A Guide to Autograph Authentication

The FBI estimates that the majority of autographs being sold today are fake. This can make the pursuit of autograph collecting very frustrating for collectors and fans. Unfortunately, there are con artists out there who will present a fake autograph as a real one in the hopes of taking your hard earned money. So, how can you protect yourself against these con artists while still enjoying the pursuit of collecting? One of the best ways is to understand the importance of autograph authentication.

First, it helps to know how to tell a real signature from a fake one. A variety of autographs are pre-printed, which means they are copies of an original. Some pre-printed signatures look a lot like the real thing, but can still be detected with a bit of comparison. What's more difficult to gauge is the secretarial autograph, which is done by an assistant of the celebrity. Only an expert trained in recognizing the particular celebrity's signature will know for sure if an autograph is secretarial or authentic. Another type of fake is that done by an autopen. An autopen is a machine that traces the autograph and writes it automatically.

When purchasing an autograph from a dealer, make sure it comes with a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. Even better, look for a dealer that also offers a certificate of authenticity from a recognized agency such as PSA/DNA. If the dealer cannot offer such a certificate, the lifetime guarantee will cover you if you get the authentication done on your own and find out the autograph is a fake. You can return the item to the collector with proof of the authentication process and get your money back.

Probably the best way to know that an autograph is real is to get it yourself. Movie premieres, sporting events and meet and greets are fantastic places to get the autograph of a celebrity. If you can't be in the right place at the right time, you can certainly write to the celebrities of your choice and request an autograph. Many stars will happily oblige a polite request from a fan. You will want to enclose a self addressed stamped envelope and something for the celebrity to sign. Autograph authentication is very helpful for many collectors, but can't replace the thrill of getting an autograph on your own!

Copyright 2007 Jim Sterling - All Rights Reserved

Prize Autographs News:
You're Invited to Our Mudbugs Hockey Fan Fair
BOSSIER CITY, LA - The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs would like to invite all of our fans and supporters to join us this Saturday on the Louisiana Boardwalk for the first-ever Mudbugs Hockey Fan Fair! Hockey season is just around the corner, so come out to the Boardwalk under the Texas Street Bridge from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and get geared up for the 14th season of Mudbugs hockey in the Ark-La-Tex...


Sports Idols Offer Incredible Free Sports Memorabilia Packages with their User Lottery
Fancy some free sports memorabilia? Whitstables very own Sports Idols have launched an incredible lottery on their web site, whereby visitors can register for the chance to win completely free boxing memorabilia, cricket memorabilia, golf memorabilia and football memorabilia: not to mention selections from the rather tantalising array of celebrity entertainment (that would be film, TV and music ...

Technorati Tags: , ,