U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) likes to collect autographs, and he’s found a way to do it cheaply.

“If you get them either before or after the apex of their career, you can get it for far less,” Smith said. An example from his office: the signature of James Madison as secretary of state for $200, a fraction of the $5,000 he said it might cost for a Madison presidential scrawl.