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Michael Jackson Signing Styles in Julien's Tompkins and Bush Sale

On December 2, Julien's Auctions is selling The Collection of Tompkins and Bush. The collection contains 465 lots of Michael Jackson memorabilia, 287 of them autographed.

Michael Bush and the late Dennis Tompkins were Michael Jackson's costume designers for 25 years, during Jackson's most successful period. They were the consignors of the signed Thriller jacket that Julien's sold for $1,800,000 in June 2011.

Almost all of the autographs in the Tompkins and Bush sale are a variation I'm not familiar with. I've only been looking at Jackson's autograph for a few years, though, and we have members here who have collected him for decades, so I'd appreciate your input and exemplars.

If you know Michael Jackson's autograph well, please look at a few images below from the auction and let me know what you think. Even better, browse the auction and upload any similar examples you have: http://www.julienslive.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/77/

Julien's is the world's premier auction house for Michael Jackson memorabilia, so they would know his autograph better than most of us. I'm just surprised I haven't seen this style before.

Thanks for your help.

Tags: 2012, Julien's, auction, michael jackson, tompkins and bush

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wendy Christine on December 8, 2012 at 2:00pm

This is a great example! Why would Michael give Bush a unexceptional plain black shirt like this? It is not in any way unique, even IF worn by MJ (which I doubt) it's not like the iconic, instantly recognizable MJ costumes. It's not like you would be saving this common, average, off the rack looking shirt to put in a museum.

I really believe Bush bought items cheaply off of eBay (or I wouldn't doubt at his local thrift shop) - most notably the vintage MJ fan merchandise - scribbled on them, tried to sell them BACK on eBay (I've seen them)... then ultimately passed them onto Darren's "venue", where they made $Millions.

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Permalink Reply by Helen on December 8, 2012 at 2:31pm

That could be the true, but much harder to prove.

We have a very easy to understand, logical narrative, that Bush had a huge closet full of authentic clothes and piles of MJ mementos (however he came by them) and forged the autographs because he knew that Juliens preferred signed items. In the auction he was able to get away with incredibly poor forgeries because everyone knew his name and connection to Michael.

That's not the case on Ebay, so I find it much harder to explain why he would attempt to sell things there. I think it would be better to stick to the obvious and logical, otherwise we muddy the waters.

But the auction items themselves do tell a tangled tale. More than the clothes, why would Michael gift signed room service menus, or sign Bush's sewing machines and tailor's dummies?

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Christine on December 8, 2012 at 4:28pm

Hi Helen,

The information about eBay I had stated back on the first page of the discussion. To me it factors into the abundance and type of items Bush scrawled his forgeries upon, as he originally (in my steadfast opinion based on my first hand study/observation) attempted to pass them off on the eBay market. They are the perfect type items for that marketplace. That is, until the wise eBay shoppers caught onto the forgeries and did not bid on them.

I saw with my own eyes the Michael's Pets and various other items which later appeared in the Julien-Bush auction, with the same forgery style, being auctioned on eBay. They are all now removed from the eBay database of both current and completed auctions.

However, it is highly possible that some of these did initially get sold on eBay. Those buyers would then have been frauded, as well. I think that's an important part of the trail. Unfortunately, it's not one that I am able to prove now.

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Permalink Reply by Helen on December 8, 2012 at 4:42pm

If you're right, of course that's relevant and important, but like you say, impossible to prove at the moment. I'm not saying not to discuss it or anything, but I wouldn't include it in any directly made allegations. For the case we want to present I think it might be better to stick to the simplest narrative.

Of course I believe what you saw on Ebay, but to be honest I'd find the bad forgeries even more baffling than in this auction. On Ebay people are a lot more sceptical, and without the credibility lent by the MLB-MJ connection and a well established auction house I just cannot make sense of Bush selling random MJ merchandise without even *trying* to create a good forgery. Unless he was trying to test the gullibility of the market?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on December 8, 2012 at 4:47pm

Wendy,

I believe eBay maintains records of listings and images at least a couple of years back if not more. It may only be available by legal process, civil or criminal, but it should be there.

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Permalink Reply by Wendy Christine on December 8, 2012 at 6:26pm

Yes, thanks Steve.

Since you mention it....

This is what I was going to write in my last sentence (but then edited):

Unfortunately, it's not one that I am able to prove now.. but it IS able to be proved.

(thanks again Steve :)

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Permalink Reply by MJ-fan-1965 on December 8, 2012 at 2:35pm

One would think he would have the original photographs from the photo shoot instead of TV Guide. :)

I honestly think some of the clothing is new (as in just made), since he is a clothing designer, just making a new one isn't that hard. He said in some interview that they took many notes on every pc they made so that if MJ gave it away, or had something happen to it, they'd just make him another one.

Just think if he hadn't gotten caught this time with the Standee, he could have had another sale next yr. O_O

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Permalink Reply by Charlotte Stanley on December 8, 2012 at 9:29am

I do think he just found any collectible thing he could find that he had, or maybe he went shopping on E Bay. Juliens pretty much told me once that they only want signed things, except of course for iconic items like the Clothes, Fedoras, Gloves, Gold Records or awards. Any other memorabilia in your collection isnt of any use to them unless it is signed.

It seems Mr Bush decided as long as he was going to clear the closets, he might as well clear everything, or make it a "good" one so to speak.

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Permalink Reply by Charlotte Stanley on December 8, 2012 at 9:34am

You could be right but no way to know for sure. Its hard to imagine all those clothes still lying around at Bush's place. I can understand him having the jackets and stage clothes but everyday clothes? But he did go everywhere with Michael, and it may have been just worn at this photo shoot. Its irrelevant because we will never know for sure. The sad thing is, if it comes out that Bush has committed such fraud with the forgeries, then such a person would fraud anything, and we wont ever know what is real- even in clothing. And yet he has some genuine signatures. Why couldnt he just be happy with what he had?