Star Wars Autographs by the Numbers: Which are the Rarest?

Watching different Star Wars actors sign autographs for the last few decades, I started trying to figure out the numbers. How many pieces have been signed? How much value should be attached to each autograph? What are the prices that these actors charge vs. what the actual value should or could be?

So I started by using what I felt could be considered round average numbers for ease of understanding.

Using 20 weekend shows worldwide per year, with an average of 2,000 signatures per 2 or 3-day show in the last 25 years. If you feel the number of signed items per show is high, I can understand your concern, but it is realistic if the signer doesn't sign that much assume the remainders are easily filled out with private signings and trading cards for Topps etc. I believe these numbers are quite reasonable.

Sure at some events the guest may sign less, but there are certainly events where they will sign far more. Remember, even if you don't see lines for these guests at a show, that doesn't mean that the promoter doesn't have a mountain of stuff that the guest is contractually obligated to sign. 
These figures put our most common Star Wars signer at about 1,000,000 autographs. Dave Prowse is likely the best candidate for this number. Jeremy Bulloch and Peter Mayhew are probably really close.
 
Kenny Baker likely made as many appearances but was a much slower signer, while the number may seem low, I am putting Kenny at the 500,000 mark.
 
Anthony Daniels has limited his signing appearances sometimes to only 1 or 2  per year. I put Anthony at the 150,000 level.
 
Carrie Fisher didn't really start on the show circuit until 4 or 5 years after the other cast members, but her draw at shows has easily put her in the 150,000 range.
 
Mark Hamill has done a handful of shows but the fees he or his agents have charged for his signature have always been higher than the rest. I am putting Mark's numbers at about 50,000-75,000.
 
Harrison Ford for decades was the guy that you had to go out and try to meet in public. He still doesn't do autograph shows, but he has done some private signings and has signed some material for specialty products and trading cards. If we guesstimate the number of these private signings to maybe 10 events with an average of under 500 pieces signed. We can put Harrison in at under 5000 nice sit-down autographs. 
Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing were both generous signers via their home addresses. My rough estimates place Alec's Star Wars signed items at about 2000 pieces. Peter likely signed maybe 200-300 with 90%+ of those items inscribed to the fan.
Speaking to a number of active TTM autograph hunters and dealers, if they attempted mailing requests to Mr. Cushing between 1977 and 1985, a large percentage of material sent was Hammer Horror film stills and Sherlock Holmes items. Star Wars images were not good sellers and only existed in press kit images and lobby cards. By 1986 Star Wars was forgotten by most, and it did not see a huge resurgence until 1995-1997 (a year or more after Peter passed).     
  
I know we don't live in a perfect world, but if you crunch the numbers:
  • Kenny should be twice as valuable as Dave, Jeremy or Peter Mayhew. (With Kenny's passing this is likely now skewed, and will likely even be higher today).
  • Anthony should be roughly 3 times as valuable as Kenny during his active signing years.
  • Anthony and Carrie should be pretty close in value.
  • Mark should be 2 to 3 times the value of Carrie.
  • Harrison's sit down clean autographs should be as much as 10 times the value of Mark.
  • Alec should be about twice as valuable as a nice Harrison.
  • Inscribed Peter items could be as much as 10 times the value of an Alec.
  • Uninscribed Peter Cushing Star Wars items should be worth a small mountain of Dave Prowse signed photos.
You can adjust the main numbers anyway you want.....cut down the number of shows a year, the number of years the signer appeared at shows, or even the average number of pieces signed at a weekend show.
The fact remains that some Star Wars related autographs are in such great supply, you should be very careful in what you choose as a good autograph to collect. That is, of course, if you are seeing your hobby as a possible future investment.

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Tags: alec guinness, autographs, harrison ford, peter cushing, rare, star wars

Comment by Mike Kaminski on December 21, 2016 at 6:45am

Any idea of Hayden Christensen's rarity on Star Wars pieces and what types of prices he should command?

Comment by Pete Bendu on December 21, 2016 at 7:40am

Mike, Hayden did do some signing for Official Pix, and those licensed signed pieces can be found now and again for between $200 and $300 depending on the image.

He hasn't done any regular signing shows, but I seem to remember he was scheduled to appear at one in Canada years ago (No idea if he did.)

Inperson collectors have hit him pretty hard over the last decade or so and his average street signed 8x10 should be about $100-$150

Comment by Mike Kaminski on December 21, 2016 at 8:04am

Great, thank you!

Comment by Pete Bendu on December 21, 2016 at 9:15pm

Just a quick follow up, call sheets list Vader's foot (kicking Obi-Wan's robes) as a guy named Frank Harper. Jabba's goon also seen in the Cantina, Ron Tarr did some stand in Work for Vader on ANH. If Bush did any possible standin work for Vader it would have been on ESB.  

Comment by Paul on December 21, 2016 at 9:23pm

This is great info.

Well i was wanting to buy my nephew a Star wars,graph but because my sister takes the negative position that my graphs are more than likely forgeries, i just couldn't be bothered.

Comment by Pete Bendu on December 21, 2016 at 9:29pm

Just for the die-hard psycho fans, Bush has been verified as a Prowse/Vader stand in on Empire, specifically the Hoth corridor shoot. No other scenes have popped up yet, but I will keep you posted if more come up.

Comment by Mike T on December 22, 2016 at 7:51am

The Star Wars wiki states: 

Dave Prowse recounts that Morris Bush subbed for him as Darth Vader for the sequence immediately following the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi. (It was Morris Bush's foot we see kicking Kenobi's empty cloak).

However no citation is given, not sure if they are referring to one of his documentary interviews. In Prowse's book Straight From the Forces Mouth, he recounts:

25 April - They've given my stand-in - Moray Bush - a part as one of the Bounty Hunters so I've been given a new stand-in, Roy Everson.

Comment by Pete Bendu on December 22, 2016 at 8:23am

I love Dave, but the call sheets were printed on the days they actually shot the scenes. Morry (the way Maurice actually spelled his nickname) was employed on ESB only. Not ANH and not ROTJ. 

He was indeed a stand in for Dave on ESB, and did get the role of Dengar, requiring a new stand in for Dave on that Bounty Hunter scene. 

Comment by Mike T on December 22, 2016 at 8:45am

Makes sense, I heard he was good friends with Peter Diamond.

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on December 22, 2016 at 4:00pm

A pile of Pete's cool Star Wars signed photos have been added to this great blog his. Check them out!

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