We are an eBay affiliate and may be compensated for clicks on links that result in purchases.

Autograph's Johnny Cash Signature Study — Be Part of It!

Has there ever been a nicer, more humble, more fan friendly superstar than Johnny Cash?

Johnny was the Babe Ruth of Country Music—the top-ranking Country artist of all time and the most loved. And Johnny loved his fans as much as they love him. So while like the Babe, Cash signed untold numbers of autographs, the supply could never meet demand...and probably never will.

Fans who couldn't meet Cash in person often requested autographs through the mail. The common belief is that he personally autographed those requests. But between his demanding touring schedule and later, his failing health and vision, it seems impossible that he could have signed even half of the mail he received.

A growing number of collectors and dealers now believe that many if not most Johnny Cash through the mail autographs were secretarial. We want to see if we can identify any secretarial styles, and at the same time build a reference collection of no-question genuine Cash exemplars to help identifying forgeries.

Are There Johnny Cash Secretarials?
If So, How Do We Identify Them?
Help Find Out!

You can be an important part of the study in three ways:

Upload into this discussion images of Johnny Cash autographs that you personally received through the mail, and tell us when you received them. (The year is fine, but if you know the date, even better.)
Upload images of Johnny's autographs that YOU saw signed by Johnny yourself. Include the date or at least year, too. If you didn't see it signed yourself (like pre-signed ones sold or given away at shows), please don't upload it.
As more and more images are uploaded, see if you can identify characteristics that are commonly found on Johnny's through the mail autographs that are rarely if ever seen on ones signed in person.

With your help, we can identify Cash secretarials if they're out there. Over time this should increase the value of genuine Johnny Cash autographs, and help protect future fans and collectors against autographs that aren't authentic.

Once we finish this phase of the study, we'll go on to identifying genuine Johnny Cash autographs from forgeries.

Let's go!

Tags: Johnny, autographs, cash, genuine, mail, secretarial, the, through

12 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 7, 2011 at 3:54pm

What do you think of it? I'm curious to know.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Darren Ruskin, III on August 31, 2011 at 10:20pm

this is one of the many Johnny Cash secretary style signatures out there.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on September 2, 2011 at 12:26am

which are you referring to?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bruce Kawakami on August 5, 2011 at 8:09pm

The attached picture is my Carryin 'On album I got signed in person. I also got his autograph in Knoxville, TN on Oct 23, 1997. This was the show before the Flint, MI concert two days later where he collapsed on stage. Some friends and I got Johnny and June's autograph prior to the concert as they left for the show.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 5, 2011 at 8:32pm

Very cool !!!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brandon Mysinger on August 6, 2011 at 6:10am

Yeap, that's the same show I got my book signed. I will never forget how awesome he looked wearing that long duster. Even though it wasn't black, he looked like a gun fighter.

The show that night was perfect. Unless you have been to a Johnny Cash show in person, there is no way to describe it. Even his final performance was a commanding exhibit of showmanship.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Autograph Hound on August 6, 2011 at 12:22pm

How am I to upload a picture of a Cash signature? Thanks Dana Smith

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on August 6, 2011 at 2:41pm

Reply to the discussion and the second button from the left, next to "LINK" is for uploading a picture.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 7, 2011 at 3:52pm

Since many of us shared photos here of CASH autographs, can we know if any are secretarial? When and how will this process unfld? I am curious to know about mine presented here.