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The Beatles Signed Photo: Genuine or Not?

Hello,

I have just got an email from a lady who says that he has found in their attic a box full of various items belonging to a man who lived in their house previously many years ago. There was also a photo with the autographs of the Beatles in the box.

She sent a photo of that photo to me to get to know if this is an original one or something else. I've done my best to research this but have not been able to get proof enough to judge this to be a copy, printed, secretarial or a real one. I’m sure there are many very professional The Beatles experts in this group who could help me.

The only thing I found on the net was a similar photo with very similar signatures of the members of the band. That was sold in 2014 in an auction which guaranteed the item to be a genuine one. However – it’s very odd that the selling price for that photo like that was only 800 USD, which I think is a bargain price for this kind of item.

I’d be happy to get your opinion or pieces of information to judge the photo I got.

PHOTO 1: From the box in the attic.

PHOTO 2: Sold by the Skinner Auctions in May 2014.

https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2722T/lots/1297

Thank you already in advance!

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Permalink Reply by FB on June 9, 2017 at 6:46am

They're not genuine. Sorry.

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Permalink Reply by KarlKeaton on June 9, 2017 at 8:13am

They are pre-prints....the 'signatures' are printed on the pictures surface.

When I used to deal in Beatles memorabilia here in the U.K. I used to come across these quite often.

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on June 9, 2017 at 10:18am

I believe these actually are autopen signatures.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Cushman on June 9, 2017 at 10:43am

They are auto pen signatures. These were used from 1963 to 1968. They are all 1st name signatures...some are all in black...and some are in blue ink. These were done by an auto pen machine.

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Permalink Reply by 00700 on June 9, 2017 at 11:26am

Thank you all for your kind answers. OK - these are both autopens. That's something I was also thinking about because the signatures look exactly the same on the both photos. They have just been "written" on a bit different places on the photos.

What makes me sand and angry is the fact that the photo number 2 was sold in a public auction and was guaranteed to be a genuine one.

https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2722T/lots/1297

That's outrageous!

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Permalink Reply by KarlKeaton on June 9, 2017 at 1:21pm

Yes, auto pens is probably a better description although not very good ones. My recollection is that the signatures are slightly raised above the surface of the picture, the opposite of pressure indentation.

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on June 9, 2017 at 2:55pm

I have one set of these signatures on a promo card and there appear to be indentations beneath the ink.

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Permalink Reply by KarlKeaton on June 10, 2017 at 5:28am

I wonder hat the outlet for these was. Most I used to see were from The Beatles U.K Fan Club, think it was a picture of them peering over a bannister and was given to new members around 63-64.

The next most common were on a Yellow Submarine period picture, first name only just like these. I could definitely tie them to the Fan Club as in those days I quite often purchased them in the original mailing envelopes.

I don't recall seeing any of this particular photo that I could readily tie to the Fan Club though.

I am beginning to wonder if Parlophone might have used the autopen as well (there's the obvious Parlophone inscription for a start)?

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Permalink Reply by Jim Cushman on June 10, 2017 at 5:53am

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Permalink Reply by Domino on January 12, 2020 at 10:30pm

The one in the middle is a original not autopen i have the same picture but the signatures are in different location the autopen held one pen not two this is ftom ed Sullivan 1967