Authenticity is Everything

Billie Holiday Autograph

I purchased this 78 vinyl record purportedly signed by Billie Holiday from an RACC trusted seller. I recently submitted the item to JSA for authentication, and unfortunately it did not pass.

I originally submitted it in person at a show here in CA a few weeks ago, and I was disappointed by how carelessly the item was handled during intake. When I received it back, there were fingerprints all over it. I contacted JSA immediately to report the condition, and they did expedite the review process.

Yesterday I received their letter confirming that the autograph did not pass authentication. I’m extremely disappointed and unsure what my next step should be, or if anyone here might be able to offer advice.

Prior to purchasing the item, I did my research and examined the signature characteristics—such as the looping of “Billie” and the shape of the “H” in “Holiday.” However, upon further inspection, the signature appears to have been written in ballpoint pen. Additionally, the Blue Ace label is known to be a bootleg label, and this particular pressing seems to have been released slightly before the time of her passing.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo 15 hours ago

Thank you. I was hoping I wasn't the only one seeing that. The pen lift and slow recovery especially is strange. I take no credit for the clean-up - that was purely Ryan's wizardry.

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Permalink Reply by JK 15 hours ago

There is definitely an uncharacteristic pen lift but I think the low end of the downstroke ended up in a sort of groove that goes around the record under that part of the label. It would not have been an easy transition into the lower loop/flourish of the Y.