For some reason I have never really understood people love autographs. I don’t see the significance of the scribe, I much prefer a photo of the celeb as a memento of meeting . Just because Justin Furstenfeld wrote my name isn’t reason for a party.
But collectors make some serious cash off the ink of rockers and well, if we can forge money how sure can we be that the celebrity signature is legit?
There is a memorabilia authenticator firm called PSA/DNA and they have compiled a list of the most forged signature and there really is no big surprise her.
Ranging as the top two, Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Less than 50% of those sold off in 2012 were genuine. That’s astounding considering how much some of these things cost. Number three on the list was Neil Armstrong.
One reason forgeries of Armstrong’s autograph soared was that he rarely signed for fans during his life, Joe Orlando, president of Newport Beach-based PSA/DNA, told Reuters. “Armstrong is someone who is very conscious of the value of his own autograph,” Orlando said. “Even before he passed away he was very tough to get…It really heightens the level of his market.”
According to Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment and music memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, ‘back in the day’ people would just write to record labels and movie studios to ask for autographs. Often secretaries or assistants would sign things on behalf of the artists. Who would think in 50 years it would become such a valuable commodity? Certainly not the folks on the MGM lot.
Wondering if you’ve been duped? The easiest way to decipher is to find a contract “A good rule of thumb is to compare it a signed contract,” Barrett said. “Sometimes (celebrities) would have secretaries or other sign photos and letters but they couldn’t have a contract signed by a proxy