Many years ago, I considered collecting the autographs of who I consider to be Gentlemen of Horror.  Many autograph collectors work on autograph projects that satisfy their interests.  Baseball fans collect the autographs of Hall of Famers.  Those who appreciate history collect the autographs of Presidents of the United States.  Fans of Hollywood collect the autographs of Oscar winners.  My list would not be as lengthy.  It would include only six names.

My plan was to begin with the autographs that were relatively easy to acquire, and to end with the autographs that were more difficult to acquire.  Christopher Lee’s autograph was relatively easy to acquire, particularly since he had recently appeared in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars films.  Vincent Price’s autograph was also relatively easy to acquire.  I had seen a Vincent Price signed check being sold in a local comic shop.  I eventually purchased an autographed photo from the film The Fly instead.  The autographs of the four remaining Gentlemen of Horror have yet to be achieved.

I completely expected a Lon Chaney autograph to be very difficult and expensive to acquire.  My browsing proved my expectation to be accurate.  Peter Cushing’s autograph, however, was not difficult to locate, and was more affordable.  I simply never got around to purchasing one.  This is strange, considering my interest in Star Wars.  Boris Karloff’s autograph was also relatively easy to acquire.  Bela Lugosi’s autograph, however, was much more difficult.  I neglected to purchase those as well.

Lon Chaney was a true Gentleman of Horror.  His autograph could be the cornerstone of a proud autograph collection.

I regret not achieving my goal of collecting the autographs of these six Gentlemen of Horror.  I suppose that as autograph collectors, we all fall short of our goals occasionally.