Opinions On Real Or Fake Ali aka Cassius Clay
 

Any thoughts on this signed Ali photo

BEST practice is to assume they are all fake and move on, i think i have one modern example for sale and one that is a dead on 1976 on the back of a photo , i have had it for sale for 4 years and never a offer, these folks dont want the real ones they would rather have a signed glove or some bs and there isnt a figure in this business that is more faked and easy faked than ali, if psa or jsa says they are good it means nothing to me , they are all bad by default , if a collector wants a legit ali buy a vintage piece signed and skip this signature like this

but what will be good when somebody replies something like "i dont like the A in Ali" it has the wrong hook to it, trying to "authenticate" something , it is just my opinion but the term and fool and his money and most of the ali`s i see go hand in hand

Refreshingly candid assessment KHW. :)

There is so much inconsistency in Ali, and the signature appears to be quite easy to replicate. It doesn't seem like it would take a master forger to create fakes indistinguishable from authentic.

I have a beautiful Ali sig I got through the mail directly from him -- and it's not the secretary or Autopen. That will have to be good enough for me.

You can get a very educated opinion from Steve Jackson through his web site. Very good at Ali

I have a coffee table photo book of him that my dad went downtown here in Louisville (Ali hometown) to get signed. Ali signed it in three places and was heading to sign in a fourth before my dad detoured him to a glove that he also had. He said he was great and tried to talk a little. That was probably mid 1990's. My dad said he remembered taking a quarter from him as a gate worker for parking at Freedom Hall in the late 1960's for some event--doubt it was boxing but something. Ali's sig is tough. Have gotten stuff in the mail YEARS ago but I'd assume most of the religious tracts are autopenned or secretarial.

Don't know that assumption is accurate, Tom. As I understand it one of the better ways to getting a good Ali is on a religious pamphlet. I recall reading somewhere that he considered it a holy act to sign them and spread the word that way. I picked up this one in a mixed lot of Ali material:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ebsize/Ali.jpg

It received a favorable opinion from Shawn at aliautos.com. Some day I plan to have it made into a custom cut card.