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Permalink Reply by Leonard Kagan on September 11, 2012 at 3:03pm

Appraisal ID: 243354

Appraised On: 29-08-2012

Title: Autographed Queen Album signed by all 4 original memmbers

Date/Era/Period: 1980's

Description: Autographed album by the band Queen. A Kind Of Magic. It is signen by all 4 original band members including the most important, Freddie Mercury

Condition: The album cover is in excellent condition and the autographs are near pristine condition free of smudges, smears, bleeding of marker

Origin: It came from a collector in california that I got in a trade along with other autographed albums

Provenance: None


Appraised By: Lon Strickler

History Of The Item: In early 1986, Queen recorded the album A Kind of Magic, containing several reworkings of songs written for the fantasy action film Highlander.The album was very successful, producing a string of hits, including the title track, "A Kind of Magic". Also charting from the album were "Friends Will Be Friends", "Who Wants to Live Forever" and the de facto theme from Highlander, "Princes of the Universe". - In summer of 1986, Queen went on their final tour with Freddie Mercury. A sold-out tour in support of A Kind of Magic, once again they hired Spike Edney, leading to him being dubbed the unofficial fifth member. The Magic Tour's highlight was at Wembley Stadium in London and resulted in the live double album, Queen at Wembley, released on CD and as a live concert DVD, which has gone five times platinum in the US and four times platinum in the UK. Queen could not book Wembley for a third night, but they did play at Knebworth Park. The show sold out within two hours and over 120,000 fans packed the park for what was Queen's final live performance with Mercury. During the tour, Queen performed a concert at Slane Castle, Ireland, in front of an audience of 95,000, which broke the venue's attendance record.The band also played behind the Iron Curtain when they performed to a crowd of 80,000 in Budapest, in what was one of the biggest rock concerts ever held in Eastern Europe. More than one million people saw Queen on the tour—400,000 in the United Kingdom alone, a record at the time.

Appraiser Tips: We recommend that this item be appraised periodically. As well, store or display this item in an area with low humidity and low light using acid free and/or archival grade material. This way, the value of the item and the pleasure of ownership will continue for many years.

Research Sources: We have over 30 years of experience in appraising and authenticating autographs and look at thousands of items each month. In the uncommon event that there is a signature with which I or my associates are unfamiliar, we have access to other recognized experts as well as an extensive library of reference materials and archive of authentic signatures for comparison. We also update autograph values on a continued basis.

Appraiser Comments: The signatures appear to be authentic by sight examination of the image provided with the request for appraisal but an actual determination to authenticity cannot be made without a physical inspection. Since this item cannot be forensically inspected by this appraiser then the value stated is on the assumption that this is an authentic signature. All appraisals are based on the condition, uniqueness, history and current market for this item. An appraiser does not create the value of an item and merely provides their professional opinion of value which is often generated by a comparison study based on auction and retail sale prices. This certificate of appraisal is given subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, all of which are a part hereof unless expressly set aside in writing either on the pages of this certificate or by writing attached to the certificate signed by all parties concerned. Unless otherwise stated herein, this certificate is based only on the readily apparent identity of the item(s) appraised, and no further opinion nor guarantee of authenticity, genuineness, attribution or authorship is made. This certificate is made at the request of the party names for their private use. It is not an indication or certificate of title ownership.

Authenticity: The expert, Lon Strickler, is of the opinion that this item IS PROBABLY authentic.
Reason: The signatures are similar in style and form with authentic examples we have in archive. As well, the source and manner of how the signature was obtained is also taken into consideration. Mercury varied his signature over the years but this example is consistent enough to warrant a finding of probable authenticity. Thank you for allowing me to appraise your collectible. I would appreciate any feedback you feel is relevant. Lon D. Strickler

Items can NEVER be authenticated over the internet but must be seen in-person by an expert in order to verify authenticity. This service is meant to provide an unbiased expert’s opinion based on the information available to them through the auction listing.

* Current Fair Market Value: $1,600.00

** Replacement Cost: $3,000.00
More from the company that appraised this and did an authentication

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Permalink Reply by J.Seah on September 11, 2012 at 3:20pm

I was just on the expert appraiser Lon Stickler website. I would not consider buying any of his music autographs that he is offering for sale on his website. Why don't you get your album autenticate by Roger Epperson ???

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Permalink Reply by Michael T on September 11, 2012 at 11:59pm

Lon Strickler? What a laugh. From what I have seen of him over the past 5 years or so he deals in bad material. I saw that he is now offering authentication service. What a joke.

You can go here to see his mix of the good with the bad (mostly bad):

http://www.stricklerautographs.com/

His cast and group signed items are quite a hoot.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Smith on September 13, 2012 at 11:00am

I saw this album on Ebay. Sorry for saying this but I did not give it a second look. I could tell right away that it was not authentic. I so badly wanted it to be because this is EXACTLY what I would want all four signatures on. :(

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