Assume the autographs are fake.

I can tell you with my decades of experience in this industry and having researched and examined millions of autographs, the greatest majority of autographs you are going to consider purchasing are going to be fake.  The FBI documented that their estimation is around 80% of online autographs are fake.  I can tell you with the premium names, especially in rock and roll music autographs, the % of forgeries out there is much higher.  While…

Authenticity is everything in autographs. Some are satisfied with certification by certain third-party authenticators, and others don't like or use any of them. Many particularly don't like them issuing opinions on autographs they've sold.

The more orderly the marketplace and the safer we make it for collectors, the more the autograph market will grow.

So here's the question:

Is it time for the autograph hobby to set up official expert authentication boards in each…

Ms. Russell passed away today.  She was scheduled in a couple of weeks to appear at the Hollywood Autograph Show in Chicago in a couple of weeks.  I did luckily have a chance to meet her and get her autograph in Chicago in 2005.  She was a great person to talk to and a nice lady.  

[Editor's Note:  Dave Wakefield photos were added Feb. 23, 2011]

February 22, 2011—In 2009 and 2010, the Internet Autograph Dealer Alliance (IADA-CC) published several articles about…

I was watching one of those Antique Roadshows type of reality shows. It deals with people that go to storage units and buy them at auctions (the ones that people abandon). They often find autograph stuff in those.

They found what was claimed to be a "First edition" copy of Gone With the Wind, signed by the author. They had it checked, it was deemed to be a forgery. And the book wasn't "first edition."

(the Nazi handbook they had was real, and sold for around a thousand…

Hello,

In a few weeks, I'm on television with my collection !!!

The people from the TV have make there reportage at my home this afternoon !!!

Tukufu Zuberi (left) of PBS’s “History Detectives” interviews Westport, CT autograph expert John Reznikoff University Archives. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

A PBS “History Detectives” series crew spent last Monday with University Archives' president John Reznikoff…

Here again this year is the local Baltimore convention called Farpoint!

It is from Feb 18th to the 20th.

Check out the guests, programs, autographs and more at this show!

I will be there to cover it.

Here is a link...........

http://www.farpointcon.com/

I have a photograph signed by Humphrey Bogart that I wish to sell but I thought it might be a good item for a Blog in Autograph Magazine.

 

During the 1939/45 war American soldiers were stationed in a camp near to our home in the U.K., as a young boy I vividly remember tanks rolling down our street and me vowing that one day I would own my own ‘jeep’, which all British kids thought were terrific ~ unfortunately this never came to pass and I think I am a little too old…

Join Autograph Magazine Live! for regular census updates.…

Did anyone see that cute little boy that appeared on The View?

He had been picked on by bullies at school and he got someone to video it. Not sure what happened to the kids doing the bullying, but this kid ended up being on a lot of shows to talk about it.

One of those shows was THE VIEW, and Whoopi Goldberg brought out four or five players -- including DeSean Jackson, the kids favorite player. His face looked shocked with surprise, then he started crying. And…

Crowd-fundraising websites Indiegogo.com and Kickstarter.com are bringing filmmakers and fans together to make independent films happen and most of the filmmakers are offering autographed movie posters and photos in exchange for donations, which I'm also doing for my Ghostman movie. But 99.9% of the actors and directors are unknown so the autographs aren't even worth the value of the donation. So I think…

I was quite pleased to find this site although I was hoping there were a few more members in the UK.  I was also hoping that  I would discuss meetings people had experienced with celebrities and maybe get news of, and share  with others, upcoming events that may provide more opportunities to collect. I am in the process of publishing a book about my most memorable celebrity meets, it should be available in around three weeks. Has anyone else had anything published on these lines. I…