Comment by Stephen Duncan on September 14, 2010 at 11:30am

Steve, you honesty says it all. Your supporters and those that are fighting the fight with you will not go away.

Comment by Eric Fields on September 14, 2010 at 6:20pm

I'm very disappointed to say the least. I love the magazine, and love holding it in my hands as I read it. You said in your e-mail Steve that "We plan to publish a number of print collectors editions a year on specific topics, such as Hollywood, Baseball Hall of Famers, classic rock, presidents, etc. Some could cover the genres and others more specific, like Babe Ruth, Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles or Yankees." If this holds true, I'll be happy to pay the $30 a year for a membership. I'd really like to see these print magazines come out perhaps once every 3 months (4 issues per year) if at all possible. Also, I know the e-mail said they'd be more specific, but I'd hope some of the issues would be formatted more like the current issues where with numerous areas of interest included in the printing. And....I'd still really like to see the In-Person Scoop, Letters from Readers, and the Top 10! Thanks :-)

Comment by Alice Frazier on September 15, 2010 at 7:50am

Good luck, I think this will work out great in the long run. One comment is PLEASE stop all the negative fighting. I have been buying the magazine for years and love it. The Blogs and online forum seems to be mostly negative news and fighting among dealers.
Lets go back to collecting and fun.

Comment by Scott Anderson on September 15, 2010 at 10:18am

I totally agree with both of you guys, I love the hobby of autograph collecting and spend much of my spare time reading and learning about autographs. My interest is in Autographs & Autograph Examples and autograph studies. I have no interest in American Royal Arts, Autograph Central, Steve Koschal or Authentictors. I know there is big fraud problem out there, why do we not leave that to the courts, judges and police? I think most of us just want autograph information and collectors experiences. Also how's about a marketplace were members can buy and sale autographs in a safe environment?
I do wish you the best with this new online magazine.

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 15, 2010 at 10:48am

Update on Autograph's Subscriber Site:

We're working on the membership system and importing of subscribers so current subscribers can log in to the system. If we can't get it working right by the end of the day we'll probably open it up for a day or so while we get them worked out.

Ahhh...technology!

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 15, 2010 at 10:58am

I agree, that there has been so much focus on the forgery issues it doesn't make autograph collecting sound fun. We need a better mix with more positive topics, but it's important to protect people by making them aware of the fraudsters and forgeries before they buy, while we try to clean things up.

Mike, you're right...there wouldn't be a problem if people stop buying autographs. But my vote is to try something less drastic first.

Comment by Herman Darvick on September 15, 2010 at 11:02am

If you collect autographs through the mail or get autographs in person, you don't have to worry about third-party authenticators who didn't exist until the last decade of the 20th century. You collect because it's fun! not because you plan on selling the autograph. If you are just beginning and decide to buy autographs, it's not difficult to find a dealer who sells what you have decided to collect. Steve Cyrkin does not accept advertising from dealers/collectors who have a reputation of selling fakes whether they be forgeries, facsimiles, secretarials, or Autopens. When you find a dealer who sells in your area of collecting, tell the dealer what you collect and how much you have to spend, not just at that time, but in the future as well. Many of the best items in collections never made it to a catalogue, auction, or website. The dealer offered it directly to a collector-customer, eliminating the middle-man, so to speak, with no auction fees or printing costs. If you have a bill of sale from a long-time reputable dealer accompanying what you have purchased, you have a piece of paper much more valuable than one from a third-party authenticator.

Comment by Chris Klamer on September 15, 2010 at 6:47pm

Mike I would have to disagree on your percentage of success through the mail. Granted if you go for the very popular and the ones that are generally tough to get even in person your chances are slim. But if you are persistant and sincere most will sign and it may take months or years but I have had great success. As of tomorrow I will have been doing this for exactly a year I started on my birthday last year and mailed my first envelope and tomorrow is my one year anniversary.
The funny thing is I mailed Catherine Zeta-Jones almost a year ago to her UK address and had not heard anything from it but when I heard she was doing the Little Night Music Broadway play I immediately mailed her at the theater and what do you know I received two authentic signed pictures back from her so pretty cool and that one only took about 3-4 weeks and it was just before she won the Tony for that same play so even better. Butb I also don't mind sending payment to them because I would pay them in person so why not. It's usually a donation anyway.
But I love this hobby and I will be posting all of the pictures and posters I had signed at DragonCon very soon. So just enjoy and have doing what you like.

Comment by Chris Klamer on September 15, 2010 at 6:52pm

By the way yes I have to say the forgeries side of this hobby makes it very hard to keep going but as long as I can get as many as possible in person I don't mind paying and I know it's real.
I just like pretty much everyone in the hobby has been taken to the cleaners by someone but I was oblivious until I cam upon this wonderful magazine. But of course just like everyone else I started looking and checking and just feeling ill after finding out the guys I boght from were selling fakes and it's like they have a story or a loop hole around just about anything you can throw at them so you live and learn and make them life lessons.

Comment by Herman Darvick on September 15, 2010 at 7:49pm

Mike, you are entitled to believe that not even 5% of autographs that are signed through the mail are real. It depends on who you're writing, what you say in your letter, and if you enclosed return postage. If you write to retired actors who might even still make cameo appearances on TV or in movies, to retired professional athletes, to retired politicians, to authors, composers, or artists, and you neatly handwrite your letter and enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, your success rate of receiving an authentic autograph through the mail will be more like 75%-85%. Where do you get addresses? I subscribe to Star Tiger at StarTiger.com - $35 for 1 year, $25 for 6 months, $5 for a month. 341,000 celebrity addresses and 500,000+ test results from collectors who have tried the addresses. You can even request addresses that are not listed. On Star Tiger, there are over 310,000 scans of autographs received through the mail. Star Tiger is not a website telling you what's fake and what's real and how much it's worth. Star Tiger is not a website where subscribers can post blogs and discuss important issues. That is what Autograph Magazine online is for. Star Tiger is for collectors who can't wait to get home and see what the letter carrier has delivered. It is not a substitute for Autograph Collector online, whose success is vital to our hobby. I still write for autographs. I will never forget the days I received, through the mail, many, many years ago, the authentic autographs of Pablo Picasso, Charlie Chaplin, Charles deGaulle, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Marc Chagall, Igor Stravinsky, John Steinbeck, among others. Just clearly handwrite a great letter and include return postage (foreign postage can be bought from stamp dealers or, probably, online - you can find out what the postage is online). You will be surprised at the results.

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