John Wayne - Opinions Please

I would appreciate opinions on the below John Wayne signature. Although the dated signature looks atypical to most of the likely authentic examples I have found online, I have also attached an image of a John Wayne signed photo from the R&R Auction archives which looks pretty close.

As always, thank you for taking a look and sharing your opinions.

R&R Auction sold item:

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on July 2, 2020 at 7:04pm

If the exemplar is good so is the OP.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on July 2, 2020 at 7:13pm

Thank you for the quick response Eric. My eyes miss so many details that the experts on this forum catch that just knowing the two signatures seem consistent with each other helps.

Now, the key question remains is if the signed photo from R&R is an authentic exemplar. I know R&R has a good reputation but can make mistakes. I reviewed all of their auction results and only found this one example that looked very similar. Not sure if this is a known authentic style or possibly a secretarial. The fate of the authenticity of one seems to be linked to the authenticity of the other.

Hoping to hear from others. Appreciate your help as always.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on July 2, 2020 at 7:23pm

No, No, No. I believe the signed photo you are asking about is very atypical. The bottom example is indeed clearly authentic.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on July 2, 2020 at 7:33pm

Thank you Joe. To clarify, you are saying the top signature "John Wayne 1978" is atypical but the signed photo from the R&R archives is authentic, correct?

I definitely saw some differences between the two including the "W" and the "y" in "Wayne". Was not sure if these were significant differences, especially since both signatures seemed atypical to most of the items I found on R&R, Heritage and other reputable sources.

I appreciate the experts on this forum like you helping novices like me.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on July 2, 2020 at 7:38pm

Looking again I am inclined to agree with Joe.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on July 2, 2020 at 7:44pm

Thank you Eric. Sadly, I am inclined to agree with both Joe and you since you are both much more knowledgeable than me. ;)

I was initially pretty convinced this signature was NOT authentic based on the comparing it to many likely authentic exemplars. The R&R signed photo gave me some hope since they looked very similar to me. Despite the two examples being similar, I still saw several differences.

Although it would have been nice if this item were authentic, I will simply write it off as more tuition as I continue to learn. Thank you both for your help.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on July 2, 2020 at 7:42pm

Your example would, at the very best, be some extremely rushed example. There are a couple of very odd traits in the handwriting especially in his first name. I am not a fan of the photo in question.

I don't see anything unusual with the RR signed photo.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on July 2, 2020 at 7:52pm

Thank you again Joe. The top signature is on an oversize item (about 36" x 24") if that may impact signature style.

Funny you call out traits in "John". Initially, I felt the first names compared pretty well. However, now that you got me focused, I can see differences like the loop leading into the "h". I read the John Wayne signature study and am aware of some distinct traits like the "o" in "John" but I still don't have an eye for seeing these tells.

Greatly appreciate this forum to help me filter out the bad from the good in my collection, as well as to continue to learn and and share a passion with other members. Thank you.