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  Combatting astronaut autograph forgeries

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Author Topic:   Combatting astronaut autograph forgeries
moorouge
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Posts: 2454
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009

posted 10-27-2017 11:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This morning in a UK television programme called "Rip off Britain" there was a long section on forged autographs. It was said that over 90% of those on the market were doubtful despite auction houses claiming them to be genuine. More to the point it warned would be collectors to read carefully the small print where, it was said, there would be a disclaimer that absolved the auction house of any false claims made by them and that it was the responsibility of the buyer to prove that a particular autograph was the real thing.

More to the point, it mentioned that several celebrities were now offering the facility through Twitter to send a photo of a questionable signature to them so that they could verify it personally. One wonders if any astronauts are going to do the same or if any are already doing so.

It was said also that many now refused to sign something unless there was a dedication. This was said to make it harder to fake and to reduce also the price of the autograph so making it a less attractive proposition to the fakers.

Does this make sense in the astronaut autograph market?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-27-2017 11:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
...celebrities were now offering the facility through Twitter to send a photo of a questionable signature to them so that they could verify it personally.
From what I have seen, this is less an organized thing as it is organic: fans have sent tweets to several celebrities (for example, Mark Hamill) with autograph scans, to which some of the celebrities have replied.

I haven't seen any astronauts do the same, but I also haven't seen them being asked...

Hart Sastrowardoyo
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Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 10-27-2017 06:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Some say a dedicated autograph ("To ...") actually increases the value of an autograph for that reason: It is unlikely someone would fake a dedication, and there is more handwriting to verify the autograph.

Steve Zarelli
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Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 10-27-2017 06:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Steve Zarelli   Click Here to Email Steve Zarelli     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
...forged autographs. It was said that over 90% of those on the market were doubtful despite auction houses claiming them to be genuine.
You commonly see claims like "90% fakes" when the media covers stories like this. It's simply not true.

Certainly there are shady sellers that may offer 100% fakes, but they are usually not too hard to suss out.

Credible sellers get it right the vast majority of the time.

mjanovec
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Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 10-28-2017 05:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Celebrities are often their own worst authenticators. While some may be very good at recognizing their own signature, some simply can't tell a good forgery from the real thing. Also, it's often in the best interest of the celebrity to declare a signature a fake, since it gives them more control over the market and makes items worthless for dealers to re-sell. It also promotes people to buy signatures from an official source that the celebrity is working with.

If nothing else, they will often err on the side of caution and call it a forgery if they aren't 100% sure.

Wehaveliftoff
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Registered: Aug 2001

posted 10-29-2017 12:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wehaveliftoff     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In actuality, the dedication addition of an autograph decreases the value. There are few people who want to own one addressed to Sally, if they are a Roger, unless you look at a historically significant one, then the margin would be narrowed.

All times are CT (US)

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