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Boris Karloff - Question

I'm curious what members might know about identifying authentic Boris Karloff signed photographs. I believe I've heard that most signed simply with "Sincerely" or his name alone are secretarial (a 5"x7" example below).

Is it a safer bet to look only at ones that have been dedicated to a particular recipient?

Thanks for any info.!

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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on November 23, 2022 at 1:49pm

That is not one I would want in my collection. For many A-list people a 5x7 is often secretarial if that is of any help.

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Permalink Reply by Findbooks on November 23, 2022 at 1:59pm

S'funny you should ask 'cos I was interested in an auction recently where his autograph was in an autograph book and the auctioneer did not publish a picture of that particular one. I asked but they failed to answer in time. Infuriating.

A couple of examples for sale where I believe the sellers in question would exercise due diligence but I cannot tell about their ability to distinguish between authentic and secretarial.

boris.jpg

31008782379.jpg

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Permalink Reply by Findbooks on November 23, 2022 at 2:44pm

Obvious differences between the two, bearing out your theory.

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Permalink Reply by Eddy on November 23, 2022 at 4:39pm

Thanks for weighing in guys. I've seen these Karloff signed "Sincerely" photos commanding healthy prices but have been wary of them. I believe I've heard that he even travelled with pre-signed secretarial photos and handed them out to fans when approached at the time of stage appearances.

I think he's more scarce in authentic form than many (including dealers) really appreciate.

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Permalink Reply by Eddy on November 23, 2022 at 5:53pm

Here's an authentic Karloff document sig. from around the time of the photo I posted. Sure is close. But no cigar, I guess. One thing I've noticed on authentic Karloff sigs. is that he seems to have often added a dot after his surname. The photo doesn't have that.