Three Bears Autographs. One Sheet of Hotel Stationery. And a Story We Had to Hear.

Some projects come into Reclaim Customs with a story already attached.

Others make us stop and ask for it.

A customer recently commissioned us to create two custom pieces from three Chicago Bears autographs: Tyrone Keys, Walter Payton, and William “Refrigerator” Perry.

We knew all three autographs were part of the project when we took it in. What I didn't realize until we had the material in front of us was that all three signatures were on the same sheet of hotel stationery.

And that little detail changed everything.

We Started With Tyrone Keys

The first project we tackled was Tyrone Keys.

We designed the piece, went through the entire production process, and completely finished it before beginning work on the Walter Payton and William Perry autographs.

But while working with the original material, I kept coming back to that sheet of stationery.

Three members of the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears had signed the same piece of paper.

Walter Payton.

William “The Refrigerator” Perry.

Tyrone Keys.

That doesn't just happen without a story.

So after the Keys piece was finished, and before we touched the Payton and Perry autographs, I called the customer.

I wanted to know how this happened.

Then We Heard the Story

I expected there would be an interesting explanation.

I didn't expect it to be as heartwarming as it was.

Once our customer began telling me how those autographs were acquired and why those three signatures ended up together on a single piece of hotel stationery, the project took on an entirely different meaning.

Suddenly, we weren't simply working with three vintage Bears autographs.

We were holding onto a physical piece of someone's personal history.

And once I heard the story, I knew exactly what we needed to do.

We had already planned to create the Walter Payton and William Perry piece for the customer. But now, we needed to finish it in time to include it in this video.

The Tyrone Keys card couldn't be the end of the episode.

We needed to show where the rest of that sheet of paper was going.

Keeping Walter Payton and The Fridge Together

Walter Payton and William Perry's signatures remained together on the other portion of the stationery, giving us an incredible opportunity to build the second project around both Bears legends.

So that's what we did.

One original sheet of hotel stationery ultimately became two completely different Reclaim Customs pieces, while still preserving the connection between the three autographs and the story behind them.

That's also what makes projects like this so special to us.

The finished collectible matters. The design matters. The craftsmanship matters.

But sometimes the most valuable thing we're entrusted with isn't the autograph itself.

It's the story attached to it.

If We Were a Team…

Few teams in NFL history have become as culturally iconic as the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Walter Payton. The Fridge. That defense. The personalities. The Super Bowl Shuffle. A team that is still instantly recognizable four decades later.

So for this one, we couldn't resist:

“If we were a team, and these cards were rare, we'd be the '85 Bears.”

In our latest Reclaim Customs video, you'll see the creation of both pieces, hear directly from the customer about how those three autographs ended up together, and see what happened when one unassuming sheet of hotel stationery became something entirely new.

▶️ WATCH: Full "Making Of" Video HERE!

Three Bears autographs.

One sheet of hotel stationery.

Two one-of-one custom pieces.

And a story we're very glad we stopped to ask about.