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Authenticity is Everything
ANDY GRIFFITH SIGNATURE STUDY
I am starting this in hopes people will add their real Andy Griffith autographs and the Linke "secretarial" ones for comparison. Since the death of Andy Griffith I have noticed a growing appreciation of the man and actor. He was much more than just "Andy Taylor" his range from comedy to drama was great. I suspect his popularity will increase partly because of TCM showing some of his dramatic and comic performances.
In this study if you scroll down the comments you will find links to Andy Griffith's four appearances as a "Mystery Guest" on the television game show What's My Line? in 1958, 1959,1965 and 1967. There are captures of his signature as he signed in below also.
With Andy Griffith autographs it is not so much the forgeries, since the value has not quite reached the level to make it worthwhile, but "secretarial" signatures that are the problem. The "secretary" generally was Richard O. Linke a producer who worked with Griffith for many years. It is hoped that people will submit genuine autographs from checks or other sources as well as any "fake" ones. The more there is for comparison the better our understanding of the nuances in his signature.
For many years the "Linke" autographs were considered real much in the same way that the "Challton Heston" signatures were. An old respected collector many years ago told me that most of the Andy Griffith autographs were suspect. At that time it was assumed a secretary was signing. Based on what my friend told me I never actually owned an Andy Griffith autograph until I bought checks on eBay a few years ago! The work that Gary Wedemeyer and Frank Johnson are doing to educate people on the subject of the "Linke" autographs is very valuable. Like most TAGS collectors they have a great passion for the subject. I would like to thank them for their efforts.
The first is the signature of a very young Andy Griffith at age 18. This comes from the World War II draft registration form that was signed by Andy Griffith. I have never seen an earlier example of his signature although no doubt some exist. The original is in the National Archives so in a way this is an Andy Griffith autograph that we all own!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on
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As you say coming from Broadway where she had a long association with Henry Fonda. She likely felt constricted by the new found television fame. With success came the realization that "Aunt Bee" was slowly relegating actress Frances Bavier to nonentity status. After the year of The Andy Griffith Show she never played another character except for the bit part as "the lady with the cat" in the 1974 movie Benji. This to an actress of her ability must have been frustrating to say the least. Even more than Andy Griffith himself she was an intensely private person, and never appeared on any national talk shows to the best of my knowledge. Other actors mentioned she could be a bit difficult to deal with at times no doubt this is true. I have never read or seen where Andy Griffith ever had anything but great respect for her as an actress. In later interviews you see a genuine sadness that they didn't have a better relationship off screen. In her last months she called Andy to tell of her regret for that also. It would have been easy for him to say things about her, and I believe it speaks volumes that he never did. She was very fan friendly through mail until shortly after her retirement. After she retired to North Carolina she found that some fans and autograph seekers can be intrusive idiots. She then became a recluse. I am sure Andy received similar treatment and I myself might find myself wary of strangers.
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Permalink Reply by Gary Wedemeyer on
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Speaking of interviews - here's a short one by Frances right after she moved to Siler City.
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George told me that one day Andy treated the cast to a day trip to the horse races. George had a little to drink and when his horse didn't win he blurted out a few profanities. Frances promptly hit him on the head with her umbrella and told him not to use those words in her presence. He threw up his fists and said "Put em' up AUNT BEA!" They both laughed, hugged and that was it.
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The brief interview with Frances Bavier is very rare. It is interesting that she gives Andy Griffith credit for the integrity of the show. I think she respected him but for some reason just did not care for him.
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I was in Mt. Airy when Andy came for then dedication of Highway 52 to be called "The Andy Griffith Parkway". During his speech he spoke about Frances. He said they never really got close for some reason. It wasn't just him and her - it was the entire cast and her. He didn't know why - but they loved each other and had the greatest respect for each other.
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The following are exemplars of Andy Griffith's signature on various signed checks. Most of the checks of Andy Griffith that I have seen are from the 1973-1976 period although other years may well exist.
This is late 1972 early 1973
Below is 1973
Below is 1976
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Here are authentic examples of Andy Griffith's signature as it appeared in 1992. As Gary showed with another signature from the 90's that by that time it is very "shaky."
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These look to be from the COA's Andy issued from his estate sale in California in the early 90's. This is another great way to get an authentic Andy signature. I have several of these in my collection.
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Yes that is right along with personal checks I think these are the safest bet as far as signatures go. You can see from the 1970s checks how his handwriting kind of went downhill. The checks he is very rounded with the "A" and by the 90s it is sometimes almost straight line. Have you seen any TV or movie contracts of his?
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I have seen so photo release forms from the 70's. Signature looks identical to the checks from that period.
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Permalink Reply by Frank Johnson on
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Hey all hope all is well. I have been under the weather a bit and haven't replied lately. Sorry. I have followed everything that you guys have put in and it is all great additions to this topic. I did receive an email from PSA, they stated they are going to investigate further. They told me something I already knew. Even if they are wrong they can't pull/recall what is already out there. I have a feeling they are blowing me off. We can only hope they actually follow up and at the very least do not put anymore "bad" autographs out there authenticated. Gary, in the past I have done like you every so often run an auction and tell everyone not to bid it is for informational purposes only. Maybe we should think about doing this again as there are new collectors coming in all the time. I really do not know any other way to help people and educate them further. I am open to anything you guys/gals can think of. Happy Collecting! Back to watching T.A.G.S.
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Even if you do not hear directly from PSA I suspect they will stop certifying the Linke signatures in the future so that is a good thing. In my opinion there is no way anyone can look at the Linke signatures and compare them to the genuine ones and not see the differences. The old certified ones will of course be sold forever, and there is really nothing to be done about that. As for making an auction I would type up your findings with examples and auction that rather than creating a nonexistent auction. Put it for .99 or some small amount or even cancel the auction early before it ends. Another thing would be to contact eBay sellers themselves but this is sometimes less than fruitful. Hopefully future collectors will find this study when they do an internet search. Hope you are feeling better.
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