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Pedigree Autograph Collections

Last month, I shared a story about the first autograph that I ever collected. That got me thinking about all of the many people who have devoted decades to the hobby of autograph collecting.

Is there such a thing as a pedigree collection in the world of autograph collecting? So many autograph collectors rely on third-party autograph authentication for peace of mind. Would they feel even more secure about their autograph purchases if they knew that the autographs originated from well-known autograph collectors?

I recently considered this when I saw a CGC Pedigree label on a comic book. This brown label is applied to any comic book that is part of a recognized pedigree collection. That got me thinking. Should third-party autograph authentication companies recognize and accept the pedigree of some autograph collections?

The CGC Pedigree label recognizes the pedigree of comic book collections that have been recognized and accepted by the hobby for many years. Should third-party autograph authentication companies recognize and accept the pedigree of autograph collections as well?

Knowing that an autograph originated from the autograph collection of a renowned autograph collector may add to the value of a particular piece. Perhaps it is something to be considered as we search for more inventive ways to enhance our hobby.

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Comment by Eddy on August 31, 2022 at 11:28am: Hi Mike -

This is an interesting topic to bring up...and I hope that others will add to the discussion on it. The difficulty that I can see is that sometimes that pedigree might be hard to establish unless items are being sold directly from the collection and some kind of LOA and/or receipt is provided that can be passed on. RRauction has handled various collections like this...Kuflik, John Brennan, Tom Gregory, etc.. I guess in their case, they do have online archives that usually identify which collection an item came from in the above mentioned names.

Personally, if I could know that a particular item came from a collection with pedigree, that would be a real plus in my book.

Comment by crazyrabbits23 on August 31, 2022 at 12:01pm: Up here in Canada, the only collection I know of with a strong pedigree was that of Greg Gatenby, the former artistic director for the Harbourfront Festival and the International Festival of Authors. The guy was an absurdly-prolific autograph obtainer (28,000 signed books, which he tried to collectively sell for $2 million CAD), and nearly everything he ever collected had his ownership mark inscribed in the books he had, which ran the gamut of virtually every popular Canadian author from the 80s all the way through the late 2000s. The jury's still out on whether any of those specific ownership attributes actually added anything to the bottom line.

Unless there's a particularly interesting association between the collector and the signer, I've never really seen the appeal of certain pedigree collections. It's a fairly-recent thing in the comic collecting sphere, particularly as it pertains to grading. Personally, my interest in "added value" only extends to the ephemera I bundle in with signed items if/when I can get it -- I don't particularly see what a collector's name will mean in terms of interest unless it's something particularly special and recognized.

Comment by Mike Shepherd on August 31, 2022 at 12:17pm: I agree, Etienne. Thanks for the comment.

Comment by Mike Shepherd on August 31, 2022 at 12:19pm: 28,000 signed books! That is quite a collection. Thanks for sharing the information with us, Crazy Rabbits.

Comment by Jason H on August 31, 2022 at 12:25pm: Oh now this is interesting but my opinion is that it would add unnecessary risks to the autograph. That particular collectors reputation would need to remain spotless until death. One hiccup or bad decision, forgetfulness in old age even, could lead to issues popping up with integrity. It could potentially lead to a situation like Global Authentics where real autographs actually lose value for having their sticker slabbed on the item. Its something to think about though

Comment by Mike Shepherd on August 31, 2022 at 2:48pm: That is an interesting concern, Jason. Thanks for the comment.

Comment by Adam Halloran on August 31, 2022 at 3:59pm: I have "Letters Of Provenance" that came direct from those who obtained the signatures for many items in my collection. For me, the history of an autograph is more important then a sticker slapped on an item. I think it is wise for each autograph collector to do their due diligence when collecting and keeping its provenance as intact as possible.

Comment by Mike Shepherd on August 31, 2022 at 5:00pm: I agree, Adam. Trusting the seller is an essential component of autograph collecting.

Comment by Scott Paul on November 2, 2022 at 10:33am: A very interesting topic. I have known many well-known collectors (either by correspondence or personally) over my 50-plus years of collecting. I sometimes can tell by how an autograph is presented (often more importantly on the back) who the original owner was. I suspect in the future, people will know by my cataloging methods on the back of autographs I obtained in person they were from my collection. While I rely on the signature itself at the end of the day, it gives me peace of mind knowing that it is not forged if I recognize the person. There was a very prolific TTM collector sometimes confused with an actor of the same name. I told a well-known dealer about him since he had bought a big chunk of the collection, having been told it was from the actor's collection. The collector in question had a much more interesting backstory than the actor!