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Paul McCartney signed Hofner Guitars w/ JSA & PSA - BUYER BEWARE

Hi everyone - I know that this was a previous topic last week in regards to a Paul McCartney signed Hofner guitar with a JSA cert that was identical to a particular High In the Clouds book signature.

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/macca-signed-hofner-...

Just wanted to let everyone know that there seems to be a serious scam going on as I have been given a picture to another 'signed' Hofner, equipped with a different High In the Clouds signature.

My questions for the AML group is:

1. Has anyone noticed any other artists with this copied signature issue on pick guards or any other item?

2. Do you believe this to be live ink? Doesn't look like an autopen to me.

To me, this is a huge issue because (1) the replicas are being certed (2) no one knows where these are coming from and (3) without matches, most would have accepted it as real.

Lets get to the bottom of this. A scam like this can ruin our hobby

3 members like this

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 29, 2017 at 11:11pm

The title page at least of the US hardback edition is coated stock.

Ballroom went through his exemplars for me to find the largest images he had, and one of them is the one below that shows the sheen of the page.

Since the paper is coated stock, believe it or not, the thin coating can be removed, with the autograph, and placed on another surface. I have heard that they have built band-signed Beatles albums this way.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 30, 2017 at 12:09am

That would be sizing/finish/coating on the paper stock? The Bowie Chertavian Gellery program from April 1995 had this problem - so hard and glossy the paint/ink just sat on the surface, getting a hundreds that showed the white underneath hairlines and such - very few were signed with a proper pen.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 30, 2017 at 12:04am

John Shaw,

Re Bowie hating blue ink - that's sort of funny because the best vintage Bowie's I have seen apart from red, the minority it seems, my best as well below, are in blue steel tipped pen. I recall he signed for you personally. It's just an observation.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Juice on March 31, 2017 at 8:27am

Here is a Springsteen "signed" guitar that could have been done in the same way as the McCartney pickguards. I was suspicious as Bruce hasn't signed guitars in many years except for charity auctions and those are extremely full sigs usually with a guitar drawing. This looks like a recently signed Born to Run album that someone transferred to the back of a guitar.

Recently sold at Iconic Auction for $3500!

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 2, 2017 at 4:50pm

Alexander,

Have you seen any of the pickguards with a "High in the Clouds" style autograph in person?

And have you seen any where they were not on a plain white background?

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Permalink Reply by Alexander Mehl on April 5, 2017 at 4:23pm

Dear Steve,

no, I never saw such a faked pickguard in person and there's no need for me. I think I have other knowledges to see if a pickguard or/and signature faked or not! In my files are hundreds of "signed" guitars saved offered and sold worldwide. I'm pretty sure that in my files are such autographs "written" on pearlescent original Hofner pickguards. Confirmed as genuine by ....!!

Some years ago I gave up to spent my time at the US market. It's too much and my day has 24 h only and I only have two hands. I'm on a good way in Europe trying to clean the market in UK and Russia since several months.

In UK we have a big problem with "signed" Beatles items written by plotter machines and it's a shame that reliable companies didn't recognize these fakes. On the other hand I sometimes think that this companies are involved in this "business".

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Knublauch on April 28, 2017 at 6:48am

I havent had the time to read the complete thread - but has anybody a way to compare the sizes of the autographs on the plate and the book? I mean if they were copied 1:1.

Very annoying.

Years ago I wrote a story on a White Album that had a George Harrison autograph on it - I had this autograph before personally on a paper item - it was planted by a restaurator onto the cover later and had COAs from well known people without mentioning this.

A friend of mine bought a full set tour book set - but the autographes were laser copied on the vintage page.

These storys on the Hofners give me even more goose pimples... it will get more worse when the technics improve more and more...

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on May 12, 2017 at 7:34pm

One of the guitars shown in the OP is back on eBay and the seller is claiming the following:

This particular item was reviewed by FIVE different JSA experts including the owner to confirm it's authenticity! It was signed by Paul during the "Driving USA Tour".

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252933621955

The Driving USA tour took place in 2002 and the associated High In the Clouds book was signed on 11/4/05.

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Permalink Reply by marc e on May 12, 2017 at 7:42pm

serial number of the hofner ,to see when it was made .even though its on a pickguard and not a real hofner pickguard?

also i belive the bass its on started production around 2012 give or take

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Permalink Reply by Paul on May 12, 2017 at 7:58pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=QT2dXXYXr2c

I haven't read all of this, yet but it's impressive! Here's a youtube video of the making of a beach boys signed surfboard, they have to use some kind of transfer for the signatures to be effective underneath the glass.