Nixon Autograph up for review

Hello

This autograph came from a friend family. They believe it was aquired during the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon race. It is oan old card stock photo signed across the picture. The autograph is faded, so I tried to get the best pictures I could.

Thank you

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Permalink Reply by ce on January 12, 2024 at 3:23am

Thank you for the help

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Permalink Reply by JK on January 7, 2024 at 12:17pm

The autopen I posted, like the OP, is not a great example of his actual signature. The way the N connects to the previous letter and the shape of the N itself are not very characteristic of his signature, but they obviously could occur. But to have an authentic signature that looks so very close to that particular autopen is not very likely.

Nixon was not shy about inscribing photos if he was actually signing the photo (or book), but he also used the autopen extensively as VP.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 7, 2024 at 12:26pm

Here is your facsimile:

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 7, 2024 at 12:29pm

And here in enlargement you can see it is identical:

All are 1960. Click for full image.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 7, 2024 at 12:45pm

Good job! Looks like a stamped signature, which would explain the look in the OP and the edges of the one you posted here. I don't know Nixon well enough to even know if he used them but I can't see this being anything else.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 7, 2024 at 12:49pm

Thank you Steve!

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Permalink Reply by ce on January 7, 2024 at 1:15pm

I have high-ligthted two areas, that are different in my signature, and the autopen. I see several olthers, but it is hard to photograph. The R ending is different, and the N does not completely cross the "d" in richard in my example.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 7, 2024 at 1:24pm

There is no question the OP and the facsimile I posted are made from the same base. One glance at the "ic"...the variations you are pointing to are normal - as the "signature" is transferred/rendered in different facsimile forms (we see two here) there is loss and change. Also, machines can be jiggled and have been. They are also the same size, the dots on the "i's" are in the same place etc..

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Permalink Reply by JK on January 7, 2024 at 1:53pm

Agree. The "ic" in Richard is identical.

Autopens can have variances, especially at starting points, if the machine or the item is moved or jostled. The beginning of the R in the OP is especially a giveaway. Yes, it varies slightly from the autopen posted, but not in a good way. That is a sign of an unsteady touchdown of the autopen.

Same for the N touching the D. That is where the pen lifted up and set down again. There can be variances in the starting point of the new letter.

Don't just focus on a few specific points. Look at the whole signature and notice the relationship between the letters.

As stated, Nixon made extensive use of the autopen as VP.

Yours is either an autopen (my vote) or a stamp/fascimile made from an autopen signature.

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Permalink Reply by Black Cat on January 7, 2024 at 1:55pm

I'd like to offer a different perspective on this one. It's a ghost signature. From his time in the U.S. Senate through his presidency, Nixon employed the use of a secretary to sign on his behalf. They signed his name more legibly than Nixon himself. With Nixon's actual signature, the 'ar' disappeared very early on. The 'ixon' tends to be no more than a jerky horizontal line with the vertical stroke to finish the 'x' somewhere in the middle. With the secretarial version, all letters are formed and readable. The 'd' tends to extend above the height of the 'R', something Nixon seldom did. Note that this secretarial version is always seen in books, on photos and on letters of routine content. You will not see it on checks and items which required his real signature.

It was also used as a model for printed items like souvenirs and keepsakes, presumably due to it's eye appeal and legibility.

If you see and can identify all 12 letters, it's very likely not an authentic Nixon signature.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on January 7, 2024 at 1:59pm

Unless you are saying this is a facsimile made from a ghost signature I strongly disagree. The exact spatial reproduction of the "ic" and all the rest is simply not humanly possible. This cannot be hand signed, by a secretary or Tricky Dicky.