Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Trapper9990 on June 22, 2012 at 4:25pm

You bring up some good points Peter but respectfully i have to disagree with just about everything you said. You cant judge what a real fan is or what they would do, etc. All you can judge is what you would do and that only applies to you. It is true that dealers who just sell everything have hurt the hobby but someone who wants to buy an autograph doesnt make them any less of a die hard fan than the guy who  gets every item IP. You just cant judge what  a true fan is and what their not. And unfortunately some inconsiderate dealers have actually had another effect. And that is that a great deal of celebs dont like signing autographs. They do it because they are expected and because it helps PR, and they put on a great face and attitude most of the time, but a great deal dont want to sign stuff for anyone. Seldom are their any true connections made nowadays on both sides. Often the fan feels that way but with the way things are today, we are just another face in the crowd and although we may get a nice comment, that doesnt mean anything to them, its just their typical thank you line. But thats not all the time of course. And thats due from everyone asking them too sign at really bad times. But thats just an aside. The bottom line is you can never judge what a real fan is, or what they should do or would do, and you can never judge the circumstance of what is proper to get autographed, etc. We as collectors can never set those boundaries.

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Permalink Reply by Peter C. on June 23, 2012 at 1:15am

As I said - its all about respect. Its just crazy to see videos of Paul McCartney who cant walk on sidewalk without being bothered by hunters..... I admire his patience - I would probably "explode" with fury... :)

I agree with you that celebs dont like signing autographs anymore because of the dealers. That was the reason why I wrote it. But other than that - I dont think that the rules that I wrote here are anything strange. To me, its just about basic respect, that you as fan KNOW who you ask for autograph.

Recently there was discussion about Cristiano Ronaldo who denied to sign for little fan because she wore Barcelona jersey. Thats exactly that case... Im not suprised he denied to sign because of that. Can you imagine that you would ask Slash to sign Chinese Democracy album? It has the name of GNR too.... Can you imagine that you would ask Voodo Lounge from Rolling Stones to sign by Bill Wyman? Can you imagine that real fan would not know which members are playing on the record? Its like asking Jack Nicholson to sign DVD with The Dark Knight movie! :) Both movies are about Batman and about Joker, arent they? :) I know - its absurd, but its exactly how I feel about Roger Glovers signing of Burn album....

Basically I would say it this way - other than this pretty obvious thing, I think that its not much "strict" to say let them sign "anything" they did and show them, that you payed for it (that´s for example the difference between album / DVD / concert ticket / tour merchandise and guitar pickard / instrument etc.). You bought stuff that supports them.... Its fair isnt it? About recognizing who is and who is not fan - its pretty easy and I already heard that some musicians do this - give them a simple question from your own history... he knows? He probably is fan. He doesnt know? He is not fan! Its really that easy.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on June 22, 2012 at 1:56pm

I do not believe the people that buy reprints are autograph collectors.  its like hugh hefner surrounding himself with Blow-up dolls.

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Permalink Reply by James Lafaman on June 22, 2012 at 3:33pm

A lot of varying opinions going back and forth. I don't think I have a problem with reprint sellers as long as they fully disclose that it is a reprint and not pawn it off as being real. If someone wants a photo, knowing full well that the signature on the photo is not real, then God bless them. They know full well going in that it is not real and what they are paying for. As for people who sell them and do not disclose, then that is just robbery, plain and simple. That is no different than forging or robbing somone. You are knowingly preying on innocent people who work very hard to have some discretionary money only to buy a fake. It's not even the money so much as that empty feeling of knowing you were taken. As for us autograph collectors who collect all celebrities, being disrespectful or ruining it for others, I have to disagree. I have met thousands of celebs, athletes or politicians and it is an absolute thrill for me, every single time. I enjoy it and I am the most polite and respectful person you will find. I get a big rush from it. It is not disrespectful, if you enjoy their work, if you are a fan of TV, movies and sports and conduct yourself with dignity. For me, there is nothing that makes me happier than a 30 second encounter with someone that I do in fact respect and admire. And, I always go right out and support whatever project they are working on. I will buy the book, the magazine, DVD or go to the movie with my whole family. I could be wrong, but i think most collectors are fans first. I know I am and I think most of the people in this forum are as well.

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Permalink Reply by Trapper9990 on June 22, 2012 at 4:14pm

i really dont agree with that too much. Maybe with some autographs but i think it has  more to do with uninformed buyers on ebay who see high prices for the items their looking at and then see a low priced item and they click it and it looks great and authentic and they purchase it thinking they got a great deal. I dont think alot of them know its a reprint as alot of auctions i see dont say its a reprint anywhere in the description, but they do put it in the title, but not as reprint, they list it as RP. And i dont think alot of buyers know what that means. So i believe alot of people are fooled by this. But their are some who just like the pic i guess. But i certainly dont think its the future of autographs and that people really want this worthless stuff on a constant basis. I believe people just think its the real deal and the sellers rely on this, and using abbreviated terms so they dont have to say reprint. And then if they do, some dont know what reprint means at all. Thats my opinion on it anyway. I rarely see any preprints bid on, and i search ebay every day. Yes i see preprints all over the place, but rarely do i see anyone bidding on them. I search for prince autographs every day and their are preprints everywhere and never once have i seen a bid, and the same thing for countless other names. ONly on very rare occassions, at least thats for music items.

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Permalink Reply by Peter C. on June 23, 2012 at 2:57am

As already mentioned - its not about what is offered, its about what is bought. I can see reprints as thing which fan can hang on the wall with original kept in safe (to avoid the direct sunlight for example). But other than that? Maybe that its for people who wants to have cool looking things on the wall no matter if its real or not... maybe that the factor "it looks cool" is enough for them. :) But I have to admit, that its hillarious to offer reprints of fake signatures.

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