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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on May 30, 2021 at 2:20pm

Two exemplars for comparison.  The HFS exemplar seems pretty consistent with OP.  Appreciate any comments or opinions.

History for Sale:

Live Auctioneers:

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on May 30, 2021 at 7:14pm

Continuing to borrow the signature comparison technique I have learned from other members, below is a comparison of my OP to the History for Sale and Live Auctioneers exemplars.  The "MAD-ly" match well but the signatures seem to vary on the two Alfred E. Neuman signed items.  The "MAD" and "Mad" vary but the "ly" and the signatures look close in the OP versus the HFS exemplar. 

I don't consider Live Auctioneers as a great source of likely authentic exemplars but thought it was good to compare these same items.  I believe HFS has a good reputation so thought this exemplar provided some good evidence for authenticity.  I am sure I can convince myself everything is authentic with enough time but this OP actually feels like it may be good.  Appreciate your comments.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on May 30, 2021 at 7:18pm

Try comparing them upside down and backwards. Your eye will not be distracted by normal letter shapes; many forgeries are revealed in this way. The positive and negative spaces in loops will reveal much, along with slant etc.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on May 30, 2021 at 7:30pm

Okay . . . upside down and backwards is a new one to me but I love to test out new techniques.  Below is the same comparison rotated as suggested.

My eye likes the similarities between the OP and HFS exemplar.  The more I look at the Alfred E. Neuman item from LA, the more it looks like the same signature as the OP but perhaps with some pen issues.  Would love to hear what others see in these comparisons.  

Thanks for the suggestions, tips and comments as always Eric.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on May 30, 2021 at 7:37pm

In this orientation the bottom seems odd man out - reading through some results about Live Auctioneers using the search engine here one might guess why. The baseline, construction and slants appear different.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on May 30, 2021 at 7:51pm

I agree the bottom signature on the LA example seems less fluid than the OP and HFS items.  Not sure if "pen issues" may have been a factor (like a "wardrobe malfunction").  However, the fact that "MAD-ly" is written the same on the two Alfred E. Neuman images versus "Mad-ly" on the HFS item makes me believe both of these AEN items were signed by the same person whether that was William Gaines or a forger.

I have not found a lot of likely authentic exemplars online and have noted variability among signatures for the ones I have found.  I still feel optimistic on my OP but don't have confidence in authenticity yet.  I will keep searching and appreciate comments from others as always.

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Permalink Reply by beardog1 on May 30, 2021 at 9:45pm

Still struggling with a lack of likely authentic exemplars especially including the salutation "MAD-ly".  However, I have uncovered one additional concern in my OP.

Although many MAD artists would include "MAD-ly" with their signature, the few Bill Gaines examples I found with the salutation was usually written "Mad-ly" as in the HFS exemplar.  Again, there is a lack of exemplars but I did find this on a book signed by Bill Gaines.

It is hard to tell if "Mad-ly" and "MAD-ly" were both used or if Bill preferred "Mad-ly" while others wrote "MAD-ly".  I am also not aware of any secretarial signatures which may have used the more common (and I believe more correct) "MAD-ly".  Appreciate any opinions or comments.

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