Authenticity is Everything
Billie Holiday Autograph
I purchased this 78 vinyl record purportedly signed by Billie Holiday from an RACC trusted seller. I recently submitted the item to JSA for authentication, and unfortunately it did not pass.
I originally submitted it in person at a show here in CA a few weeks ago, and I was disappointed by how carelessly the item was handled during intake. When I received it back, there were fingerprints all over it. I contacted JSA immediately to report the condition, and they did expedite the review process.
Yesterday I received their letter confirming that the autograph did not pass authentication. I’m extremely disappointed and unsure what my next step should be, or if anyone here might be able to offer advice.
Prior to purchasing the item, I did my research and examined the signature characteristics—such as the looping of “Billie” and the shape of the “H” in “Holiday.” However, upon further inspection, the signature appears to have been written in ballpoint pen. Additionally, the Blue Ace label is known to be a bootleg label, and this particular pressing seems to have been released slightly before the time of her passing.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on
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I strongly believe that Ryan's Billie is genuine.
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Permalink Reply by a pug called eva on
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That's fine. I cannot see it myself but that's been clear for quite some time and these things can't be proved one way or the other, unless there is some evidence that cannot be refuted (e.g. the autograph is on something that didn't exist when the autograph is supposed to have been obtained).
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Pug,
Post your comparisons of the 20 RR examples you are referring to.
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I actually looked at all of them and was being a bit cautious when I mentioned 20. There are probably nearer to 50. I'm not enough of a technical wizard to copy them all over, at least not within a realistic time frame.
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Pug, you made the comparison statement, so please post them.
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Steve, I didn't originally intend to look at the "Billie" but when you asked if I'd looked at the first name I offered to make a "quick" comparison between the OP and the examples sold by RR. I did this and posted my findings.
I don't have the time at the moment to do any more than that and, as I said before, I believe there are enough inconsistencies in the surname to call the OP into question.
If you want to post examples that support your strong belief that the OP is genuine I'd be very interested to see them. I'd also be very happy to respond once I'm less busy, which will probably be in about a week.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan W on
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If this ever goes up for sale, it will be in the $15,000–$20,000 range—no question.
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Ever heard of the site ValueYourMusic.com? I didn't until two days ago. I was searching and digging as hard as I could to try to find Ryan's Billie Holiday signed 78 came from. I found it there! Along with a price it sold for back in 2022.
Here's the about from ValueYourMusic:
ValueYourMusic DOES NOT SELL any items and is just a searchable archive of past auctions sales which can be used as a rough Price Guide for music artifacts.
The archive is updated with new sales and auctions every day.
The main formats we focus on are:
- Vinyl Records
- CD's
- 78 rpm Shellac records
- Cassettes
- Reel-to-reel tapes
- MiniDiscs
- Digital Compact Cassettes (DCC)
- Digital Audio Tapes (DAT)
- DVDs
- Blu-Rays
- Memory Sticks
- 8-Track cartridge tapes
- 4-Track cartridge tapes
- Playtapes
- Phonographic Cylinders
Autographs aren't mentioned there, but if you search for terms like "signed" along with an artist's name, you may find signed pieces. They basically track and search for records and other recording media, and downloads images and info on items sold, or listed and sold, on eBay, Amazon, perhaps record dealer sites, and other places collectible records are sold.
There are things listed there like I've never seen at an autograph dealer or auction site. And it appears that the record dealers often don't realize that they have something rare, highly desirable, and valuable.
I found a number of Billie Holiday signed albums. Some I thought were real, some I thought were fake, and some didn't have images good enough to tell. I saw several Billie Holiday signed pieces that I thought were real, and they sold for $900 and less.
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Not one that I saw was labeled authenticated by PSA, JSA, BAS, ete., or any other TPA.
You have to buy a membership for $2.95/mo. to see more than one photo, but you get a 1 month free trial so there's no risk.
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Conclusion
Original Seller Description:
“Autographed by Billie Holiday for someone with KHON, Hawaii. I obtained a number of records formerly owned by KHON, and this one was found among them. Probably VG/G+, but what is important about this record is that it is signed by the singer.”
The original seller did not fully recognize the importance of this signature, and even in subsequent resale, the record realized only approximately $600 more than its initial purchase—far below its true market value.
Comprehensive research and comparative analysis confirm that the ink tone, writing style, and overall characteristics are consistent with Billie Holiday’s documented setlist from the Continental Room. The inscription displays period-consistent ink and natural aging, further supporting authenticity.
Considering the stated provenance—its connection to KHON in Hawaii—and the strong stylistic alignment with Holiday’s known handwriting, the most plausible scenario is that this autograph was obtained during, or in direct connection with, her engagement at the Continental Room circa 1950. Epperson’s Letter of Authenticity further corroborates this assessment.
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