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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 13, 2013 at 8:45pm

Jason Thanos is a top in-person collector of autographs of all sorts, including music:

http://hollywood-autographs.com

Gary Harvey is has an especially great reputation for in-person music collecting.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 13, 2013 at 8:56pm

jodeci78 on Ebay is a good IP collector who tries especially hard to get exact proof whenever he can.  There are many instances where he actually succeeds.

http://stores.ebay.com/jodeci78

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Permalink Reply by Ricky H on February 15, 2013 at 2:10am

Awesome! thanks a lot Rich, i just checked out his items for sale and they are great. i only buy autographs off ebay that have the exact pic or video of the person signing and this seller has that. ill def be buying from this seller! if you know of anymore that have exact proof please let me know, i would really appreciate it

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 15, 2013 at 6:10am

Some in-person sellers who take proof pics do end up with exact proof pics (i.e. celebrity in the middle of signing that exact autograph) sometimes.  Newgraphs comes to mind.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 15, 2013 at 7:24am

Ebay seller norbsob99 also has proof photos and on occasion gets exact proof.  Honestly, I don't have quite enough info on the seller to really wholeheartedly plug them, but their items look good from what I can tell.  And the exact proof photos are hard to argue with when they get them.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 15, 2013 at 6:06pm

Ricky, one other one I like if you're a fan of exact proof is ahwhelchel04.  He typically gets his autographs at conventions, though there are some other IP events.  A lot of his autographs do indeed have exact proof, as those types of photos are easier to get in environments like that.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/ahwhelchel04/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&...

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Permalink Reply by Chad B on February 15, 2013 at 11:11am

I get ticked with several of the sellers on ebay who claim to have exact proof. For example, one seller states exact proof then shows a picture of Axl Rose signing an item that is perfectly cut off of the image. The seller has used and continues to use this same and very similar pictures to sell many items from Rose as if Rose sat there and signed six for the guy.

I have seen the same thing with McCartney from a few sellers.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 15, 2013 at 11:32am

Jason Thanos started a good thread on this topic s a couple months back. 

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/what-is-exact-proof-...

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Permalink Reply by Ricky H on February 15, 2013 at 3:46pm

yea i agree.  a lot of sellers say exact proof and use the same pic for mulitple items. but you can find some sellers like jodeci78 who rich just told me about and this sellers really has the EXACT PROOF of the item. when i buy autographs, i usually only buy when there is exact proof and i compare the pic with the item until i know for sure it is the same item. you just have to find the seller that really does use the exact proof pic

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 15, 2013 at 6:03pm

Exact proof is rightfully a topic of debate.  American Royal Arts had a hand in poisoning the whole concept years ago with their photoshopping (although the photo quality was so poor, I'm surprised those photos convinced anyone).  

Other than any photoshop/photo doctoring type concerns, here are what I see as the pros & cons of the whole photographic proof thing are:

Pros:

* When the timing, angle and exposure are right, the photos can indeed were conclusive evidence, if not outright proof. There are pics and even videos out there that are about as rock solid proof as you could hope for as far as photographic evidence goes.  You'll have that extra peace of mind with your purchase.

*The best photo proof evidence may go a long way in being able to resell a celebrity autograph that is always sloppy and otherwise impossible to authenticate (think Pacino, Meg Ryan, etc).

Cons:

* A lot of the "proof" just isn't proof at all - or even marginal evidence.  I remember a seller years ago who I called out for using pics of U2 signing from the 2001 Elevation Tour for autographs on material that was from 2005.  They got somewhat defensive, saying that the pics are representative of the fact that they have met the celebs in the past, are out and about getting, IP graphs, etc.  Whatever.  The only thing it looks like is a shady deal in instances like that.

* Photos taken at the time of the signing that do not show the celeb in the process of making the exact signature in the exact spot on your exact photo are, at best, lukewarm supporting "evidence," not proof.  The only real, bonafide proof are what sellers typically refer to as "exact proof."

*The pricing often just kills me.  Successful "exact proof" photos are often not easy, especially when getting graphs on the street, in a group or crowd (as opposed to at a convention, where it can be quite easy).  Hence, the sellers inflate the prices enormously.  That's somewhat justifiable if your pics or videos are especially solid.  But I see bad examples go for twice their value (or more) as a result.  I'd personally rather have a nice, full example that can be authenticated without the requirement of photographic evidence.  I've also seen some items inflated to about 10 times their value based on the existence of exact proof photos.  No thanks.  When the artist in question sells nice, absolutely authentic, quality signed items on their website for $20 - 50, the one with "exact proof" for $500 isn't even going to be on my radar.

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Permalink Reply by Ricky H on February 15, 2013 at 11:04pm

i feel im pretty good at noticing if a "exact proof" photo is legit or authentic. i study the photo very very well, comparing the signature with the photo. if i am not 100% convinced then i dont buy it. if i remotely question a photo and it not being the exact autograph in the photo, i do not buy it

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 15, 2013 at 1:37pm

Outlaw Hobbies has a selection of music items. 

http://www.outlaw-hobbies.com/

They also sign on ebay:

http://stores.ebay.com/Outlaw-Hobbies-Autographs

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