Looking for Recommendations on Autograph Authentication Resources
 

I have a friend who collects signed books (non-sport). He is getting even more into it and he and I discuss the signatures. I don't seriously collect autographs because I know that I don't know enough to prevent myself from getting burned.

Can you guys recommend some good websites or books on how one can teach himself what to look for when evaluating signatures? My buddy will greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

I have never heard of a website specifically designed to help people learn about authenticating autos, but there are plenty of resources out there that can one can use to further someone's education.

Certainly sites like Net54 can be of help giving opinions. PSA exemplars site as well as net searches can yield may good exemplars that can be used to study a specific autograph.

As a general starting point, I would say a few things
1) due your own due diligence. Start by being a skeptic and demand the auto be proven real rather than the other way. Use common sense to answer the simple questions first, like could the item have been signed.
2) Develop a network of people whose opinion you trust to help you.
3) Just look at a lot of autos of the person you want to buy. There is really no "trick" to it.

I always look for Jason or Richard to give pointers. This might be the best place to learn.

I know I’ve learned how to spot fakes better.

Be careful of auto pens. They are used a lot in books. Thomas Jefferson was the first to use. Most politicians use auto pens. Obama was the first to use autopen to sign a law when he couldn't be in person in DC at the needed time. I was burnt on a Billy Graham auto. It looked very real. For books I also like inscriptions by hand.

Didn't realize they went back that far. Always good to learn something new each day. :D

The machine Thomas Jefferson used was not an autopen and should not be considered as being in the same category. He used a machine called a polygraph. The machine had two quill/dip pens attached to a series of arms. As he wrote on a sheet of paper with one pen it would make a copy with the other pen. He did not invent it, but did use it to retain copies of all of his correspondence. It was quite advanced and when set properly it is difficult to tell the original from the copy. The autopen relies on a template of the signature without the person being present. The polygraph required the person to be present. If you visit Monticello you will see one.

As for authentically signed books I would consider purchasing books from dealers who are members of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America). I have purchased some nice signed books from members and they have book shows in all of the major cities in the U.S. Like all collecting you may find a few scoundrels, but there are some very interesting people. There are also some autograph dealers who display at their shows.

Learning about the authors and a few other things also helps.

One author I like signed a LOT. Some fans joke that the rarest of his books are unsigned first editions. (Terry Pratchett) Of course, with a rather rabid following, finding ones that people are letting go of is not as easy.


Then there are the odd things. Like I bought a couple boxes of books to resell and maybe keep a couple. (Nothing great, but pre-Amazon and the whole box was $5 for maybe 30 books. ) I thought I'd found a good one when I saw a Barbara Bush book that was signed.
Of course it was autopenned, and in enough quantity that the "Signed edition" had its own ISBN.

Thank you for all of the responses, much appreciated.

I am always a bit scared of autographs, so I serve as a good skeptic/wet blanket for him as I get nervous about most signatures.

Do you guys know of a book on this subject? The diligence, working with trusted people, researching other examples, etc is all great advice, but I am wondering if there is a respected book along the lines of "Teach yourself how to authenticate autographs." Obviously one wouldn't come out of reading such a book as an expert, but if there were sections on ink flow, ink types, shakiness, letter shapes and slant, etc it might be useful to get a better sense of what to look for.

Why not try to find a Christy Mathewson "Won in the Ninth" signed edition. It would even be authenticated by JSA. Sorry, just another jab at the hobby and auto authentication.

Seriously, I wouldn't trust many authenticators. Even the really reputable services are going to miss a few. Anymore, certs, LOAs, etc are useless unless there is some traceable provenance.

For starters:

Baseball Hall of Fame Autographs: A Reference Guide
Book by Ron Keurajian

Check prior auction databases for signed contracts and other legal documents. You will develop an eye for it.

Fred obviously does not collect or have time for those who do collect autographs. Anything not signed in front of you is obviously some sort of a gamble. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Can't recommend this enough. I just bought the new 2nd edition of Ron's book and it blows his amazing 1st edition out of the water. Great resource if you're neurotic about autographs like I am.