We are an eBay affiliate and may be compensated for clicks on links that result in purchases.

Autograph's Johnny Cash Signature Study — Be Part of It!

Has there ever been a nicer, more humble, more fan friendly superstar than Johnny Cash?

Johnny was the Babe Ruth of Country Music—the top-ranking Country artist of all time and the most loved. And Johnny loved his fans as much as they love him. So while like the Babe, Cash signed untold numbers of autographs, the supply could never meet demand...and probably never will.

Fans who couldn't meet Cash in person often requested autographs through the mail. The common belief is that he personally autographed those requests. But between his demanding touring schedule and later, his failing health and vision, it seems impossible that he could have signed even half of the mail he received.

A growing number of collectors and dealers now believe that many if not most Johnny Cash through the mail autographs were secretarial. We want to see if we can identify any secretarial styles, and at the same time build a reference collection of no-question genuine Cash exemplars to help identifying forgeries.

Are There Johnny Cash Secretarials?
If So, How Do We Identify Them?
Help Find Out!

You can be an important part of the study in three ways:

Upload into this discussion images of Johnny Cash autographs that you personally received through the mail, and tell us when you received them. (The year is fine, but if you know the date, even better.)
Upload images of Johnny's autographs that YOU saw signed by Johnny yourself. Include the date or at least year, too. If you didn't see it signed yourself (like pre-signed ones sold or given away at shows), please don't upload it.
As more and more images are uploaded, see if you can identify characteristics that are commonly found on Johnny's through the mail autographs that are rarely if ever seen on ones signed in person.

With your help, we can identify Cash secretarials if they're out there. Over time this should increase the value of genuine Johnny Cash autographs, and help protect future fans and collectors against autographs that aren't authentic.

Once we finish this phase of the study, we'll go on to identifying genuine Johnny Cash autographs from forgeries.

Let's go!

Tags: Johnny, autographs, cash, genuine, mail, secretarial, the, through

12 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on August 9, 2011 at 5:30pm

Robert,

I thought Brandon sent you there for examples. I understand your feelings about dealers pricing things high, but I judge a dealer by authenticity and whether they represent the autographs they sell honestly and accurately.

Pricing is something I generally don't judge a seller by, because any potential buyer can research prices, and a seller truly can ask what they want.

But what you pointed out is important: Collectors always should research prices before they buy.

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 11, 2011 at 1:36pm

Well, I beg to differ. If the magazine on line has it on it's site, it is worthy of valid Market Value Prices. If it wasn't, trust me...They wouldn't be advertising it. It is a substantially well researched Guide that produces avreaged pricing form accross the Sellers Standards and we know who wrote the Sander Price Guide. Dr. Richard Saffro. Ok? I hope that is easy to find. It's on the bottom of the front page. It PROTECTS The HOBBY's CONSUMERS from The BILKERS who use the Memory of those who have passed for their own agrandizement. Sure, I can place a charge for a Johnny Cash Original Photo Autograph for 3,000 dollars, but do you honestly believe that people who have this BOOK, that you call basically a non starter, will be best educated to know Market Value? Yes they will. Period. Explanation point.

Permalink Reply by roger epperson on August 8, 2011 at 11:50am

I'm going to go a little off the path as there are for a fact 4 different secretarial versions of Johnny's signature. I dear friend of mine who is an in person collector in Nashville became a very good friend with the family. The secretarial signatures were kept quite private but he asked them and eventually they told him of the versions. I'm going to show you first version A which were done by Cathy Cash. These are by far the best of the versions, probably because of the blood line. I will post another later as well as many authentic in person signatures as I can find.

Three Johnny Cash secretarials, signed by Cathy Cash:

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by 3aa9dy65fy4sz on August 8, 2011 at 5:05pm

Roger: The last scan you provide is quite similar to the one I bought from a well-known UACC dealer several months. I am going to send him an e-mail requesting that he look into it. Thank

you for this information....I was shocked to see it....but I prefer the truth.

Attachments: No photo uploads here

MyJohnny.jpg, 282 KB

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 9, 2011 at 1:28am

The truth about what? Don't keep us all in suspense.. Do share with the group about your disovery..

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on August 9, 2011 at 4:22am

It sounds like Jack's autograph is likely secretarial, based on info Roger provided.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 9, 2011 at 3:57pm

so PSA strikes "OUT" again, I see... Hmmm....

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Markus Brandes on August 9, 2011 at 11:04pm

Dear Roger

Thanks for sharing although I had to find out that I sold such a secretarial autograph by mistake to a customer as well but of course will prompty refund payment and destroy this secretarial signature.

Do you maybe have any more detailled signature study of Johnny Cash available for me which I could publish with your reference on www.isitreal.com ? I am sure that many in the European autograph community are not already aware about Cathy Cash's secretarial which would be worth to be announced in our autograph magazine and reference website.

kind regards

Markus

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by 3aa9dy65fy4sz on August 11, 2011 at 2:45pm

I would like AutographMagazine Live! members to know that Markus responded to my inqury re:the Cash secretarial signature [that I had purchased from him] in a gracious, forthright manner. And that I have now received my refund from him, as well as his apology, which I believe without reservation is sincere. I consider him (as I did before, actually) to be an honest, reputable individual who has a real concern about the sale of inauthentic memorabilia. If I may, I’d also like to add another Johnny Cash autograph into the discussion as an example of one that is genuine. This is an autograph on a copy of “The Man in Black”, and inscribed to an actor that he worked with briefly. I’ve cropped the autograph so as to protect the identity of the person it is dedictated to. I understand that collectors shy away from inscriptions, generally speaking, but would like to suggest that it may be a good way to find a real Cash signature, at a more “reasonable” price. Could anyone please tell me what would be a fair price for this autographed book with an inscription?

Attachments: No photo uploads here

Cashbookauto.jpg, 17 KB

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on August 11, 2011 at 2:56pm

Not a surprise, Jack, but always nice to hear.

Markus Brandes is a class act. Sure, he makes mistakes, everyone does. But he makes far fewer than most and ALWAYS backs up what he sells...FOREVER.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Sledz on August 11, 2011 at 3:31pm

It's a Book, not a photo so I would tell you it is worth between 150 and 300 dollars based on quality and whether it is VINTAGE or NOT. But that's based on research and what I would pay for. Maybe others here would spend 2K.. IDK... ;)