The collecting of autographs is often a matter of faith. To collect well, though, one needs to become a student of handwriting and pens, inks, and papers.
In a nutshell, you can NEVER be sure of a TTM signature since you didn't see who or what (autopen) actually signed it.
With experience, especially if one also gets autographs in person, one begins to develop a knack for spotting different traits in signatures. When comparing TTM signatures with known IP signatures, suspicions can arise.
In the past, the only way to really get a handle on these things was discussions with similarly inclined collectors. It's much easier these days with message boards like this to get opinions from knowledgeable collectors.
I don't know if this is a case of fact for Mays, but I've seen people actually ask for signatures from players wives and girlfriends after games. It would be a simple matter if someone has a Mae Mays signature to compare it with the Willie TTMs.
|