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Fishers High School teacher shows off presidential autograph collection

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — A central Indiana teacher is showing off his presidential autograph collection for a unique Presidents Day lesson for his students.

Scott Black is a speech and theater teacher at Fishers High School. He has autographs from President Hoover to President Clinton — except for President Eisenhower.

He started his collection about 20 years ago after a major regret.

“I started because I sold my baseball card collection and I wish that I had not done that so I wanted to start another collection,” he said.

He’s purchased autographs from galleries and friends, and he’s even received a couple from presidents he wrote to on snow days.

His first was President Harry Truman. The most he ever paid for an autograph was $900. That was actually for two, President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s.

He said the man who sold it to him let him pay it off little by little, but he says all of his autographs add up to be great conversation starters.

“I think it really surprises them because it’s people often times hear about getting sports figures signatures and that’s fairly common, but when you talk about politicians or even presidents, it takes them back a little bit because they don’t expect or they don’t initially think about getting autographs from presidents” Black said.

The only signature he’s received in person is President Bill Clinton’s. He received that when he went to a book signing in Arkansas.