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Author
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Topic: Authenticity of Harrison Schmitt signature
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David Carey
Member Posts: 782
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 11-12-2014 11:37 AM
   
Any thoughts on this Harrison Schmitt signature?It's live ink, on textured matt board. Click on photo to enlarge.  |
ejectr
Member Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 11-12-2014 12:29 PM
The "H's" look the same but it is a heck of a lot cleaner than the one I got in my flight log book while standing there. |
kosmo
Member Posts: 388
From:
Registered: Sep 2001
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posted 11-12-2014 02:59 PM
Not his! |
Mike_The_First
Member Posts: 436
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 11-13-2014 07:08 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ejectr:
The "H's" look the same but it is a heck of a lot cleaner than the one I got in my flight log book while standing there.
It's far cleaner than my "Return to the Moon" as well. (In mine, I can barely make out a single letter.)Without looking up the patterns (because I'm too lazy), I wouldn't be surprised if it matched an autopen from his time in the Senate, either as an autopen itself or a forgery based on the Senate autopen pattern. It has that look about it. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 11-14-2014 09:26 AM
It does not look good to me. Too slow and deliberate and not the usual slant to the right. |
chet
Member Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 11-14-2014 07:33 PM
This could well be an authentic autograph; the texture of the signing surface may have a lot to do with the slow-application appearance of the signature. |
Mike_The_First
Member Posts: 436
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 11-15-2014 12:46 AM
I feel like the texture would make the signature worse, not better.
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chet
Member Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 11-15-2014 01:00 AM
In a sense it did make the signature "worse" — it looks less like a "usual" Schmitt autograph (where the letters aren't easily discernible) to where the autograph shown here looks like a style you'd be more likely to see at the lower edge of the Constitution. |
Mike_The_First
Member Posts: 436
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 11-15-2014 01:18 PM
Good point — I was thinking more in terms of quality/legibility, where his usual signature is already pretty low on the scale.I suppose it's possible that, as a result of the texture, he took his time on this one, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. But one good way to weed out fakes that I can't believe I didn't think of til now, is to find out when/how it was acquired, as, unless he's changed recently, his in person signing habits rival those of Bill Anders and Neil Armstrong. Of course, that only works if it's a recent addition to your collection. (I like the Constitution comment — it's that look that inspired my thoughts about it being [possibly copied from] a Senate autopen.)
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David Carey
Member Posts: 782
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 11-15-2014 03:01 PM
Thank you all for your inputs.Some 3rd-party analysis and some additional background/context all point strongly towards 'not good' (my original suspicion). Still, very interesting to hear the range of thinking on this one, and I appreciate your taking time to weigh in. |
liftoff1
Member Posts: 235
From: Cumberland, Wisconsin
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 11-15-2014 03:36 PM
David, it appears that there is more writing (or some sort of printing) to the left of the signature. Can you post a photo of the entire item? |
David Carey
Member Posts: 782
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 11-16-2014 02:37 PM
You're correct, there is more writing to the left. Since the item is not mine and there is still a bit of dust to settle around the larger piece it's probably best if I hold off on more images, at least for now. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 11-16-2014 08:23 PM
This signature does not convince me. The line weight seems to vary quite a bit and the slant doesn't have a consistency throughout the signature...like authentic Schmitt signatures have. (There are other issues beyond those points, but I won't go into further detail here.)For me, this signature goes beyond the atypical. There are multiple red flags which say "stay away." |
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