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Authenticity is Everything
Elvis signatures 1956 onwards
Hi Gents, just signed up for the website and I guess this is my introduction to everyone.
Been an Elvis fan for as long as I can remember. Both parents loved 50s & 60s so grew up with this music. Confession time: accidently broke my Dad's 78s when I stood on them.
As part of my contribution, I would like to challenge everyone to a quiz which I hope will prompt some debate so that us lesser mortals can learn more about differences between genuine and fake.
Attached are 10 examples of Elvis's signature. The challenge is to tell me which one's are genuine and which one's are fake.
Have a go and let me know your thoughts.
Tags: Elvis, Presley, Signatures, authentic, forgery
- Attachments: No photo uploads here
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Elvis sig quiz.pdf, 259 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jupiter on
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Forgot to add comment about #4. I would agree with comment from Chad, hence my doubt.
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Hi Sling,
Will let you know shortly. Still inconclusive, other than to say this signature stuff is all very confusing. I need to recover the data, from that damn pen-drive as I want to ask a question. Unfortunately for the question to make any sense, I need to refer to an earlier stream on this site, which I am struggling to find again.
When I back at work, I am hoping those I.T chaps can help me.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on
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We have a search function, but Google is best. Just do a search and include live.autographmagazine.com in it.
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Here's hoping you get your stream working right...
That's oh so important...
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I wasn't the only one who posted that all looked o.k. so props to several of my fellow members/posters as well.
Why did I conclude that all appeared genuine ?? Well let me see if I can answer that and not confuse the hell out of everybody along the way.
The best answer I can give is I have been exposed to hundreds and hundreds of Elvis signatures...I've spent my time seeking them out to try to become comfortable with them. I've saved them in my files...I've enlarged them to many times their original size to check ink flow and pen pressure and all the things you read about from the multi million dollar companies. That's all they do. I figure I can do it too...it ain't rocket surgery.
As a matter of fact I just in the past week did it with several of the Elvis sigs that I own...blew them up -- super-sized them -- and was surprised at some of the things I saw 'under the microscope"...Never too old to learn !!
So to answer your question...it was a matter (for me) of looking for things that weren't right about your sample lot. And although some are signed in a more "classic" manner than others...they all to my eyes at least had enough going for them...and not enough flaws to warrant a no vote. Some were 9's....some are 6's or 7's but all are strong enough to be considered genuine.
To conclude I'll repeat what I said in my very first post week ago...
"I see no obvious fakes"...that sums it up pretty well...
Make sense ??
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Permalink Reply by sling on
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I am curious about your methodology-enlarging photos, microscope, etc. Can you detail more as I might try to begin your system
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Hi sling...
At the risk of boring the heck out of long time collectors let me just say that Elvis had common changes in "pen pressure" in certain parts of his autograph. Certain letters on the upstroke and downstroke were most often "lighter" or "darker" most of the time.
And because we know that Elvis had a Heniz 57 variety of signatures, although all verifiable, it means one just can't look at the sig itself. To analyse the pen pressure on the up and down strokes can be a huge key. It's just gets easier to do....to get the best look by enlarging a close up of the sig. So many more things stand out. Including pen pressure -- a major key to sorting out Elvis.
No great revelation...just common sense...
p.s. I haven't used a microscope since science class in the 70s....lol...
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Hi Don,
Yes, this does make sense and is something of an eye opener - no pun intended.
However, the primary aim of this thread is to try and assist lesser knowledgeable people by providing some key pointers about how to pick out a forgery. Yes, we can use your method, but I see a potential hazard with this approach for a novice. If someone was to begin this method of study using a forged signature (obviously unknowingly), the risk is that person may buy only forgeries and reject the genuine article.
My next and somewhat predictable question to everyone is simple. Are there any reliable pieces of literature or books on fully authenticated Elvis signatures with high resolution images, that someone like me could buy.
My question to you Don is:- Assuming I educate myself sufficiently, does your method work on images uploaded using low resolution software or would I need to examine the actual signature to be absolutely certain.
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Well Jup' no one starts off on the morning of day one and then graduates that same afternoon. It is a learning process that never ends.
I've suggested to you what I did...it took many years and hundreds of images and reading and emailing and observing. I've bought a bad piece of two. Many have done likewise. But I'd like to think that it won't ever happen again. So....one can decide to follow my chosen path or not.
Your question about resolution...obviously the better the quality the better "diagnosis".
And if all else fails and if you are for example a newbie or someone who can't be bothered or who perhaps just doesn't have the time to invest I think you can always fall back on this wonderful site created by Mr. Steve Cyrkin.
Post your item here and we'll have it...
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Hi again,
I found one of the streams that is causing some confusion for me. It was posted by a chap called TConnection1 on January 8th. T put a postcard forward for review and it did not get favourable review.
The link is: http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/elvis-presley-1956-v...
Hi Don, you stated, "The Elvis signature has always been a problem for me, it's something that I just cannot get comfortable with".
From all the comments I have read on this site about what to look out for, including your great advice in this post, I simply don't understand what you and others spotted to make you suspicious. I have enlarged this image and compared against the ones I posted and which were deemed genuine on the R&R auction site.
I am obviously missing something, so would like to know what you see that I don't.
My research to date confirms Elvis did a gig at this venue along with the other signatures around the same time. The signature itself looks good and when enlarge has signs of age - such as the "P". Some comments suggest other signatures appear good, therefore why would someone add a signature, this doesn't make sense to me.
I am sure I am not the only person who thinks this, so would appreciate some specific pointers about this one, so we can learn something.
The seller, a chap called "Mark" is someone who contributes to this. Not sure if it is the same person who responded to my challenge and who got the right answer, if so I would appreciate his thoughts.
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Having read back my last comment it, I must admit it does seem to be directed to two people. Other than the actual questions posted to Don and Mark, the rest was intended for everyone else to consider and respond. So apologies for my poor grammar, after all this is the real point of this conversation to get some key pointers and advice so we can all learn something.
I would still welcome advice from Don to help unscramble this old brain of mine which is still a little confused. Confusion which I think comes from what I - one of the many novices in this field - can only perceive as contradictory advice.
Regrettably the pen drive is totally goosed, so I will continue to search out the links to the key points from others. I do recall one conversation which was started by Roger Epperson a few years ago and for which he offered up a number of genuine examples, including some of his own exemplars of Elvis. He also noted a few key things to look out for with forgeries, none of which I could identify with the previously mentioned link.
Please someone help me on this.
To Mark and Don, would appreciate a response to the questions.
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