Here is a link to a great celebrity convention you should attend if you are in or near Chicago!

http://www.nonsportcardexpo.com/

Some great guests will be there signing , and the people in charge running this show have a fantastic charity they are supporting as well! Have fun!

I have always enjoyed celebrity book signings. It is the simpliest and most guaranteed way to obtain an autograph. In the real world of collecting autographs, there isn't often much that is a sure thing, but attending a celeb's book signing is as close as it is ever going to get. In this world we live in of fans wanting autographs, very tough economics, and the cancer of fake signatures over taking collectability, I simply cannot understand why a celebrity will not allow one item of…

I will confine my frustration to just Rock and Roll autographs since that is my area of what I collect. I am so fed up with what seems to be every gallery I walk into, every internet website I visit, and the increasing amount of horror stories regarding the signed garbage that is currently in circulation for sale. From those 9 Led Zeppelin signed LP's I saw last year in Las Vegas to the current conversation on another blog here regarding The Rolling Stones fake autographs and at every corner…

Well, last week I posted multiple requests for a full refund on all of my de-authenticated purchases, potentially alerting more than 1000 ARA "fans" on Facebook as to what kind of company they were tracking or

"liked".

That site has totally been shut down. Huh. Also, it is impossible to post any comment to "YouTube" ARA or Jerry Galdstone postings.

See more here:…

Now, some of you younger readers who have seen the film, "The Warriors" on video or (worse) edited on television, probably watch that film and wonder where all the violence is and what really is the big deal. Compared to the real gangs of today, the gangs in the film look more like a Mad Hatter tea party than gangs we see on the nightly news. However, for us older readers, we can testify that when the 1979 film was released, it caused fights in the theaters, gang activity, and a media that…

I purchased a Rat Pack photo from her 10 years ago; signed by all 5. I proudly displayed it on the wall in my office. Recently I decided to get it authenticated. I brought it to JSA and they said it was fraudulent. She offered to take it back on consignment but refused to refund me the original purchase price of $ 2300.00; as she does not recognize JSA or PSA as authorities. She said I should send it to Col. Myron Ross who she purchased the piece from for authentication. I was…

Tom Dreesen is one of the most under-rated comedians of all-time. He and I have stayed in touch after I interviewed him for Autograph Magazine, and I feel blessed to have heard so many great stories from him over the years.…

I'm a huge Black Crowes fan (I wrote about them, and White Stripes, in a column years ago).

Crowes singer Chris Robinson is a tough autograph to get. He'll sign, but just a few as he's walking by.

One time, his pregnant wife -- actress Kate Hudson -- was at the show. Now, I was once standing next to Kevin Bacon's actress wife at a concert (can't think of her name at the moment). She was dancing the night away.

Hudson wasn't dancing, and I thought…

It's always nice when a pro athlete goes above and beyond for the autograph seekers.

Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum didn't just reach over the dugout to sign baseballs and other items for fans before a Giants came a few weeks ago. He stood on a trash can to do it.

Usually players in the dugout that do sign autographs, have the items handed to them from a security guard. Lincecum, though, decided to take matters into his own…

Hi everybody,

Prices for Gaylord Perry are as follows:

Baseballs and flats 8x10 or smaller: $30

Caps, equipment, bats, jerseys, oversized flats, etc: $50

Inscriptions: $10

Items are due to me by September 10th.

Prices for Paul Hornung are as follows:

Flats up to 16x20 and mini helmets: $30

Jerseys, #'s, helmets, footballs, oversized flats, etc:$45

HOF or Heisman Trophy inscription: $10

Other statistic…

I am at a thought crossing in my autograph collection: to sellor not to sell. Let me explain.

I love collecting autographs and always will. However, collecting has been a huge expense for me over the last several years. With so many fantastic autograph conventions across the country, in store signings, artists appeareing at so many local clubs, there has been a rebirth of my collecting. In other words, these last 5 or so years have been more fruitful and successful, than the…

My mother sat across the aisle from Richard Nixon on a PAN AM flight just a year or so after he left the presidency. He autographed one of my business envelopes with his signature only. I can provide a pic if interested. Any reasonable offer over $50.00 will be accepted.

swnsnkr@aol.com

I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Scott Pilgrim. It's not for everyone, and I'm guessing older folks won't appreciate all the video game ref. in the film.

In one scene, Michael Cera is on the set of a movie being filmed and is in awe of the former pro skateboarder turned A-list movie star (with the last name "Lee"...making me think of Jason Lee).

This guy ends up coming up to Cera, who is talking on the set. Just as Cera is asking for his…