What's an autograph, anyway?

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

I do have to ask, by your standard, anything written in someone's hand is their autograph? They don't even have to write their name?

None of what I posted is "my view." They are the long-accepted (probably 200 years or so) standards of autograph dealers and collectors.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

None of what I posted is "my view." They are the long-accepted (probably 200 years or so) standards of autograph dealers and collectors.

Yet there are many thing you have listed that many (most?) autograph collectors wouldn't collect. I guess we should call ourselves signature collectors?

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Yet there are many thing you have listed that many (most?) autograph collectors wouldn't collect.

What? Most historical autograph dealers--and there have been quite a few famous ones in the last 150 years--did not, and do not, consider sports autograph collecting, or the collecting of signatures of "celebrities" to be autograph collecting at all.

During WWII, a particular A.M. (Autograph Manuscript--no signature) sold for more than $1 million. It was a copy of the Gettysburg Address, in Lincoln's hand.

Would you want a copy of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, in his own hand, in your autograph collection? Or would you feel it didn't belong there because it wasn't signed?

[thenavarro]

I agree with what David has posted concerning what an autograph is. He's right on the mark.

Mike

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

What? Most historical autograph dealers--and there have been quite a few famous ones in the last 150 years--did not, and do not, consider sports autograph collecting, or the collecting of signatures of "celebrities" to be autograph collecting at all.

During WWII, a particular A.M. (Autograph Manuscript--no signature) sold for more than $1 million. It was a copy of the Gettysburg Address, in Lincoln's hand.

Would you want a copy of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, in his own hand, in your autograph collection? Or would you feel it didn't belong there because it wasn't signed?

Wow, those are some haughty examples. Do they demonstrate a rule, or are they very rare exceptions?

Let's go the other direction. Phil Niekro signatures sell every day on ebay. I've never seen an A.D. of his sell. Is that because they are rare, or because nobody wants them?

[David Atkatz]

Here are two autograph items from my collection. The first is a check filled out and "signed" by Wilbur Wright. (A rare autograph, as he died in 1912.) He has signed the check "Wright Cycle Co," with his initials "WW" underneath. The second is a check of Orville's, which he signed "Wright Brothers," and also initialed. I don't know about you, but I find these "signatures" much more interesting, and historically valuable, than the simple--and far, far more common--"Wilbur" and "Orville."

[mighty bombjack]

I love those Wrights, and I would call both of them autographs, or signatures in the dealer parlance. In a very real sense, they are signatures of the brothers as a set, especially the second one (as that is how they are collectively known).

So what do you (the board, not just David) make of this one that I found recently?

http://www.milehighcardco.com/LotDet...-Authenticated

[Mr. Zipper]

What do you think of this Neil Armstrong autograph?