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While we're on the subject of George, how about this oddity currently on eBay with a start price of $1,500.

If it were genuine it would be great but I have pretty major doubts. It seems to be trying a bit too hard and there some very odd flowery bits. Parts of the inscription actually look more like Ringo's work (e.g. the "To"). Another big problem is that George was probably not on the ship on the menu date (2 September 1971). According to a blog I saw (that may be wrong of course) he boarded the ship on 22 September. If the dates are right, I hardly think George would have been asked to sign a three week old menu.

Thoughts?

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I think it could well be authentic but definitely rushed and messy.

Three week old menu? Hmm. Why? The Cunard liners I write about, particularly Queen Mary (1) had working printing presses on board and printed their menus and daily newspapers, itineraries, programs, forms and other items as needed.

A quick check - they still do. The current QE has among other things a Heidelberg Printmaster and an AB Dick 9950 2 unit press capable of 7,000 impressions an hour.

I just read that George boarded the QE on September 8th. Neither date, 22nd or 8th, is the 2nd. This date ought not be hard to verify one way or another. 

Well you obviously have plenty of insight on the printing of the menus. You say he boarded on the 8th September and the menu was for the 2nd? If I met a Beatle on a cruise liner I think I would request a signature on anything that was handy, especially if it was somehow relevant to the encounter...even a 6 day old menu.

Personally, I'd see the fact that it's on a QE2 menu issued within days of a known trip by him on the QE2 to be more a clue to authenticity than the other way around.

That could be the calculated result. 

A Heidelberg Printmaster? If it ever breaks down with Will Smith on board, they're in luck!

Sure looks like it George coulda signed it to me.

Could well be. I was speaking only to the menu date and the printing press onboard.

As a side note, now that I think about it (I forgot), I created and executed the design for one of the final QE2 cruise certificates signed by the Captain and the Hotel Manager. Very limited - maybe 12 or 15 were made. My "signature" is inside the (unaltered) QE2 the logo. Reduced blank sample below:

Interesting input. I also think the signature taken on its own has its plus points. Although it can be funny to see a few hopeless fakes it is generally more interesting to see autographs that are a bit unusual but have a half decent chance of being real. 

If it could be proved that George was on the ship on 2 June it would be a much more interesting proposition and the kind of thing I like to buy - or at least look at.

Eric, isn't there a website showing passenger lists of the big liners? A old friend of mine always seemed to be able to tell me when particular individuals crossed the Atlantic. Admittedly this was always for the pre-1914 period.

Here are a couple opf other pics from the listing:

Perhaps I should have also included the eBay link. Here it is:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/George-Harrison-signed-QE2-menu-1971-Origin...

It wouldnt be the worst we seen from Harrison.

Hi Eva,

Passenger research is not my strong point. Most of knowledge is Pre WW1, and some pre 1935. 

I saw the information re George online. If he did not board until the 8th a menu dated on the 2nd might make me a bit wary. There is no real reason for it to be there, especially if from a previous crossing. 

Photo of George September 8th, 1971 aboard the QE2.

I think it's very feasible that a 6 day old menu might have been the best thing at hand to ask him to sign, they might have just had it handy in their cabin. Now if the menu was from 6 days after his trip....

I realise history is important as regards provenance but IMO the autograph(s) itself should receive most of the attention as stories can so easily be made up.

When I used to deal in Beatles autographs I once met somebody who told me a great story about how he met the Beatles in 1965 and got their signatures. I knew the story was false but didn't care because the autographs were authentic but from early 1963!

I think the signature on the menu is authentic but accept that it's just my opinion.

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