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Authenticity is Everything
Fake Freddie Mercury Letter w/ Epperson LOA
So not only is this not Freddie Mercury's handwriting, but it is also packed full of incorrect information about Mercury. Whoever wrote this claims to be Freddie and claims to have gone to school in Switzerland? Mercury never attended school there. This can't be a genuine Epperson LOA right?
Update: The LOA was from Roger Epperson and the item was indeed fake (please see thread for proof and details). Both Epperson and Gold agreed the item was not genuine and buyer was refunded in a timely manner.
- Attachments: No photo uploads here
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Screenshot_2016-09-13-17-27-37.png, 2.7 MB -
Screenshot_2016-09-13-17-25-42.png, 2.9 MB
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Screenshot_2016-09-13-17-29-57.png, 1.4 MB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Innuendo on
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This isn't mercury's handwriting to begin with, guys. That's my point. You'll notice in the beginning of the letter there is a totally different writing style than in the rest for the letter. Both of which don't match genuine exmaples. Mercury didn't write fans back. I've already mentioned the 2 recorded times he did do so. He also didn't discuss his youth with very many people. That's said from his close friends. Why on earth would a man who didn't discuss his youth with many close friends want to discuss it with a complete stranger? And why would he lie about his schooling when he gave all that real information to biographers years before? Again, I am not (nor have I ever) saying this seller made a fake LOA. As mentioned, it has been sold before. It has traded hands. As for why it's an attempt at his handwriting? When my kids were young, they'd write Santa and I would write them back as Santa. We'd even change out handwriting for it. This fake is over 30 years old. It was written by a woman who reached out to her hero as she was struggling emotianlly apparently. What this seems like is a case of someone who cared for this woman deeply enough to write her back as mercury. I do not believe this item was made to make money. I do not believe that Mercury suddenly changed his hand for this letter, nor do I believe he randomly changed his history to impress a stranger. It doesn't add up
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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on
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Hi again,
I am curious - what happens when you remove "Switzerland" from this equation (after all it is just 1 aspect here/what if embellishment etc.)? How does the flow of information and use of language and other intricacies etc. ("dear" written out several times, "to" and not "too" etc). compare with other examples of Mercury's written communication?
Eric
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Thanks for bringing that up, Eric. That's another major issue. Freddie would use the word "Dears and "Darlings" when speaking in interviews. However, he did not use them in letters. (Minus the intro to letters "Dear Bill, etc ect). Freddie was very intelligent and his favorite game was scrabble. He was actually a real stickler when it came to spelling. He would not have made many spelling mistakes (regarding "to" vs "too"). Give me just a moment and I'll post a few genuine letters from Freddie to close friends for reference
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Eric, here is an example written by freddie to the fans. This card would've been scanned and then printed to send to the members of the fan club. I will attach more in a moment
- Attachments: No photo uploads here
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Here's a second letter to fans that was scanned and printed to send to fc members.
- Attachments: No photo uploads here
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Here is one from Freddie and his lover Jim to a friend. Note the handwriting in all these..
Then there is a small note to his lover Joe F. He addresses him as "My dearest". He reserved pet names and "Dear" and "Darling" for loved ones. Not fans. Also, that second letter to his lover is signed in the early 80s. Which is the same signature style that was forged in the fake letter. Compare the writing between the fake letter and this one. - Attachments: No photo uploads here
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Thank you for posting those, they are super and good for the discussion.
And nice large scans too. I am going to go look at them.
Eric
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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on
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Why would he tell a fan that they "seem more"? What did the fan seem to be more of?
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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on
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There's no question that the COA is good as long as Record Mecca said they got it themselves. And the COA looks good, signature and all, to me.
Innuendo, I think it's better to rewrite the title as Freddie Mercury Letter I think is fake with an Epperson (or REAL) COA. Or Questionable Freddie Mercury letter.... I'll leave that up to you though.
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With all due respect Steve, this item is fake. It's not about guessing or anything else. It's absolutely fake. Even handwriting aside, there is literally no way this item is genuine due to the information inside it. You guys know me. You know I'd never post something like this without being absolutely sure of the Mercury item in question. And I'm certainly not one to point fingers. But this item (if its a real LOA- still waiting on Roger) is not genuine, and it's not something that a good seller like him should have to get slagged for considering I do not believe he knew this item was bad. Roger has an excellent reputation, and nobody is debating it, but he isn't right 100% of the time. I do not expect him to know every inch of Mercury's history on top of everything else. I would still like to keep the title as is
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Keep it as-is then, Innuendo. I know you don't overreact. I'm more comfortable with titles written differently, but that's mostly because I've been sued so many times.
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Thanks, Steve. Believe me, if I wasn't sure, I definitely would've titled it as such. Roger has gotten things wrong before (he's only human) and his rep still stands, so I hope my doing this doesn't offend anyone, but I felt it important to bring this item up as it is a high priced piece. I wanted to give the seller and Roger a heads up, as it could tarnish reps. I hope I don't sound arrogant! Just want to help.
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