Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Findbooks on December 3, 2023 at 6:32pm

It looks a bit shaky. A good try - I would not buy it, myself.

Great thing about King is that there is at least 1000 ++ signed limited editions available for sale online at any given time so plenty of material available for you to make your own comparisons with. You can trust these.

Also, search the forum for previous threads (top right of the page).

It is very rare that you do not see a proper "O" at the loop of the G in "King".

An angled signature is not unseen but it always makes me nervous.  He likes to sign horizontally as a rule. (the large loop is nearly always horizontal with a flat bottom.) 

I see a degree of hesitation and shakiness in this example which rules it out for me. It is also too thin.

Just my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Tom B on December 3, 2023 at 6:55pm

Thank you for your excellent points.

I’m passing on this one..

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on December 4, 2023 at 8:37am

I give it an A for effort, but seems too slow and deliberate for my taste. I'd avoid.

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Permalink Reply by Black Cat on December 5, 2023 at 6:17am

I'm a frequent buyer of King material. This is a mediocre attempt at his signature. King, despite being plentiful, is in high demand and is often forged. Some are decent while many are not. One forger in particular is pretty good and is fooling all of the authenticators. The other commenters are more generous on this one than I am. It's not signed by King.

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Permalink Reply by Tom B on December 5, 2023 at 6:23am

Thank you. I’m glad I passed on it and saved my $!

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Permalink Reply by Tom B on December 5, 2023 at 10:51am

Say, Black Cat, while I’ve got your ear, what do you think of this one? Want to get the Mrs. a SK signed book for the holidays…

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Permalink Reply by Black Cat on December 5, 2023 at 2:34pm

This one is better and I'm less certain but I'm also skeptical. It has atypical characteristics. Is this offered by a dealer or private seller? Do they have others for sale? I would not buy or fail to buy on my word alone. Try and get other opinions from people knowledgeable of King. If the seller has other titles or has sold others, that might help.

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Permalink Reply by JMS1223 on December 5, 2023 at 3:12pm

Definitely looks more convincing but also wouldn’t be sure enough to purchase it if I were you. 

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Permalink Reply by Tom B on December 5, 2023 at 3:42pm

All the alarms are going off: low price, seller out of CA with only 80 feedback, a copy of Outsider with identical signature style. Passing again. Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Black Cat on December 5, 2023 at 3:53pm

I found the sale. They have sold over a dozen signed King's recently. Some are poor fakes. Others are a bit better. All sold books were offered at a fraction of their current market value. Their feedback indicates that they've been at it for awhile.

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Permalink Reply by Findbooks on December 6, 2023 at 2:45pm

An unquestionable FAKE i.m.o.

Listen - don't try and skimp when it comes to Stephen King. There are many, many signed limited editions out there. They are expensive but you have the priceless satisfaction of knowing it's the real deal. Pay the money.

He is such a target for would-be forgers and outright con artists.  Unless you have cast-iron provenance and have IP examples of your own to compare with, don't do it (never do it on ebay).

I have kept a "signed" Stephen King on my desk for going on 25 years - it's not that I was fooled by an excellent forgery. I was conned - the book I received was not the one advertised. How easy is that?

He has stimulated a whole generation of crooks - damn him (lol!).

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Permalink Reply by Tom B on December 7, 2023 at 6:16am

Good advice. Thank you.

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