Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by James Lafaman on March 23, 2012 at 2:45pm

I rarely if ever comment on these forums because collecting in person is not as an exact science as most commenters believe it is. Some of these are spot on as noted by others already and others look very questionable. I danced with Carmen Electra at a night club opening and have her autograph multiple times. It looks nothing like the one listed at world of autographs. Not even close. But I am hesitant to call it or any other items a fake. So I simply wouldn't buy it. That said, I have been collecting for 40 years. Until January, I worked in Times Square in the financial industry and in the same building as Sirius radio. I was 20 yards from Fox, 100 Yards from the Today show, a few blocks from Letterman and ABC. I had unprecented access during charity events, premiere's etc.. As Clarence once said to George "it really has been a wonderful life". I saw a celebrity or athlete almost every single day. So why the preamble? Because many of you look for signatures to be exactly the same all the time and if they aren't, you think they are bad. It is not that black and white. Just at the Sirius building alone I can tell you that it makes a world of difference if you catch someone entering or exiting the building. Is there a crowd or no one around. Inside the lobby or outside the lobby? Did they have a good interview or a bad one? Is there a bodyguard, security or promoter with them? Every one of these things factors in and any one of them can change the signature. I have met Lady Gaga three times and have about six items and not one of them looks like any of the others. I would be very upset if someone challenged them as fake because they do not look exactly alike. Some are not even close to the others. That is one example. I have obtained a signature at the security desk that is clean and legible, while other professional collectors who were outside, only 10 feet away, got something that looked very different. I could give you fifty more examples like that. Sometimes they are going in and running late. Did you hand them a clipboard or something to steady the item or was it just a picture while they were walking? All of these things play in. Look, at the end of the day, it is really difficult to credit or discredit a person or item based on something not looking exactly like you think it should. I realize that there are many bad people in this industry selling fakes and we all need to be diligent and take each others back, but I can tell you from many years of direct first hand experience that a lot of the "scribbled" items are legit and there is no sure fire system to say when they are not. You always have the option of simply not purchasing it if you think it has an even 1% chance of being bad. And yes, I am sure that I have purchased bad items now and then and probably still have them, because even after 40 years of heavy experience, you can never be 100% sure, unless you get it yourself.  

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Permalink Reply by DB on March 23, 2012 at 3:08pm

James, welcome to AML.  You should start the "lafaman" thread and post those you obtained as they will be interesting to see.

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Permalink Reply by James Lafaman on March 23, 2012 at 3:55pm

Here is an example. These two signatures were both obtained in person by me and only a few weeks apart. The sloppy one was in person at my building, because Traci's promoter was rushing her. The second was done sitting a table in a forum that is familiar to all of the readers, the Chiller Theatre convention in October. Same person, very close together in time, but one standing and holding the item and in a rush while the other was seated at a table. I have so many others, so if you give me a few names, I can show you big differences, if the items are not already framed and will fit into my scanner :). I have a Vanessa Carlton that is a beautiful full signature when I bought her and her mother lunch when I saw them in a restaurant in Manhattan. I have never seen another one on any site that has more than a scribbled VC. Even one that was numbered and authenticated by Universal studios.

Attachments: No photo uploads here

• TRACI LORDS.JPG, 796 KB

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Permalink Reply by James Lafaman on March 23, 2012 at 5:10pm

One last comment about whether a signature "looks good" and then I will go back into hibernation. I was looking at the current auction going on by "Pieces of the Past" that is still live as I write. They had a Alyssa Milano SP listed. Honestly, that signature really looked good to me. The only problem was that the picture was of Rachel Leigh Cook. Does anyone think that Alyssa would sign Rachel's picture? I sent them 2 emails and I see that they have now taken it down. No reply to me. No thank you or nice catch, Jim. Nothing. Just took down a blatantly bad item. I was going to paste it here for everyone to see, but they already took it down. So as a guy who loves and lived his whole life for this hobby and has over 9000 autographs, I just advise you to continue following Steve and this forum and just be as educated as you possibly can before you make a decision to buy something.  

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Permalink Reply by DB on March 23, 2012 at 5:19pm

hibernation is not a good thing around here.....

they hate it when someone points out the obvious and seldomly is a response ever given.

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Permalink Reply by James Lafaman on March 23, 2012 at 7:17pm

Ok, I will do that. I am retired from Wall Street now, but still and always will have the bug. The security guys and the building manager still welcome me back when I visit. I will be more active on line, now that I have more time. I just had a bunch go out to be framed. When I get them back I will take some pictures before I hang them up. To me everyone is interesting and everyone gives me a rush. The latest batch included, Roger Waters, Ewan McGregor, 3 Mob Wives, Gary Oldman, Kristen Bell, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Brooke Burke, to name a few. Sam Simon drew me a picture of Homer Simpson. That was cool. I will post some pics when I get them back. Be well DB.

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Permalink Reply by Michael T on April 3, 2012 at 2:39pm

Hi everyone, Michael Hoppe here- owner of World of Autographs. One of our customers pointed us to this discussion. I thought it would be a wise idea to join the discussion.

Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Do other autograph dealers hang out here?

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Permalink Reply by DB on April 3, 2012 at 3:49pm

Michael welcome to AML.  They do, some stealth, some active.  We like the active as that's the only way the hobby sorts itself out.

Especially with so much non-authentic items floating around everywhere, the problems of authenticing modern entertainment and music and the dismal failures of TPAs but moreso the wouldbe ones that if they got some right it would be considered an exception.

 One item u might consider is starting from page 1 there is some agita in some areas and you might consider addressing them all in one post.  Be advised, we are a fiesty lot but fair (most of the time).

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Permalink Reply by DB on April 4, 2012 at 2:57am

very good and it's always good to address the white elephant in the room.  It's my experience that many dealers have alot more information that they don't necessarily share on blogs but provide information behind the scenes.   Sometimes the "facts" aren't always so easy to nail down and all to often that excuses is a two edge sword often used by those who keep missing certifications...  In the case of JD & Bob - they are more stealth but keenly interested in a number of finds, discoveries & positions that have appeared in these threads. 

Look forward to your providing additional information that collectors will find invaluable in their pursuit of authentic items. 

Permalink Reply by Michael T on April 3, 2012 at 10:30pm

[Comment this replied to was deleted by the member who posted it.]

Permalink Reply by Will W. on July 26, 2012 at 8:07pm

Hello (new to this forum, first post)

I'm looking for a signed photograph by Lindsay Lohan, I found one and then found this thread.

worldofautographscom sells one interesting autograph:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LINDSAY-LOHAN-Sexy-Autographed-Hand-Signed-...

What baffles me is that the seller says Lohan was drunk when she signed it. She even spelled "God Bless", "God Bess", which would indicate some intoxication. But then, without errors she could spell "Not for resale!" at the top... This confuses me a bit, anyone have any opinion? Also, I noticed that the seller is a member here, so if you could clear things up it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Michael T on July 26, 2012 at 9:18pm

[Comment this replied to was deleted by the member who posted it.]

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