charging for Autograph is out of control

When I was a kid like so many other autograph collectors, when one approached a celebrity for an autograph most said sure and signed an autograph book or maybe a baseball and never refused a picture with their adoring fans. That has disappeared along with paid telephones and most drive in movie theatres. Over the years Autograph shows are springing up in many cities hosting many stars of the TV and Movie Fame which allows the fans to get up close and meet their favorite stars. I can remember one of the first shows and they had the stars of FORBIDDEN PLANET including ANNE FRANCIS and LESLIE NIELSEN charging 10 dollars to sign your item or one of their pictures on their own table.No Fee to have a picture with them and most never turned down the request. A few hundred at best would attend but that was just the beginning. Now instead of a few stars , You may have at least 50 of them at tables but that price of 10 dollars is a faded memory. Today the going price starts at 30 for an autograph and 20 for a photograph taken with the star. And that is the low end. I attended a show this week and these were some of the prices NEVE CAMPBELL 85 dollars for a signed item and 75 dollars for a photograph even with your camera BURT REYNOLDS was a 75 dollars for an autograph and another 75 for a picture. Even newcomer LORENZO JAMES HENRIE from the new series FEAR THE WALKING DEAD was charging 40 dollars and 20 for a picture( Not many at all on his line all weekend) The average was 40 for an autograph and another 20 to 40 for a picture And this is happening all over the United States. Many of us feel if this is the trend charge 20 dollars an autograph and the line would be out the door. Campbell only had a few at best buying hers and I believe the promoters lost their shirts on what they guaranteed to paid her for attending the show. WAKE UP PEOPLE and STOP PAYING these prices especially when being charged these outlandish prices for taking a simple photograph. As long a people keep paying the prices they will stay the same and most definably keep escalating. This practice has hurt everyone and people ask why autographs sell very well and are getting higher and higher on EBAY. Some actors have told me that charging these prices may stop many from selling on Web sites such as EBAY or AMAZON but the reality is they are driving prices to an all time high. The average collector can not afford to be a collector of many genres and are limiting what they can spend to only a few and are going to many of these shows and narrowing their choices down to maybe a couple and not several like we all had done in the past. Now again if the actor wants to make a few dollars on the side, God Bless Them, but raising the prices so their so call managers and promoters get a piece of the pie make the true fan the loser. Reasonable prices are understandable but the practice of charging for a photo has gone beyond words of being greedy and if one person shares this with another and then another maybe some of the actors and more important the promoters may listen that it is not about them but the fan that pays good money that they have worked hard for to allow them some pleasure from a crazy world. From this day forth I will be the Preacher of this cause.