Karloff TLS - Authentic?

Wow! I just finished reading the thread on the Karloff Frankenstein SP. So cool to see and so appreciative of the links, examples and opinions shared.

I have compared the signature on the attached Karloff TLS to the posted and lined examples from this thread. To my untrained eye, the signature looks close to 1950's examples and the content and style of the letter seems consistent with other TLS I have been able to find online. However, the loop on the leading side of underline to the signature gives me some concern. It appears Karloff often underlined his signature but I have not seen examples with as pronounced of a loop on the leading edge.

Based on the previous thread, I know there is a lot of Karloff expertise on this forum. Please share opinions on authenticity. Thank you.

Tags: Boris Karloff, Frankenstein, Horror

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Karloff TLS.JPG, 607 KB

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Permalink Reply by Woody2Shoes on February 21, 2019 at 7:55pm

Looks to me to be within the tolerances for authenticity.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on February 21, 2019 at 8:44pm

Thank you, W2S. It is no Frankenstein SP, but it is always reassuring to have someone else think it looks good too.

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Permalink Reply by Woody2Shoes on February 22, 2019 at 10:23am

Karloff can be difficult to authenticate. He has that "seismograph"-like signature like Trump. A series of spikes at some points. He did do most of his own signing so most forgeries will have been done in the past 20 years, which makes looking at the medium and ink composition, the appearance of age, vey useful to authenticate.

Based just on the image alone, I think you're OK here and that all of the majors will positively authenticate it.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on February 22, 2019 at 10:31am

Thank you again, W2S. I appreciate you taking the time to help me become more savvy at evaluating authenticity, both specific to the Karloff and in general. I am staying up past my bedtime too often reading signature studies and the many threads on this site. So much knowledge, so little time.