what causes sharpie sigs to do this?

[hawaiian bam bam]

thank you guys for your help with this and for the clarification. when i see autographs like this one, i always thought this meant that sharpies fades away over time. and i also have seen some sharpie"bleed" into the photo or postcard. so i appreciate you clearing that up for me.

[Exhibitman]

Some sharpie markings do fade over time, especially the color ones. I had a photo signed display in my office that faded significantly due to the UV rays from the fluorescent lighting. Yet others don't. A secretarial Sean Connery I stupidly purchased has been on the wall in my office for 17 years without showing any signs of diminution.

[khkco4bls]

Or the ink can't keep up with the speed of the signature being done

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by khkco4bls

Or the ink can't keep up with the speed of the signature being done

That's the case here. This happens a lot with brand new sharpies that haven't been worn in a little. Whenever I grab a new sharpie, I break the tip in just a little by scribbling on the back of a checklist card or something. Once they get flowing you don't get this problem that much, but if someone signs fast (especially with lots of loops) and/or presses down hard on the pen while signing, they are more prone to streak. Also, sharpies will streak more on non-glossy cards that cards with a glossy finish.

Sharpie that fades doesn't usually look like the pen skips. The blue just turns into a muddled greyish-purplish color but the ink is still consistent throughout the signature.

[hawaiian bam bam]

so is the group consensus, that sharpie DOES fade over time? thanks

[David Atkatz]

I use a Sharpie for addressing packages. The only thing it's good for.

[dgo71]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

so is the group consensus, that sharpie DOES fade over time? thanks

No, they do NOT fade over time. They will fade if the surface of the item that was signed is porous (i.e., a baseball, which will allow the ink to continually bleed until the signature disappears) or if improperly stored and exposed to light. I have cards that were signed 30 years ago that still look as if they were just signed, and have never experienced a problem with sharpie magically fading away. The "streaking" problem you showed in the Yaz example is not the same thing as "fading." That Yaz looked like that the instant it was signed, the streak didn't appear over time.

Originally Posted by jimjim

Steadtler also streaks with loops. Most of the Frank Thomas HOF postcards signed with steadtler have a bit of streaking in the loop part of his signature.

In my experience Staedtlers streak far worse than Sharpies.

[hawaiian bam bam]

i only ask because i have autographs signed in "blue" sharpie, from 15-20 years ago which the blue now looks like muddled greyish-purplish color. all stored in the dark out of sunlight.

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by dgo71

That's the case here. This happens a lot with brand new sharpies that haven't been worn in a little. Whenever I grab a new sharpie, I break the tip in just a little by scribbling on the back of a checklist card or something. Once they get flowing you don't get this problem that much, but if someone signs fast (especially with lots of loops) and/or presses down hard on the pen while signing, they are more prone to streak. Also, sharpies will streak more on non-glossy cards that cards with a glossy finish.

Sharpie that fades doesn't usually look like the pen skips. The blue just turns into a muddled greyish-purplish color but the ink is still consistent throughout the signature.

Steadtler also streaks with loops. Most of the Frank Thomas HOF postcards signed with steadtler have a bit of streaking in the loop part of his signature.