Is the selfie the new autograph?

What's in a name? Fortunes

Shaun Smillie

Christine got around. She hobnobbed with the stars of her day, if only briefly.

But in those brief encounters, she persuaded them to append their autographs - and she did it over and over.

The band The Searchers signed her book, as did Cliff Richard. John Lennon signed it twice.
Christine collected those autographs more than half a century ago and next week they are expected to fetch tens of thousands of rands at auction in Johannesburg.

The prominent pieces of the collection are the Lennon signature and the autographs The Beatles signed at their 1963 Royal Command performance. It was at this performance, in front of Princess Margaret, that Lennon famously remarked: "The people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands. And the rest of you, just rattle your jewellery."

Two autograph books are to be auctioned on Wednesday and Thursday at Stephan Welz & Co auctioneers at Sandton City.

The second book contains the autographs of the likes of comedian Benny Hill, Kojak actor Telly Savalas and boxer Henry Cooper.

Some just gave their names, others signed off with a formal "yours sincerely" and one performer took the time to draw a cartoon duck.

Together, the books are expected to make between R35000 and R50000. "We haven't cottoned on to the autograph market like the rest of the world, autograph collecting here is more Mandela signatures and the 1995 Rugby World Cup team," said Savo Tufegdzic, head of the stamps and coins department at Stephan Welz & Co.

But there was a recent exception. Stephan Welz & Co auctioned the seven-volume visitors' register from Johannesburg's now defunct Gramadoelas restaurant.

The book, which contained messages from and the signatures of such dignitaries as Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth and David Bowie, was sold for R200000.

According to the PFC40 Autograph Index, which values autographs, The Beatles signatures have become hot property.

A signed photo of the band, valued at £5500 in 2000, is worth £27500 (about R514855) today, it says. A Lennon autograph would have increased in value by 900% over the same period.

One other interesting signature is up for auction in Sandton: US football star OJ Simpson wrote on a visit to South Africa: "To Dorette, Peace and Love!"

It was signed in 1980, 15 years before his acquittal for the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. It is not clear who Dorette was.

As for Christine, the autograph books reveal little about her besides her name.

The seller apparently is not connected to Christine.


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For these Rangers fans, autograph collectibles are more than a hobby

Michael Kahlig of Arlington scored a helmet-full of autographs in just one day.

By Stefan Stevenson/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

They arrive long before the bustling begins.

Globe Life Park is usually still a quiet, peaceful place when the small group begins to gather on the grass by some trees at the lip of the tunnel where Texas Rangers players and officials enter a parking garage under the stadium.

There, a group of diehard Rangers fans, typically no more than a dozen, all wearing team colors, sit and wait.

They’re autograph seekers and there’s a group just like them at every Major League ballpark.
Of course, autographs are nothing new to sports fans. Baseball players can be seen before most games signing along the first and third base lines at home or on the road. It’s part of the history of the game, one that players generally respect and enjoy.

Waiting by the tunnel, however, gives fans, if they’re lucky, an even more intimate encounter, a chance to interact with their heroes before they’re in uniform, before they put their game face on.

“It’s the interaction,” said Rangers super fan Terry Long. “A lot of times when they’re in there they’re in there to do their business. Here, you catch them before they actually have to get into that kind of mind-set. A lot of times the interaction out here is a little bit more casual. You can ask them questions or tell them, ‘Hey, you had a great game last night.’ “

Long, 39, who grew up in Texas is a season-ticket holder and makes it out early for autographs a couple of times each homestand.

Others, such as Tammie Decker and David Middleton, drive in as much as they can. Decker has been a partial season-ticket holder for years. For her, the autograph collecting is an escape.

“I come out here and meet new people, it’s kind of a stress relief for my job,” she said. “You just forget about that world back there until you have to go back, then it’s like pulling teeth.”

She has a Rangers’ room in her house where she displays all the collectibles: bats, helmets, batting gloves and jerseys, most signed by her favorite team.

Her prized possession, a Josh Hamilton banner that used to hang in the concourse at Globe Life Park, now hangs in her Rangers’ room. She bought it for a $100 at a Rangers FanFest. It’s now signed by Hamilton, of course.

“He signed it over the dugout one day,” she said. Hamilton and former Ranger David Murphy are two of her favorites.

“I felt easier talking to Josh Hamilton and David Murphy, both of them were really down to earth, easy going guys.”

Most of the Rangers players don’t hesitate to stop on occasion. Some, typically rookies like Keone Kela, stop routinely. As the high-end cars start entering the lot, the assembled group of regulars quickly identify the player by their car before he reaches the tunnel drive way.
Some players prefer to sign for kids only, hoping the spirit of the exchange means more to them and is not going to be up on eBay later that day.

Most of the regulars waiting for autographs over two days last week insisted that they don’t sell their memorabilia. “When I’m dead and gone my daughter will probably sell everything,” Middleton said.
Players quickly learn to discern the avid fan from the professional dealer.“I’m a hustler myself, so you get a vibe,” Kela said. “I won’t sign more than two things unless it’s for a child. I really like signing more of the kids stuff rather than the adults. But you kind of get a sense of who is a genuine collector.”

If a fan pulls out a portfolio or binder filled with 8 by 10 photos, or has a slew of different baseball cards, Kela limits them to one signed item.

“You can kind of tell he’s fishing for something in quantity to flip them for quality,” he said.
Veterans such as Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland don’t hesitate to stop occasionally. Neither is too concerned with their signature being sold.

“I don’t worry about it,” Fielder said. “Sometimes my autograph is what they need to sell so they can get money. They can have it.”Moreland feels the same way, but was mildly creeped out once when a friend sent him an Internet link of an “authenticated” signed item that included a picture of Moreland, in his truck, signing the item.

“You want to do well by them and kind of honor their commitment to you,” he said. “Most of those people out there are great so you try to stop and show them a little gratitude.”

Sean Robinson, 36, had Murphy, who was in town with the Cleveland Indians over the weekend, sign the last home run ball he hit as a Ranger. Robinson bought it on eBay for $40. Murphy was dropped off at the entrance of the tunnel and walked in, since the security guards know him from his days as a Ranger.

The rest of the visiting team typically arrives by bus on the other side of the stadium. Murphy stopped to pose for pictures and sign autographs, including Robinson’s home run ball. Robinson was back the next day with his 7-year-old son, Aiden. Both were dressed in Indians’ garb to hopefully entice Murphy to sign more items.

Some players get frustrated seeing the same faces seeking their autograph over and over. For the diehard fan, though, you can never have enough of Derek Holland’s signature. Buy his jersey? Get it signed. Catch a ball he pitched? Get it signed. Have is rookie card? They want to get it signed.