Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on November 15, 2023 at 1:00pm

One suggestion would be to run a potential sellers name through the Search Engine here, and Google as well. And, welcome :-)

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Permalink Reply by Josh Brierley on November 15, 2023 at 1:06pm

What an awesome response. So appreciated and respect to you for taking the time. What are some good sites that sell legitimate movie memorabilia? 

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on November 15, 2023 at 1:29pm

Boy is that a broad question! Find some autographs you like and post them here for opinions. That's the best way to learn who to trust.

Something you mentioned that we commonly hear is that it looked like Radcliffe's autograph. That's not too hard for a decent forger to do and inexperienced potential buyers may not be able to tell.

Experienced collectors, dealers and authenticators learn how to recognize characteristics and habits of a signer they study, like pen pressure, how they form a particular letter, and how they signed during an event or time period: The Beatles Abbey Road album came out in 1969. If the autographs on it have the characteristics of how The Beatles signed in 1963-64, that doesn't make sense. It either means they're forged, reproduced mechanically, or transferred from another item from 1963-64.

But authentication often ain't easy. Even of you know an autograph you can occasionally make a mistake, or have a different opinion than others who know it. If you go through this site you'll find times that I think something is definitely real, or not real, but I made a mistake. That's why the most reliable authentication requires more than one authenticator in most cases. Not for obvious forgeries like your Harry Potter, but for better forgeries.

Take the time and learn before you buy. You'll be glad you did.

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