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Steve Cyrkin, Admin's Blog (41)

Summer Season Sizzles for High-End Dealer Sales

 

The summer is notoriously slow for autographs, even in good times, so with the recession still in full-bloom, few had high hopes for season sales. But University Archives reports that the high-end autograph market is alive and well. So well that the firm is experiencing one of its…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 3, 2011 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

Coach's Corner Sells Baseball Signed by Obama...and Jackie Robinson?

I used to get on Chris Williams' case about it all the time.

Better known as YouTube's TomTresh2, Chris would spend half of his famous expose' videos berating the buyers of obvious forgeries on eBay and Coach's Corner, calling them as much of the problem as the sellers.

I'd call and say, "Chris, please…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on August 15, 2011 at 7:00pm — 12 Comments

Unknown Band-Signed "Meet the Beatles" Album Surfaces in Antiques Auction, Sells for $63,250

Beatles history was made on May 21. On that day, Case Antiques, a regional art and antiques auction house in Knoxville, Tenn., sold a previously unknown "Meet the Beatles" album, signed by the Fab Four.

It wasn't the price that made history. At $63,250 including the buyer's premium, the price was good, considering it was the only music piece offered in an antique and art auction, but not a particularly strong. The Hard Rock auctioned a similar one around a decade ago for about…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on June 6, 2011 at 4:30pm — 32 Comments

Jerry Gladstone and American Royal Arts Settle With Frank Caiazzo

In the summer of 2007, American Royal Arts sued Frank Caiazzo. The leading Beatles autograph expert, Caiazzo had given his opinion that a "Revolver" album [pictured] that ARA sold as signed by the Beatles was a forgery. It was considered a battle of good versus evil by many of us in the autograph hobby.

ARA's lawsuit against Caiazzo probably didn't work out as its…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on May 6, 2011 at 1:30pm — 25 Comments

Linda McCartney Photography Books Available—Signed by Paul!

Taschen is selling limited edition books of Linda McCartney's photography that could be worth considering.

One is a limited edition of 750 copies, with the book numbered and signed by Paul, for $1,000.

The other is a limited art edition of 125 copies, with a 12x16 print numbered and signed by Paul McCartney, for $2,500. A previous art edition of 125 copies, with a similarly sized print signed by Paul, sold out quickly at the same price.

Since it may sound like a sales…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 22, 2011 at 3:00pm — 7 Comments

Fraser's 100 Index of Rare Autograph Prices: Do the Numbers Add Up?

Autograph Magazine Live! member Chris "Mak" was gloating on Facebook this morning about what a great investment his autographs have been:

"For all of you who think I am crazy for collecting memorabilia and autographs. They have the best return as of late, second only to gold!"…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 20, 2011 at 2:30pm — 26 Comments

Lincoln Manuscript Collection Debuts at $1,650,000

Two top dealers in American historic documents, Seth Kaller, Inc. and University Archives, debuted The Unique Abraham Lincoln, a collection of iconic Lincoln documents, at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair on April 7, 2011. Offered at $1,650,000, the collection contains a number of important and fascinating Lincoln pieces, highlighted…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 13, 2011 at 3:26pm — No Comments

Judge Throws Out Christopher Morales Expert Testimony—From Small Claims Court

Christopher Morales and the sellers who use him claim that as a "forensic document examiner," his "scientific methods" and exhaustive procedures have earned him "court-approval." They say this makes him far superior to any other kind of autograph authenticator.

Forensic document handwriting analysis generally requires at least 10-15 known handwriting samples, preferably from the time period of the writing being analyzed. The "scientific" part is primarily ink and paper analysis to try…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 22, 2011 at 1:00pm — 29 Comments

We've Been Sued by Christopher Morales

Last Wednesday I was directed to an article on Autograph Alert that, beyond saying the usual things they say about this site and me, seemingly "outed" one of our members whose comments they didn't like. At the end of the article, they wrote:

"By the time you read this story,

Cyrkin will have the first of a major rude awakening,


one he has invited and is well deserved."

The next…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 21, 2011 at 2:30pm — 193 Comments

Autograph Authentication Boards: Is it Time?

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…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 1, 2011 at 3:30pm — 27 Comments

IADA-CC, Michael Frost & Richard Scott Apologize to Rock Expert Roger Epperson for False Articles

 

[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…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 22, 2011 at 1:00pm — 34 Comments

PBS "History Detectives" Crew Drops in at University Archives

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…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 16, 2011 at 6:37pm — 6 Comments

Autograph Magazine Launches Signed Beatles Album Census

Join Autograph Magazine Live! for regular census updates.…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 8, 2011 at 2:00am — 84 Comments

A Holiday Message From Steve Cyrkin

There's someone living near you with no money, no family...none that care, at least, who could really use a little kindness this holiday season. And for about $20 you can make them smile.



Only you can do it...because they're the forgotten. The forgotten elderly and infirm living in care facilities on government assistance.



If you don't remember them, no one…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on December 19, 2010 at 10:11pm — 7 Comments

Is John Lennon Still Signing Autographs in Southern California?

His was a time before eBay, so John Lennon wasn't that jaded about signing autographs—if you could get to him. But few fans carried records around to be signed back then, so any album signed by Lennon since the early '60s is rare.


But not at Forever Legends, an autograph dealer in suburban Los Angeles. While Beatles experts might not be able to count up 10 Lennon signed Imagine albums, Forever Legends has had at least 23 on their website from 2007 to…
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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 26, 2010 at 2:00am — 20 Comments

FBI Investigating American Royal Arts, Christopher Morales and Others Over Rock and Roll Forgeries

The rumors circulating autograph hobby are true. Since 2008, the New York Office of the FBI has been investigating Florida-based autograph and memorabilia gallery chain American Royal Arts and its owner, Jerry Gladstone, over the suspected trafficking in rock and roll forgeries. According to marketing claims by Gladstone, American Royal Arts was the world's largest seller of signed music memorabilia, specializing autographs of the Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 28, 2010 at 4:30am — 106 Comments

Autograph Magazine is Going Primarily Online

I’m sorry for the delays getting the magazine out. Autograph magazine needs to primarily become an online publication, for many reasons that I'll tell you tomorrow.



We’ll all miss print issues, but I think you’ll love the online benefits: more and larger photos, discussion forums, and feedback on celebrity address success are just a few! Plus current subscribers will get twice the months of your remaining subscriptions…
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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 10, 2010 at 7:11pm — 59 Comments

Beatles-Signed Abbey Road Albums: What's Real? What's Fake?

Sometimes you just have enough. Brian Waring, a collector from Colorado, was one such fellow. He tried to sell a Beatles-signed Abbey Road and a Stones-signed Sticky Fingers album on eBay, but his listings were kicked-off because they thought they were forgeries. He was sure eBay was wrong—he paid tens of thousands of dollars for them from…

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Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on June 10, 2010 at 10:00pm — 442 Comments

James Cameron on TMZ: Think Again

Sometimes the media jumps on stories without asking enough questions.



Yesterday, Christmas Eve, was one of those days.



The lead video on TMZ's Web site was an airport encounter with a so-called fan and James Cameron. The "fan" had an "Avatar" poster he asked Cameron to sign. Cameron refused and the guy got pushy. Not like an adoring fan asking again for an autograph. Not even like an aggressive professional autograph runner—unless he was the dumbest one in the world.… Continue

Added by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on December 25, 2009 at 1:30am — 33 Comments

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