Autographed cards appeared sporadically in products in the early 1990s, and were generally very sought after, and only featured the biggest stars in the sport. During the 1994-1995 season, the BeAPlayer brand revolutionized the autographed card market by including a certified autograph card in each pack. BeAPlayer was backed by the NHLPA, and it included a wide spectrum of hockey players, from top liners to grinders. These cards were only licensed by the NHLPA, and thus could not feature any NHL logos. After the release of this set, autograph issues in products steadily increased.

High end sets now feature a variety of autographs, including multi-player signed cards and signed MemorabiliaCards. There are variations on autograph issues now. In general, HardSignedAutographs and CutAutographs are the most desirable. Sticker Autographs are usually less attractive and less valuable. As more and more sets are being done with sticker autographs, the few sets that are released each year with hard signed autographs attract considerable attention from collectors.