Author
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Topic: Combatting astronaut autograph forgeries
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moorouge Member Posts: 2454 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-27-2017 11:00 AM
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
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posted 10-27-2017 11:32 AM
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 Member Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 10-27-2017 06:11 PM
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 Member Posts: 731 From: Upstate New York, USA Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 10-27-2017 06:32 PM
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 Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 10-28-2017 05:12 PM
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 Member Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 10-29-2017 12:23 AM
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. |