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.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin 31 seconds ago

Pug, what about her first name, "Billie", in the autograph? All you are focusing on is her last name.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo 14 hours ago

You had asked how many Ace label 78's were on eBay and then I guess you pulled your question - there are 9 Blue Ace label Holidays on eBay right now.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Wolfson 14 hours ago

I initially asked: how many signed Blue Ace copies have you actually seen? Why has only 1 ever surfaced?

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo 14 hours ago

It was established earlier that there appear to be no signed 78's. I still think that true.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Wolfson 14 hours ago

If someone had the knowledge and intent to replicate a Billie signature at that level—studying exemplars, selecting the “correct” pen, even artificially aging it—you’d expect multiple outputs, not a one-off on a relatively niche format like a Ace 78. That level of effort for a single piece with limited upside doesn’t make much sense.