Is the autograph real?

The process of creating an autopen signature is as follows--a celebrity signs his name once on a sheet of paper, and a pattern or template is created for the machine at the Autopen company. When the template is installed, the Autopen machine is then able to recreate the autograph. The item to be "autographed" is inserted under the arm, the motor is turned on, and the pen moves according to the matrix design. The signature that is produced is identical to the celebrity’s own signature, but it now can be produced at a rate of hundreds per hour by a secretary. Since the resulting signature is in the handwriting of the celebrity and is drawn with an actual pen, the only sure way to tell if a signature is an Autopen is to compare it to a known sample of the pattern.

How do you obtain Autopen patterns? One good way is to join the UACC; which keeps members informed of new Autopen patterns through the Pen and Quill There are also several books on the market which contain Autopen patterns. The UACC sells its Autopen Study (order one from their web site.) It is a very useful guide, particularly for presidents and astronauts, but not really for entertainers. Another guide is "Seeing Double", by Marvin Blatt and Norman Schwab, published by La-La Ltd (PO Box 2060; North Babylon, NY 11703).

Other mechanical devices have been used that are similar to the Autopen.  Thomas Jefferson invented a machine called the polygraph, which was a pen attached to a framework onto which other pens were attached, enabling the user to sign many documents at once.  Harry Truman used a later incarnation of this machine to sign checks in the 1930's.  In the 1970's there was another machine in use called the "SignaSigner" which enabled full pages of text to be mass-produced, but fortunately the company that made it went quickly out of business.  Jimmy Carter reportedly was a user of the SignaSigner.
 

Many inexperienced collectors make the mistake that an autograph must be real if a letter comes with it that says the celebrity signed the item being sent. Sometimes this is simply a trick some secretaries use to make their forgeries seem real. For example, secretarial signatures sent from Lyndon Johnson’s office often came with an accompanying letter that said “The President was very happy to sign the enclosed photo. It comes with his best wishes.”

A trick sometimes employed these days is to send printed signatures with secretarial inscriptions.  Be very careful in examining your autographs for this.

Sometimes forgers give themselves away. For example, John Lennon always signed his name as if it were spelled “Lennen." Forgers are often unwary of this simple fact and will spell his name “Lennon.” Almost all items with “Lennon” are a forgeries. It is a good idea to stay up-to-date with publications like the Pen and Quill, which publishes the work of known forgers.

Be sure to note anachronisms.  Did the celebrity die before the ballpoint pen was invented?  Was that brand of stationery invented during that president's term in office?  A little research can be useful.

Experience is the only key to authenticating autographs. Until you gain enough experience to authenticate signatures (which takes years of careful research) you must assume that all autographs in your collection are capable of being fakes. Such is the harsh reality of autograph collecting.

Expect about 30-60% of responses through the mail to be fakes, depending upon which celebrities you choose to collect. Entertainment figures are notorious about sending fakes, as with sports figures.

These are examples of people who have sent fakes in the past. It is by no means a complete list. (This also does not imply that all autographs sent by that person are fakes.)