etc. in Opelousas – where they travel everyday to tend to their respective booths. Secia’s wife, Judy, has a booth for her company “Tootie Bows”–which specializes in handcrafted hair bows, ribbons and knitted caps for girls. “Tootie Bows” is located directly across from Don’s “Autograph’s Galore” booth at The Spotted Cat.
Don said that the signatures of others have provided he and his wife with enough income to “live comfortably”.
How did this happen?
Don harkened back to 1984.
“I was working as the athletic director at a Boy’s Club in California, but I had been collecting my whole life,” said Don. “The Boy’s Club started having weekend shows with star athletes. And so I thought that I would just set-up at one of the shows and show-off my collection and see where it goes. I made more that weekend than I made all month at the Boy’s Club.”
Don said that the following year he resigned from the Boy’s Club and began to deal in autographs professionally. Since then, it’s been the one job that he’s had.
“At times, you’re almost like a paparazzi,” he said. “I have to stay active and get autographs and get stuff signed. You’re hounding...either working to find celebrity home addresses, where celebrities are going to be. Sometimes they’ll be at a charity event and you got to be there.”
Don said that when the celebrities say, “that’s enough”, he respects their right to privacy and will back-off from his autograph hunting.
“Terrell Owens told me, ‘that’s enough’,” said Don. “And when they say that then that’s enough.”
Like most businesses, Don said his business fluctuates with the economy. He said that autographs and autographed collectibles are “luxury items”.
“Some years are better than others,” said Don. “Because there were some years, like during the Bill Clinton years, when the economy was rolling. And everything that you had that was a good item, you could sell it all within a month. The years where the economy really tanked...people just didn’t have the money to spend on the extra stuff.”
When Don makes first contact with celebrities, he does it all from his home in Eunice. He has been in contact with a wide range of celebrity figures -- from John Glenn to Bigfoot.
Yes, Bigfoot.
Don said that recently one of the “stars”, Robert Gimlin, of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film – which was a short, amateur film that captured proof of what was supposedly a sasquatch know as Bigfoot in 1967 – fetched an autograph valued at $100. Don said that an autographed picture of American icon astronaut and politician, John Glenn, fetched a mere $40.
Don explained the values.
“Bob Gimlin was one of two other guys that photographed the famous film and I had met them years ago when I was living in Northern California,” said Don. “They had a Bigfoot convention in the 1990s and I met those guys there. But, the difference is that John Glenn will sign autographs for anybody that comes up to him asking for an autograph as he has for the last 50 years. So, it’s not very rare.”
Don said that personalized autographs, made out to a particular individual, do not detract from the value of a signature.
“It does take away from the value if the celebrity doesn’t always personalize,” said Don. “It might be a $20 difference, without the personalization. It doesn’t have that much of a value. But for somebody like John Glenn, who only personalizes his autographs, it won’t hurt the value.”
Don said that his personal favorite autograph is one from George Burns because it is believed to be one of the actor’s last given autographs. Don said that he had written Burns shortly before his death at age 100, requesting an autograph. After Burns’ death in 1996 was reported, Don said that he received Burns’ autograph, on a blank 3 x 5 card, in the mail .
“It definitely was one of the last ones that he ever signed,” he said. “He signed autographs out of his office and he signed for anyone that requested. He wouldn’t sign real valuable things. He would sign like blank pieces of paper, or things that said ‘Hollywood’ on it, he wouldn’t sign an 8 x 10 photograph because he knew the value of that. And if you just asked him for an autograph, he would carry around blank 3 x 5 cards in his coat pocket.”
Don said that there are some rare, George Burns 8 x 10 head shot photos that were valued at $300 while the actor was still alive. After Burns death, the value of those signed photos jumped to about $600.
Don’s framed autograph of Burns retails for $69.
“Usually, I ‘ll just make contact with a celebrity at first, I haven’t ever met them in person,” said Don. “Most of them I have met at one time or another and made contact with them. Otherwise, I’ll make contact with them and ask them if they have a charity that I’ll donate to. And most of them will request that I send $50 a year to a certain charity and then I can just send them whatever I would like autographed. Some will say send $5 for each item, like Bridget Bardot – who lives in France.”
He said that he has been collecting autographs since the age of six, following around his mother who was a member and skater of a professional roller-derby team in California for 18 years.
Don said that he is holding an in-house autograph-signing session with Alley Broussard of LSU Tigers football fame on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. He invites the public to add or start to their own autograph collection with the record-holding LSU Tiger.
“Alley Broussard is an LSU record-holder,” said Don. “He holds the record for the most yards in a single game at LSU, 250 yards. He broke the record in 2004 and it stands to this day. And he’ll be signing autographs at my booth on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.”
The event featuring the record-holding LSU Tiger football player will be held on Saturday at The Spotted Cat antique mall in Opelousas at 637 Creswell Lane. For more information, call 739-4589.