Questionable rrAuction item

I saw this on RR Auctions, and while Ive bought stuff from them in the past, this one seriously makes me question their authenticity process. Its looks obviously fake. The signatures don't match up with other verified online examples, for any of the musicians, especially Tommy Lee. Also, the pen strokes are uniform, and all the same thickness, and pressure, suggesting they are done by the same hand. In addition a lot of the endings of the signatures have a characteristic flourish at the end, also suggesting it was one forger who wrote all the signatures, and who wasn't very good at forgery. Am I an expert? No. But this one jumped out at me big time. Google their signatures, independently or together, and they are really different from the one offered here. Thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 17, 2018 at 8:52am

Why not try calling them with your concerns? Bobby Livingstone and others at Rare and Remarkable are members here - you could message them.

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Permalink Reply by Gooch on August 17, 2018 at 9:04am

As I said, Im not an expert, and I dont want to ruffle feathers if Im wrong, but I would hope and assume that they have a system of checks and balances when they themselves put things u p for auction. This one to me screams stay away, maybe Im wrong...but It seems questionable, thats why I wanted to share with the community to see their opinions first. Its not so much of a "hey this is questionable" but a "wait a minute, are you guys sure this is valid, because I would assume you verified this before posting it?"

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 17, 2018 at 9:10am

They do, and they also care. The LP is accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from R.E.A.L. but I believe, as in the past, they would be open to hearing your concerns if you give them a chance. They may very well see this thread.

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Permalink Reply by Abcd on August 17, 2018 at 11:26am

I can second that. They will welcome your concerns. Unlike others I could mention. In the past I pointed out items that were not as described, and I got my head bitten off. They lost money because of me. I'm sure RR will be grateful to hear your concerns.

Go to the RR website and voive your concerns. You will be treated with respect and they will be grateful.

I think we, as collectors, have a duty to point these things out. We are all in this hobby together. If everyone keeps quiet when they see fake items, the industry, as a whole, suffers.

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Permalink Reply by J. Mikael on August 17, 2018 at 11:06pm

Personally, I also didn't like this item when I saw it listed on RR.

This is their second album, which was released two years after their debut. I'd imagine they'd signed plenty by this time.

Also, the silver marker doesn't look very typical for 1983.

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Permalink Reply by J. Mikael on August 18, 2018 at 7:00am

While not as famous, they would have been more accessible in the early days. There should be plenty of examples around.

I know metallic silver pens were around by the mid '80s, but I don't think they typically looked like this.

Also kind of curious how the album, signed when brand new, now has serious ring wear while the signatures remain pristine.

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Permalink Reply by J. Mikael on August 18, 2018 at 11:00am

I'd say the first "Shout at the Devil" and the first "Too Fast for Love" were signed in the last 20 years (in what looks like silver Sharpie).

The second "Shout at the Devil", the "Too Young to Fall in Love" single, and the "Theatre of Pain" look like mid to late '80s signatures to me. The silver pen on the first two actually has the quality from that era, ie. pretty rough.

The second "Too Fast for Love" signed on the back is the only one I'd say is from the early '80s, and to me the signatures on it look "tighter" and more spontaneous than those on the one in the OP.

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Permalink Reply by J. Mikael on August 19, 2018 at 2:15am

I'm not denying the general shape of the autographs represents their early style. It's certain qualities of the autographs themselves that I'm not confortable with, especially the wobbly and slowly written look of Tommy's autograph.