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 2010. And who knows how many more didn't make it online? All available "forensically examined" for authenticity. They use Chris Morales, and sometimes his name was proudly listed in the descriptions.

That's not all the John Lennon "autographs" they've had on their site.They've also had at least...

Nine signed Imagine posters (they came with the albums).
Three Double Fantasy albums
Three Mind Games albums, including one they called an English release that's actually Dutch
Three Two Virgins albums, also signed by Yoko
Four Plastic Ono Band albums, three signed by Yoko, too
One Imagine, Working Class Hero German release 12-inch Maxi single
Two Apple Records 10th Anniversary promo posters signed by ALL the Beatles
One And This And World War II album, signed by Lennon, McCartney and nine others
A Revolver, signed by all the Beatles
A Hard Days Night, signed by all the Beatles
A Help Beatles lobby card, that was later offered on page one of an American Royal Arts catalog
And that's just what we have.

Help! Beatles lobby card from Forever Legends' website that was later found in an American Royal Arts catalog.

Find more photos like this on Autograph Magazine Live!

That's at least 52 albums and posters on Forever Legends' site, supposedly signed by John Lennon or more. We probably have others if we dig. All at exceptionally low prices—usually at less than 10-cents on the dollar.

All signed remarkably similarly. And in the case of the Double Fantasy albums at least, which came out in 1980, signed remarkably differently than he signed at that time. Compare those signatures to ones Lennon signed for a fan in Brazil in 1979 and 1980 in this great blog post, Lennon and Me. Lennon's autograph got shorter by the year starting the mid-1970s.

Now compare the autographs in the 52 signed items above to the ones on these "Beatles-signed" Abbey Road albums from American Royal Arts—ones we consider to be Southern California forgeries. All also "forensically examined" by Christopher Morales.

What do you think?

Comment by roger epperson on October 26, 2010 at 6:08am: Good God!

Comment by Bob Oliver on October 26, 2010 at 10:14am: Holy ink well, Batman!

Comment by Richard S. Simon on October 26, 2010 at 10:27am: Norman - I would think the sheer number of Lennon items + ordinary common sense would make someone look at these items with a questioning eye.

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 26, 2010 at 12:44pm: Norman, yes, I would say that there is clear evidence that these are forgeries. In general, I think that waiting for major forgery sellers to voluntarily admit to wrongdoing may be expecting a bit too much of them. They live a life of deceit, stealing from people and economically and emotionally raping them. These are sociopaths without soul or conscience.

Comment by scott on October 26, 2010 at 1:40pm: http://www.autographcentral.net/gallery.asp?IMG_1=LPLEN1223.JPG&...

http://www.rockstargallery.net/view_products_detail.php?p_id=2646

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 26, 2010 at 2:01pm: Scott--WOW!!! That's Double Fantasy on Rock Star Gallery's site IS the same one from Forever Legends. But didn't Rock Star say they got their autographs themselves in person?

Comment by Stephen Duncan on October 26, 2010 at 2:44pm: To quote a famous Beatles song: "HELP!"

Comment by BallroomDays67 on October 26, 2010 at 3:01pm: This sounds very ominous:

If you do not see an autographed collectible by the artist or group you want, please contact us....We have various sources in the industry with collectibles that may have the autograph you are looking and be able to locate the artist not in our immediate inventory.

Comment by scott on October 26, 2010 at 4:28pm: Rock Star Gallery makes a lot of claims about their Rock Art. I thought some of the merchandise at Forever Legends looked familiar.

Comment by roger epperson on October 27, 2010 at 4:08am: Trying to defeat these forgers and sellers of forgeries (aledgedly) is like to quote a song "Christ you know it aint easy, you know how hard it can be." then to finish with a twist "the way things are going, they're tring to crucify me"!

Comment