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Beatles Signed Photograph

I won this item:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beatles-Autographs-full-set-on-a-promo-pho...

It was sold by Sotheby's in 1990 directly to the owner I purchased it from. I already paid, but could return via eBay/PayPal. It's not the best example of a Beatles signed photo, but I got a good price. It's tough to tell from the photograph in the auction, but any thoughts on authenticity? At first I felt good because Sotheby's is such a reputable name, but I wonder what their authenticity process was like thirty years ago when this was purchased. Thanks for any opinions!

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 20, 2020 at 10:02pm

We can't see any autograph completely, which is a concern of course, but these are definitely not real IMO. They're probably Joe Long forgeries based on the date of the receipt, 1990, but I'm not familiar enough with his forgeries to say for sure.

Joe Long was a famous and prolific music forger whose Beatles forgeries Frank Caiazzo is famous for outing. He sold through Sotheby's, Christie's, and many other respected auction houses and dealers.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 20, 2020 at 10:08pm

It's a £10.000+ SP for £2.000. Shame it's questionable.

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Permalink Reply by autographcollector1 on March 20, 2020 at 10:10pm

Thanks, Steve. Your opinion is basically gospel, but once I have the item I may post better pictures to make sure. A real shame, I thought I might have found a bargain. Sotheby's got me. It's also sad because the seller is definitely not a forger -- her husband bought this and passed and now she's selling it. I believe her story; I think she and her husband were also taken.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 20, 2020 at 10:32pm

Thanks for the kind words, but I'm wrong my share of the time. Sotheby's didn't know they weren't real. They guaranteed authenticity.

At the price she was asking for it, there's a good chance she showed it to dealers and auction houses and heard the news.

My recommendation is to get an online opinion from Roger Epperson, hopefully before she sends it. Well worth the $15.

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Permalink Reply by autographcollector1 on March 20, 2020 at 10:34pm

Unfortunately she sent it immediately. At this rate I will wait until I get it and can take better pics for evaluations. I will have a window of time before the eBay guarantee expires. I hate to be ruthless about that but also don't want to lose money. Thanks again for the advice!

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on March 20, 2020 at 11:09pm

A better pic would certainly help, but I agree that the John and George definitely don’t look good. The card is from 1966, but Sotheby’s has it as a 1964 set.

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Permalink Reply by autographcollector1 on March 20, 2020 at 11:14pm

Thanks, Ballroom. Appreciate it.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Juice on March 21, 2020 at 10:02am

Sotheby's had a "hit and miss" record in the 1990's -- so best to check everything they sold with the current experts. Really poor contrast on the eBay photos -- hope you can post better pix.