General Questions on Authenticity

[Stampsfan]

One of my pet peeves is picking up a modern day autograph, and having no idea who signed it. Pick up any autograph from the 70's or earlier, and you can read them. Beautiful signatures I have, and there is no question who signed them, regardless of sport... Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Banks, Howe, Richard, Beliveau, Orr, Payton, Nicklaus, Palmer. I know there are exceptions, but overall signatures from modern athletes are much tougher to decipher than autographs from yesterday's athletes.

My kids understand my frustration too. I picked up a couple of current Calgary Flames autographed pucks for them for Christmas, and unless I told them who they were, they couldn't read the name.

Without sounding like an old guy, it is the lack of cursive writing taught in schools today? Either that, or they somehow take pride in producing as poor an autograph as they can.

Personally, I wonder if I don't collect autographs from contemporary athletes because I'ma vintage guy, or because they look like a scribble. I think I might like to add a Lebron signature to my collection, but I have not seen one that I can actually read.