posted 08-12-2005 12:49 PM               

My guess is that you have not seen anything yet! I expect the bidding to keep going and then the snipers will have the last say.

There is tons of money to be made on autographs. Last night my wife came home and began talking about a co-worker that had found an Amelia Earhart biography that had been signed by Earhart. She said it was #2 of an edition of 500 signed copies. She wondered what it was worth. I looked around on e-bay and I found this guy.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZawileQ2dback

He has 62 auctions listed. All are autographs. All are famous people. Almost all of the signatures are not personalized. All are private auctions. Almost all of the 62 have bids. Most are for hundreds of dollars. He does have a Mercury 7 set of signatures.

Are they real? Who knows. I don't. I doubt they are but who can say. It is a tough business and that is why I like this webpage. Experenced people are willing to hlep.

posted 08-12-2005 02:03 PM               

If you notice the seller who you posted the link on Ebay almost always has cut autographs instead of complete documents.

If you look at the more important signatures, the paper looks like it's been aged the same way, there isn't a single older signature where the paper isn't toned or foxed the same way. I've got signatures from 1600-1900 where the paper looks like it's brand new because the older paper didn't have an acid base. I find it difficult to believe that every single signature this guy is selling has foxing or toning to the paper.

Eventhough this seller's stuff looks good, I don't think it would hold up to close scrunity. If he is making up these items, he's pretty good at it, which makes buying rare signatures all that more scary.

posted 08-12-2005 05:25 PM               

I agree. I think one question would have to be "Just where did you get all of these rare signatures?" I also noticed the brown paper but I did not know about the acid in the older paper. The "aging" of the paper probably is probably what the novice would look for.

posted 08-12-2005 05:45 PM               

Years ago I picked up a ton of Revolutionary & Civil War documents, letters, promo certificates and books from 1 family. You'd think that the paper would be showing signs of aging, but they were stored well and they were gorgeous.

When I contacted the Huntington Library (expert's in restoring & conserving rare documents) the asst curator gave me an education I'll never forget. She showed me documents in the library's collection from 1500's France & England, all the way to one of the original copies of the Constitution.

There are many reputable dealers who have collections that rival or surpass the guy on Ebay, but they only offer them through reputable auction houses and not on Ebay. While Ebay is obviously drawing many buyers for this "dealer", I'd love to have an expert view the autographs he's selling.

Again, the fact that most of the rare autographs are cut, the paper is all toned or foxed to show aging and the seller refuses to show who's bidding, is a major red flag for me.

Pre 1910 paper was made of pure wood pulp with no acid added or linen rag, so the paper was made to last. After 1910, most of the paper had an acid that did not allow it to age gracefully. If you look at newspapers, books, magazines or documents where the paper chips, flakes or breaks, or generally discolors easily, that's the sure sign of post 1910 paper.

I have a feeling this guy is finding old paper, having it autographed with authentic writing instruments, then aging it so it looks like an aged document cut out. Doing it this way also saves the hard to find paper, so he can max out his profit by making up dozens of autographs from one sheet.