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Tips From an Old Time Collector

Hello My Friends!

I have been collecting autographs for over 30 years. During this time, I have purchased from dealers, traded, received a few in person, and of course, wrote to old time Hollywood stars that were still living during the early 1980s. I have not been active for several years now, although I have always read articles and studied authentication methods. My all time favorite actor and autographs are those from Charlie Chaplin, so I am going to use my experience with his material in my short list of tips to my fellow collectors.

Okay, here goes:

1. Study the signing habits of the signer you are interested in - - This is very important. Was the person a willing signer? Did he sign items in person? Did he sometimes or always let others sign for him when answering fan mail? Charlie Chaplin, for example, was a very willing signer when in public. He also signed autographs through the mail. However, he sent out some pre-printed stuff, and his wife Oona also signed for him (easy to spot.) The more you know about a persons signing habits, the better confidence you can have in your piece.

2. If its too good to be true, it probably is! -- I see a lot of stuff out there in reference to Chaplin that is truly too good to be true, such as entire letters written by hand, sketches at cheap prices, photos of him as the Little Tramp sold for "bargain" prices, This is not to say you can't pick up a great piece at a great price, but you have to always beware, especially when purchasing over the internet. This week, for example, I was searching for a Johnny Case item to give my son. Sure, I saw lots of stuff...books, great photos, and one tape stained page with an inscription and autograph. I ordered the signed page. Why? Because I could tell it was something someone loved so much that they taped it in an album, plus it had extra writing on it. The item is not very attractive, but much more likely to be authentic. Some of the photos I saw were oversized, signed on the perfect spot, and, well, I just didn't trust them, especially at cheap prices.

3. Know the persons signature and variations! -- Very important. Chaplin's signature had several forms....Chas. Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin, Charles Chaplin, C. Chaplin, and he used them interchangeably. Also, his writing got cramped and smaller as he got older, significantly so. I once saw an item that had a large, beautiful signature of his...problem was, it was signed in 1975, when his writing was very small and cramped due to several strokes he had a few years previous. While I am here, let me say that you should also know a bit about the persons life, especially if he / she is deceased. I once saw a Douglas Fairbanks Sr. photo from The Thief Of Bagdad for sale that was dated 1945...problem is he died in 1939!

4. When purchasing, deal only with reputable dealers....do you research! -- Let's face it, you are going to have to purchase items form dealers if you want your collection to grow, especially if you want autographs of deceased individuals. When I first started purchasing from dealers, I blindly assumed everything was fine, especially when a COA was included (as written somewhere else in this forum, they are worthless.) As I learned an matured as a collector, I realized that 4 out of the 7 Chaplin items I had purchased over the years were garbage. Two of the dealers actually returned my money, but the other one had disappeared off of the face of the earth. Do your research...it is easy to do with the internet now a days. NO ONE CAN BE AN EXPERT ON EVERY SINGLE CELEBRETY!! If you are going to be vintage Hollywood items, deal with an expert in the category...with music, deal with someone that knows. I personally have never purchased from people who have thousands of times for sale.....I prefer those that have smaller stock and take the time to really study the signatures.

Okay friends, thanks...hope this served as a good reminder. By the way, if you ever have a Charlie Chaplin you would like for me to look at, I would be more than happy to offer my opinion.

Tags: Advice, Cash, Chaplin, Charlie, Collection, Johnny

4 members like this

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on January 6, 2018 at 3:22pm

Thanks for this post, very informative.

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Permalink Reply by SilentsGolden on January 6, 2018 at 3:28pm

Glad it helped Zoe.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 6, 2018 at 3:33pm

MOST useful. Valuable vantage. I also appreciate your take on inscriptions. Thank you for preparing this!

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Permalink Reply by SilentsGolden on January 6, 2018 at 3:38pm

Glad it helped Eric. Back in the day, most collectors loathed inscriptions, I guess because "George" didn't want a photo inscribed to "Henry." I have always thought the contrary. When purchasing or trading for an inscribed item, not only do you get more writing by the hand of the signer, but you also have more writing to study and compare to known genuine examples.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on January 6, 2018 at 3:41pm

I agree, but only if the person is no longer with us.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 6, 2018 at 3:44pm

It is still true among many today - inscriptions are said to bring less money and are avoided/discounted and even wiped away(!) by many. But I am aligned with your thinking. More is simply more. To go with your example, with some research, "Henry" sometimes is an interesting guy - connected in some way to the celeb or event that adds another layer of quality and thus value.

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Permalink Reply by SilentsGolden on January 6, 2018 at 4:13pm

Thats right. And Henry may help establish authenticity

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Permalink Reply by goodcat on January 6, 2018 at 3:41pm

Very informative and thx for taking the time to write this.

I am also a fan of more writing is better

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Permalink Reply by SilentsGolden on January 6, 2018 at 4:14pm

Oh ya...the more the better

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Permalink Reply by DP on January 6, 2018 at 4:44pm

Hi Claudio.

Very well written. I also prefer more handwriting. It provides more context and makes it more interesting. It also does give you more to be able to compare.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on January 6, 2018 at 5:22pm

Great post with timeless advice, Claudio.

If I could be bold enough to add one more thing...

NETWORK and learn from others. Groups like this are a tremendous repository of information.

When I first got into the hobby, there were no Internet chat groups that facilitated the fast transfer of a lot of information. We relied on magazines, books and word of mouth. You chatted with other collectors and dealers at shows a few times a year. Learning was tougher and slower then.

Now there is absolutely no excuse not to network and learn from others. It's all at your fingertips.