Frank Sinatra. Opinions wanted.

I own this Frank Sinatra signature. It appears to be a late 1940's fountain pen signature on a book produced to hold records although the records were to be bought separately. The signature is faded with partial loss. I believe this appears to be genuine but would like opinions of others.

I have also added a photo of the album book itself for viewing and it was also produced in the mid to late 1940's.

Thank-you.

Tags: autograph, frank, signature, sinatra

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on August 25, 2018 at 10:32am

It would seem the overriding evidence is that this is an early secretarial. Thanks to all who participated.

Permalink Reply by goodcat on August 25, 2018 at 12:20pm

I would like to bring something different to the table here

This one is confusing right from the get go, because it does show traits of secretarial and authentic.

COULD this be a stamp?

We know that's unusual and I've never seen one before but maybe it's a more modern made stamp.?

Look close at it's ink pattern and smudging. The ink did not adhere well to the surface and I don't see any feathering in the ink either. 

Permalink Reply by Joe W. on August 25, 2018 at 12:53pm

You know, I thought of that as well. Although, if it was stamped, it was done hard enough to leave an impression. It's cardboard based paper used on the album, similar to record albums, so there is no possibility of examining the reverse side effectively. But, it definitely would not be a modern stamp. One would think there would be multiple examples if it was a stamp, especially from the era(on photos, etc). And this item was stored in a closet for many years and never passed hands until I acquired it. I have done a search on this particular image and none of the others were stamped or signed.

One thing that has been ruled out is authenticity.

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 25, 2018 at 1:15pm

I thought it an odd place to sign - right on the spine?

Permalink Reply by Joe W. on August 25, 2018 at 1:29pm

Think of a hard cover book. Then there is the picture/data overlaid. The material underneath(the base) has a canvas texture feel to it. I could see where that would be the best spot to sign.

I can see where anything besides a ball point pen would have the possibility of wearing off over a period of time. I've seen stamps many times the thought crossed my mind. And I've seen fountain pen signatures show the same traits on certain finishes.

Usually, I've found evidence of a stamp in the past by finding other examples of the same pattern on other items. Not on this one so far.

Permalink Reply by goodcat on August 25, 2018 at 3:25pm

The thing is... 

Does it show the traits of a stamp? 

It does appear so. 

Can you post a clear high res scan for us. 

It could very well be a stamp that wasn't used many times? We may never know about that. 

Also... Have you ever seen or heard of a Sinatra stamp? 

This could be a completely different animal that no one has seen before 

The good thing is that you have it in your possession for better research 

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 25, 2018 at 3:37pm

It does not appear a stamp to me. There is apparently crossover in the "e" of "wishes"? Anywhere else? Are there any "issues" in its presentation of age? Clearly, something looks odd. Joe, where the spine is and the sig, the "B" - that is not flat is it? If not, what sort of stamp...and does it matter? If this is not a genuine signature...I am looking at the 2 sig studies and the earliest date of this book and it seems a bit off. The sig looks...earlier? Whatever this animal is, I would not hunt it to keep, just to learn. The condition is an extreme issue. It should be an oddly faded secretarial or other period attempt. But, the presentation feels off.

Permalink Reply by goodcat on August 25, 2018 at 3:46pm

+1

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 25, 2018 at 3:49pm

In looking at other period exemplars from this period, including a 1946, and adjusting for signing angle, this is all off - slants, loops, relative height of the "a" and "k" in "Frank" with the major letter forms. There is more - the flavor stands out with the genuine etc. I just remembered - wasn't his mother signing a lot of his stuff at this point? Could this be the answer??

Permalink Reply by Joe W. on August 25, 2018 at 4:14pm

Perhaps this will help Eric. This is a scan of the back of the album. As you can see, the base of the album is the black textured with a vinyl feel. The paper with the photo has been overlaid although I can see the texture through it. Probably because of age and storage.

According to records, Sinatra began recording with Columbia Records in 1938. And, is it possible his mother signed this; yes, I would assume so.

Still comes down to when this was produced. I looked at some of the other albums promoted on the inside back cover and that latest one was released in Jul. 1944. 

I think we have enough evidence that the signature is not by the hand of Sinatra himself. So, this goes into my box of interesting goodies I have for this kind of stuff.

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 25, 2018 at 4:31pm

Thanks for posting this puzzle Joe. I think it was very educational and an opportunity to have some fun and stretch our minds.

Permalink Reply by Joe W. on August 25, 2018 at 3:56pm

The scan I have provided is 300 dpi which gives you a fairly accurate look unless I magnify it. I am looking at this up close with excellent lighting. If it's a stamp it certainly is one of the best I've seen. It's signed with a writing utensil. Fountain pen.

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