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Ink restoration... When is it no longer an autograph?

Here's a question that I have wondered about and might spark some discussion.

Several years ago I was interested in purchasing a 1930s era glossy signed photograph Clark Gable. With full disclosure, the collector/seller shared with me that when he had received it, the ink had faded and there had also been some apparent skipping to the writing to begin with. He told me that he had had a top paper restoration studio basically fill in with new fountain pen ink the indentations from Clark Gable's original inscription and signature. It looked aged to me, but he told me that that was part of the process the restoration used...to make it look rich and bold, but of the era.

I spoke with another collector friend of mine about it. His thought was that it may compare to a valuable old oil painting which might have cracked, chipped and then had modern conservation work done to preserve it. I do agree with that reasoning if the photograph had been conserved in other areas besides the signature area (eg. due to creasing, loss of emulsion, etc.) or had been paperbacked for stability.

I'm still on the fence about what to think about the ink being professionally filled in. What do you folks think? Is it still Gable's autograph or not?

(p.s. I ended up passing on it).

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Permalink Reply by marc e on February 1, 2021 at 3:25pm

linnen does not reduce the value as it can be reverserved .u just do need to do unless ur trying to protected a very large poster or one sheeet or ver thin frail old poster