10/23/00--Well, it's been a very long time since I updated this notebook, so my apologies. Constraints of work (I am an oncologist and do bone marrow transplant research), combined with having little to say, have been responsible for the delay.
Nancy Reagan has stopped signing autographs except for her books. She cites the large volume of requests as her reason.
Last month I bought an autograph I've wanted for my collection for a very long time. I purchased a card signed by Yuri Gagarin for a great price. I think Gagarin's autograph is extremely undervalued, as it is rare and he died in 1968; in contrast, Neil Armstrong's autograph is much more plentiful but is worth more. My particular card also has the signature of Gherman Titov, who unfortunately died shortly after I bought it. Again, I'm very happy to have the Gagarin autograph as it has been one of my top wants for a long time.
I think if I had to pick my "dream autographs" at this point, the "short list" would include the following: Thomas Jefferson (definitely #1 right now), Billie Holiday, Charlie Chaplin, George Washington (preferably on a Society of the Cincinnati document, which is perhaps the finest signed document available for purchase), Abraham Lincoln, Gus Grissom, John Lennon, Claude Monet, and Ernest Hemingway. I think all but perhaps the Lennon are out of my price range right now. The amazing thing however is that so many of my "most wanted" autographs from previous years are now in my collection, including Gagarin, Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, and George III.
I also purchased two autographs recently which are now the oldest in my collection. One is the George III signature that I alluded to above. The other is a document signed by Oliver Ellsworth in 1776. There is definitely something magical about holding a document in your hands that is as old as the Declaration of Independence.
Speaking of which, I think that some of the best bargains out there right now are autographs of signers of the Declaration and of the Constitution. I've noticed a few of them go for incredibly low amounts on eBay. It's a sign of the times when a Mercury astronaut autograph fetches more money than a Declaration signer I think.
9/1/00--Today I bought the DVD version of my favorite movie, "North by Northwest." There is a documentary on the DVD of the making of that movie and an interview with Pat Hitchcock, daughter of Alfred Hitchcock. She says that during the filming of the movie she noticed that Cary Grant charged 15 cents for an autograph. She added that she always assumed that he donated the money to charity, but later began to suspect that he in fact pocketed all the money.
8/10/00--I've discovered a new, previously unpublished autopen pattern of Ronald Reagan. You can see it in my Autopen Gallery.
7/24/00--Louis Trotter Autographs has a web page now, although under development. I used to love to get this catalog around 1992-1995, but when I moved away from New Orleans I lost my subscription. I'm glad to see that Trotter is still selling autographs and have written him for a new catalog.
Also, Walter Burks is selling on eBay. I highly recommend him as an autograph dealer.
I was recently told about this great web page, related to the space collection of Leon Ford. It's a superb collection and a superb example of web page design.
7/16/00--Add another strange twist to the ever-developing story of eBay. The United States Postal Service is now auctioning items on that web site. Their auctions include both signed and unsigned postal covers.
6/27/00--Ringo Starr is auctioning signed items currently at this site: http://www.century21-auctions.com/
6/19/00-- Here is an interesting story from CNN about an important document from John Quincy Adams on the auction block at Sotheby's
6/11/00--Someone wrote me an interesting email today asking about Richard Nixon secretarial signatures. I thought out a reply and mailed my response, then decided to post my response here to stimulate some discussion. Here is what I wrote:
That's an interesting question and one I've been trying to figure out for a while.
It is definite that Richard Nixon used secretaries to sign some of his correspondence. I know of only two by name....Evelyn Lincoln and Rose Mary Woods. Lincoln signed for Kennedy, so it is no surprise that she also signed for Nixon.
But which signatures are real? It's tough to say definitively.
Nixon had very erratic handwriting, which fluctuated with his mood. If memory serves it was Charles Hamilton who did a study on his handwriting when he was having "good days" and "bad days"--it varies a lot in size, speed, etc. So it's tough sorting out all the atypical signatures from good fakes.
John Reznikoff did an article about Nixon secretarials in the July 1997 issue of Autograph Collector Magazine. Fortunately there's a version online.
The problem is that I don't buy his argument 100% about what he is calling a secretarial. I have no doubt that this is a real autograph, but the problem with calling this a fake is that to me it matches too closely with his autopen patterns.
So that would mean that his autopen signatures are actually templates of secretarial signatures.
My suspicion is that Nixon signed his name with perfectly-formed letters when he was trying to make his name legible, and signed the "brisk" signature when he was in a hurry. Therefore he had two forms of signatures.
However, I think that if I were to buy a Nixon signature, it would be the type that everyone agrees is real.
I don't know of any "expert" in Nixon autographs that I would trust 100% to be an authority.
6/3/00--This week I bought something I've wanted for about eight years.
I was able to purchase one of the famous "Harvey" sketches by Jimmy Stewart. Stewart would often make these sketches for his fans, which show a cartoon figure of Harvey, the main (albeit invisible) character in the movie of the same name. I tried to get one about 1994 directly from Stewart but he had stopped signing at that time. I'm really overjoyed to get one now.... it was definitely worth the price.
Coincidentally, Autograph Collector Magazine ran a story on these sketches this month. Honestly, I don't know for sure if all of the sketches in this article are real ones. I'm glad to now own a beautiful example that I think is beyond question as to authenticity.
5/24/00--There is now an interesting page devoted to the study of the autographs of the crew of Soyuz 11. This crew is extremely rare, and there is controversy over what their signatures really look like. Be sure to visit the page.
Sir John Gielgud died this week. Again, I seem to get an autograph in the nick of time. Sir John kindly signed a photo for me only two months ago, although he didn't answer some questions I had about filming "Foreign Agent" with Alfred Hitchcock. I'll post a scan soon.
While browsing the internet I came across this interesting story about a collector who tried to collect the signatures of all CEOs of the Fortune 500 two years ago.
Recently I submitted an article on Internet Auctions to the UACC for publication in the Pen and Quill. I wrote it as an introduction to the benefits and perils of eBay and other online auction sites. Be sure to watch for it.
Here's an interesting web page on the subject of athletes who charge a fee for autographs through the mail. Note that it will no longer be updated as of May 18th.
5/17/00--Autographica, the UK's big autograph extravaganza, is now over. I've had a few emails from collectors who have told me what a great time they had there. One of those collectors agreed to let me publish his account on my web page (although he wishes to remain anonymous). Here is his account:
I wasn't planning to go until I heard about Bean's latest price rises ... I got a last minute ticket.
The queue was for Bean only. Mitchell, Cunningham and Gordon had very few people ask for their autographs while I was there, and were sitting there bored. They left long before Bean did.
All astronauts signed for £15 ($22ish). All astronauts signed an Earthrise photo signed by Borman, and Bean and Mitchell signed another Earthrise signed by Cernan - Bean asked how I got him, and knew that he charged $50. Mitchell also signed "Voyage of the Explorer" for free, which was nice.
Bean received almost all the attention. Despite his [high charges] through the mail, he was very generous with his time in person - took 3-4 minutes with everyone individually if they had any questions. There were 20 people before me in the queue. It took me over an hour to get to the front!
Had a good conversation with Bean when my turn came: he was only an amateur artist before retiring, wishes he took a sketchpad th him to draw the moon out of his window, is annoyed that Conrad took much more interesting photos than he did. He asked all living early astronauts to sign some of his paintings - obviously Armstrong, Collins, Scott declined, but Schweickart, Worden, Stafford signed - they were at a reunion at the Cape. All astronauts who signed his paintings were given some, and were paid. Interestingly, Bean thinks that in 200 years time only Gagarin, Armstrong, and possibly Aldrin and Lovell (because of the film "Apollo 13") will be rembered by anyone but experts (thought 1st (wo)man on Mars and 1st Commander of a permanent city in space may be known). Mercury, Gemini, Skylab and Alan Bean will be forgotten.
Bean signed 2 FDCs of mine - one completing the Apollo 12 crew, another completing his Skylab crew. Also signed a Skylab photo.
I think Bean was more popular because he keeps raising his prices. One dealer ahead of me got 20-30 FDCs signed, saving $500-800 on Bean's through-the-mail price!
The Star Wars people in the same room had very few people come up to them while I was there.
Interesting day, glad I went. Didn't time to do anything but pick up catalogues from some of the dealers - one from Germany and one from Switzerland look as if they have realistic prices and good items - good world leaders. Frasers (from London) have a photo of 10 Downing Street signed by the 5 living PMs - will only cost you £575 ($860!!!). I think I'll give them a miss.
All the people who wrote me said that Bean's line was much longer than the others. I think it may have a little to do with his autograph policies: he charges an extra surcharge for overseas requests (stating that he doesn't like to fill out customs forms). Perhaps the others were already obtained through the mail by most of the attendees? Or maybe it's simply because he provided a discount at the show. Either way, it shows how savvy collectors at these events have become.
I had a "representative" of sorts at Autographica. A friend, Geoff Pollard, took a photograph along and got it signed by Anthony Daniels. It was a Star Wars photo already signed by Sir Alec Guinness.
5/13/00--As I was browsing the Internet I noticed that Stephen King's website has an official policy posted on autographs. King was once a pretty good signer through the mail but I guess he's overwhelmed at present.
Signed photographs of King are rare. I wrote to him around 1993 and sent a photograph of him with a candle and raven--he returned the photo unsigned with a photocopied office memo he sent to his secretaries. The memo said that he was sick of seeing this photo and if another one crossed his desk that he would throw it in the trash! I tried to find another photo but couldn't so I gave up on getting a signed photo. However, I did manage to get a nice FDC signed.
I know a little about the circumstances for which they posted the information about the "unofficial web page." It is actually the web page of another autograph collector who displayed a signed photo of King. He got a nasty email from King's office threatening legal action if he didn't take it down. The office wrongly assumed that he was telling other collectors to write to King for signed photos.
An interesting saga developed on eBay this week. It seems that a man who put up an undiscovered treasure for auction. The man said he cleared out his basement and his wife demanded that he sell a painting he found there because it "looked like it was done by a nutcase." It turns out that the painting may have been executed by a famous artist and fevered bidding ensued. See the auction here!
The seller even added this phrase to the auction later:
I contacted an attorney and he told me to add the following: "This painting is sold in the same manner as the other items I am selling on eBay, and requires full payment within 7 days of the auction, in advance of delivery to the buyer, and is sold as described in the auction description, without representations as to authorship or authenticity."
The painting finally sold for $135,805. Touching story? Perhaps not. It turns out that investigation after the sale showed that he wasn't married! It seems that the entire story was fabricated to sell the painting. Also, he didn't need to "contact" an attorney--he WAS an attorney! The authenticity of the painting is in doubt of course.
Again, be careful on eBay!
5/1/00--My page counter rolled over to 100,000! Luckily the 100,000th visitor contacted me, and as a special celebration I am planning a "collector profile" on this person. Additionally I am sending him a small prize for his collection (I won't tell what it is until he gets it.) Keep watching this page for this fascinating profile, which should be posted later in the week.
I saw a very interesting item on eBay this week. One of my favorite books is "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl. I've always planned to collect the autographs of the entire crew, most of whom are deceased. This is a tough problem, since I doubt many people asked anyone but Heyerdahl for an autograph. Imagine my surprise this week when there was a postal cover signed by the entire crew for sale! I bid an awful lot of money, but was overwhelmed in the end--it turns out that there must be a lot of avid fans of this incredible book out there.
Buzz Aldrin is planning a booktour, as well as Gordon Cooper. For more details, visit CollectSpace.
4/24/00--The UK is about to celebrate a major autograph event entitled Autographica. Autograph Central has pre-arranged a signing with the participants of this event for US (and other) collectors. Follow this link for more information.
Dawn Wells of Gilligan's Island fame sells signed photographs from her web site, www.dawn-wells.com. Prices are reasonable, at $15 per photo. I have heard that she does not sign through the mail for free anymore.
4/21/00--I predict that in the next two weeks my web site will have its 100,000th visitor. What a number! I never thought that my site would have so much traffic in my wildest dreams.
I've purposely kept my site off the major search engines. I've always wanted my web page to be somewhat of a private secret among serious collectors. Other web sites such as Autograph Central and Chip's Celebrity Addresses have much more traffic of course because they are higher-profile, but I think a hundred thousand hits is something to think about.
If you are the 100,000th person to visit my page, please let me know. It will be interesting to see who that person is.
Fraser's has a new web site. This UK-based company is one of Europe's oldest autograph dealers, but don't rush to buy anything from them just yet. Their prices are typically two or three times what they should be. I wonder why British dealers find it necessary to inflate the prices of autographs so much. Still, it's fun to look at the catalog. I must admit that I seriously thought about buying that wonderful Louis Armstrong autograph from 1933, the one in which he refers to his trumpet as "Little Satchmo," but I resisted temptation when I saw the price.
The Odyssey Group sent out an email "e-zine" with the title "Collectibles Stable as Stocks Tumble." I was somewhat repulsed by the title of this, as it implies that autographs are mere investments. Moreover, I think it's misleading.
I've never believed that autographs, or any other collectibles, are good investments. First, if one purchases from a dealer, the dealer must mark up the cost of the autograph to make a profit. Even if an autograph appreciates 10% a year, it will take almost ten years to break even with most items bought from a dealer. (Although online auctions such as eBay may be advantageous in this regard.) Second, this assumes that the market will steadily rise, which it will not in all cases. Third, I can assure you that a good mutual fund or a well-picked stock will outperform just about any autograph out there.
The main point of the matter, though, is that I don't think it's really proper for the Odyssey Group to publish claims like this. After all, they ARE autograph dealers themselves. I don't like the fact that they are planting seeds in the minds of new collectors that autographs are good "investments," only to offer them their own autograph stock on the next page. This is conflict of interest, and unfair.
4/9/00--It's been busy for me in the past few weeks, hence the delay in updating this page. Sorry for that.
Fred Haise, one of the best signers of all time, recently announced that he has quit signing autographs. This comes on the coattails of another major signer who has quit signing, Gerald Ford.
I think the days of obtaining free autographs through the mail are quickly coming to an end, based on several factors: 1) quick and widespread dissemination of information through the internet, including signing habits and addresses, 2) commercialization of autographs, especially through online auction (and the fact that celebrities monitor those auctions), 3) Indiscriminate articles published by collecting magazines emphasizing the commercialization of autographs and provide a step-by-step formula for obtaining autographs through the mail from generous celebrities 4) the growing number of collectors, particularly the ones who do not observe proper etiquette when writing or meeting celebrities, or those who simply do not know when enough is enough.
For an example of the chaotic state of autograph collecting and its implications, here's something that happened to me this week. I noticed that a certain auction closed on eBay for a ridiculous sum. The item was signed by two celebrities who sign through the mail. Later I received three emails asking for information on how to obtain these people through the mail. I also saw a similar item for sale inscribed to someone I know, someone I helped out a while back to GET these signatures. Is there any wonder why celebrities give up?
I don't think that free autographs will generally be obtainable in five years. In any case I regret that Haise decided to quit entirely instead of charging a signing fee. Perhaps he may change his mind about that--I remember when Edgar Mitchell was unobtainable through the mail and now he's easy to get with his low fee.
On the subject of astronauts--William Hanson asked me to review his article on Apollo autographs that has been published in this month's Autograph Times. I obtained a copy and think it's an excellent review of the subject--informative and well-written. Be sure to pick up a copy.
I've also been watching the HBO series "From the Earth To The Moon." If anyone has an interested in space autographs, this should be required viewing I think. They do a great job of showing how difficult and daunting the job really was back then.
I haven't obtained too many new acquisitions for my collection, though I've managed to buy a few nice items: a Scott Carpenter ALS, a Jim Irwin signed credit card receipt (I love signed receipts and checks!), and a signed photo of Dizzy Gillespie. The Carpenter letter marks a nice milestone because I am trying to get letters from each of the original Mercury astronauts, and so far I have Carpenter, Glenn, Cooper, and Slayton... only a few more to go! Also, I always wanted a photo of Gillespie. When he died I was working on getting a photographic print of Gillespie from a New Orleans photographer, but Gillespie died before I could obtain it. This fills a gap in the collection I think I've had since then.
3/25/00--The flaw in my Guestbook was fixed. If you had trouble signing in, please try again now!
3/22/00--Here's a news item of particular interest to collectors of signed checks and contracts. Jerry Orbach is suing eBay and the History Store because they advertised the sale of two of Orbach's contracts from 1958.
The contracts had Orbach's social security number and he claims that he was the victim of identity theft.
I think the concern over "identity theft" from checks and contracts on eBay is unfounded. In reality, our checks are exposed to strangers every day. How many times do we send checks to people we don't know? So eBay is only an extension of this. And thieves don't require eBay to find out social security numbers. Silly lawsuits like this may make eBay go out of business, however.
3/16/00--Thomas Ferebee, the bombardier of the Enola Gay (the first plane to drop an atomic bomb in combat) died today. He was 81 years old. Ferebee was very kind to autograph collectors, and was especially kind to me having signed several items over the years. He will be missed.
Steve Grad of GradInk kindly submitted two in-person examples of Bob Hope's signature (see comments below, under "2/26/00"). They were obtained in-person about 5 years ago, at a function at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Again, more scribbles, and more controversy over authenticating his signature. I appreciate the fact that Steve supplied these examples.
I am happy to say that Chip, of "Chip's Celebrity Addresses" has received his transplant. He asks me to inform people not to send email at this time because he is unable to answer at present.
I have been informed that at a recent Radio Shack promotion in Denver, astronaut Buzz Aldrin came prepared with pre-printed autographed photos, which he refused to sign authentically. (However, he would sign other items that people brought.) The store advertised that the first 2000 people would receive free signed photographs. It seems that many people are stretching the definition of "signed" these days.
I recently read a post on the UACC bulletin board about eBay and fakes. The author condemned eBay for not policing its collectibles auctions. Here's my reply--what do you think?
"I've seen many posts similar to this, and to be sure the issue of fakes on eBay is a legitimate problem. But in reality, what do you want eBay to do?
"First of all, autographs CAN'T be authenticated through a scan-- you have to do it in the presence of the document. So it is IMPOSSIBLE for eBay to authenticate autographs, even if it tried. Second, it would bankrupt them if they had to hire a staff to authenticate the hundred thousand or so collectible items on eBay every day even if they could do so.
"eBay is not a multimillion dollar trading firm. It's a software program, accessible to buyers and sellers. You wouldn't hold Microsoft accountable if you got a bad email, would you? It's the same concept.
"The rules of eBay are simple: deal only with those people you know, and never risk more money than you would be willing to lose outright in a bad transaction. Otherwise you will get burned and have no one to blame other than yourself."
2/29/00-- Astronaut Alan Bean has raised prices again for signing through the mail. Now philatelic covers or cards have now been raised to $50 (up from $30), Beta-cloth patches and name tags are now $100.00. Books, baseballs, and other three-dimensional items are now $45 (up from $40).
For years I have searched for an autograph of a particular celebrity but I am unsure if there are even any in existence. Years ago in college I studied archaeology extensively, with a slant toward the study of Greek vases. In doing so I became familiar with the work of the archaelogist Sir John Beazley. Sir John Beazley (1885-1970) was Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at Oxford from 1925-1956. (Read more about Beazley on this web page, from the Oxford web site).A world authority on Greek Art, he established the study of Greek vases as a legitimate branch of archaeology. Beazley was a remarkable man, and had a perfect memory--it was said that he could see two fragments of a vase in two different cities ten years apart and still recognize that the pieces fit together. Virtually everything he wrote in his long career was correct and insightful, and he was one of the most brilliant scholars of all time. I doubt that anyone at the time had the foresight or desire to ask him for an autograph, but I would be highly interested in one if it came on the market. (Please let me know if you have seen one!)
2/26/00--Bob Zebrowski submitted the following story about an in-person encounter with Bob Hope:
About 1975 I went with my mother to pick-up my father at the Philadelphia Airport. I was only 10 years old and my father was an executive with ITT (a frequent flyer before they awarded miles). I waited with my mother and my best friend (who came along for the thrill of jets) at the end of the ramp leading up from the jetway door. The door opened and the first class passengers (including my father - Business travel was better in those days) started walking towards us. I was excited to see my dad; however, all of a sudden my mother started screaming "That's Bob Hope! That's Bob Hope! Mr. Hope was in somewhat of a disguise and was instantly horrified at my mothers screams. The people he was traveling with, as well as the airport staff, rushed him quickly to a small office in the terminal. The poor airport staff then tried to convince my mother that she did not see Bob Hope. Mom would not hear of it and insisted on waiting for Hope to emerge from the office. After a few minutes Mr. Hope emerged and was kind enough sign an autograph for my friend and me. The first pen he tried wouldn't write so my mother provided another. He was very to nice to my friend and me although he was obviously disgusted with my mother. My father was basically embarrassed as hell. I attached a scan of the autograph you can see the scribbles from the first pen next to the B in Bob.
We all have moms who were like that, don't we?
The scan he sent is a useful example of a rare in-person Bob Hope autograph. It's been rumored that Hope hasn't signed through the mail since the 1950's. His signature is basically just a scribble so it's hard to authenticate. Here's a through-the-mail signature from around 1981. Look at this and compare with the in-person example above. What do you think?
The autograph of the week this week is my new Neil Armstrong autograph. I purchased it of course--Armstrong hasn't been signing for the past year even in person, or through the mail since 1994. I've been browsing through eBay and have been disturbed by some of the elaborate stories that accompany Armstrong forgeries. Most claim that they were obtained from Armstrong in-person and might even have photos of him allegedly signing the item. However, a quick glance at the signature shows that it is a fake. The means by which forgers "legitimize" their work is impressive, and I think everyone should keep this in mind when buying autographs. The days of trust in this hobby seem to be fading away.
2/21/00--Well, the contest results are very interesting. The winner is Jörg Wenk, from Germany. He submitted a scan of Charles II of England. Although the signature is not dated, Charles II died in 1685, so it must be before then. Jörg has a thoughtful web page on the subject of British royalty and prime ministers so be sure to visit it.
Second place goes to David Atkatz, who submitted a wonderful signature of Sir Isaac Newton from 1702. Many others submitted late-18th century examples. Thank you to all who took time to look through their collections in order to participate.
There is a new web site by London dealer Adam Andrusier that is worth a look. I receive his catalogs and bought my George Gershwin autograph from him a while back. I think he has a great stock, and seems to be really selective in finding better material. Also, his prices are pretty reasonable, especially compared to some other UK dealers.
2/15/00--Some people had trouble submitting their oldest autograph contenders for my contest (see below for details.) So I am extending the "oldest autograph contest" until Sunday, February 20th. Please let me know what autographs you have that can beat my 1840 autograph of James Fenimore Cooper. I think it is fun to see which of the regular visitors to this page have old autographs.
My email address for this should be drstephenbeck@yahoo.com.
2/14/00--The UACC now has a page of links to eBay auctions conducted by its dealer members. Although not foolproof, this is the best way to ensure good transactions. I recommend using these dealers on eBay over those selected at random.
I updated my "How I Got This Autograph" page to discuss my Gherman Titov autographs. Be sure to take a look.
About two weeks ago I was watching one of my favorite programs on PBS entitled "Antiques Road Show." The premise is that ordinary citizens bring in their treasured items for appraisals to a travelling group of experts, and the best results are filmed. In this particular segment, a lady showed a photograph of Marilyn Monroe signed in red ink. The "expert" said that it was an authentic Monroe autograph and that the red ink proved it was her, because she signed only in red. This was ridiculous, and the Monroe signature was an obvious secretarial. I thought that maybe I was the only one who noticed this, but a bulletin from Odyssey Group reported that they noticed it too. Tonight the same expert valued a half-melted fork that was picked up from the Hindenberg wreckage to be worth about $8000-10,000. This is also insane, since similar pieces of wreckage have sold in the past for $100-300. Looks like they need some better experts on that show. I just hope that the people who are getting these appraisals aren't too heartbroken when they try to sell their items.
2/9/00--I had an interesting correspondence today about my Cooper check (see it here.) There is a web page that describes what Cooper was doing on individual days of his life. Though there is no specific entry for February 21, 1840, the date of my check, it does mention the following:
Jan. c.12-May c.10 Cooperstown B:564-576
Mar. 14: publication of The Pathfinder (Philadelphia)
...indicating that Cooper was in Cooperstown, NY, when he wrote my check, and that it was three weeks before the date of publication of his book "The Pathfinder."
Does anyone else know of similar web pages in which the schedules of historical celebrities are documented in a similar way?
The Houston UACC show had four prominent astronauts in attendance for signing, including Alan Bean and Edgar Mitchell. Jeremy Theoret of Apollospace.com was there, and has a number of high-quality items in his inventory at present. Be sure to check it out. He is also now offering some great 11X14 oversized photographs.
The contest (see below) is still going, but as of yet I haven't heard from anyone. Please let me know what your oldest autograph is!
2/8/00--I would like to have a little contest, just to satisfy my curiousity. Who out there has the oldest autograph, of a "big name celebrity?" My personal oldest would be a check signed by James Fenimore Cooper (you can see it here.) I'm sure some of the visitors to my web page can easily beat that, so drop me an email to let me know. The one with the oldest autograph by, let's say Sunday, wins--with recognition on this page. (Sorry, no other prizes--although a true contest may be in the works for a later date.)
Astronaut Gene Cernan has raised his signing fees for items already signed by another astronaut. Now it costs $100 for items signed by others, and $50 for items that he alone will sign. Again, this is another indicator of how crazy this branch of autograph collecting has become.
2/7/00--Here's some bad news for space collectors. AVD/Space Source has raised its custom autograph fees to prohibitive prices. This service allows you to submit an item to an astronaut for signing, as long as it is accompanied by the appropriate fee. Now the fees are too high--for instance, the cost to get Scott Carpenter's signature on an item is a base of $49 plus a "handling/processing fee" of $40, plus optional insurance. The service is therefore too costly to be practical.
Also of note: David Scott's contract with AVD has expired, and hasn't been renewed. So Scott's signature, which is very rare, is no longer available from this source. It has been said that Scott has "quirky" views on his autograph, and is very reluctant to sign, so there is a strong possibility that the window of opportunity to buy an inexpensive signature from this moonwalker has passed.
I will scan the order form soon for the benefit of the visitors to my page.
This week's "Autograph of the Week" is a photograph of Larry "Bud" Melman that is signed by David Letterman. I wrote to him about ten years ago hoping for a signed photo, but instead got this unusual photo instead. Maybe Letterman ran out of his own photos. I don't know absolutely if the autograph is genuine but I have been told by several sources that he sent out authentic autographs at the time. In any case, it's one of the most unusual responses I've ever had.
The other autograph is from Titanic survivor Millvina Dean. A number of these postal covers were for sale immediately after the film "Titanic" was released. It seems that the initial furor over survivor autographs has finally died down somewhat, although demand is still firm for these signatures. I've always found it strange, though, that the price of an autograph from a living survivor like Dean meets or exceeds the price of an autograph of a Titanic victim like John Jacob Astor! I guess it's just one of the many ironies of our hobby.
1/31/00--Here's an interesting page I found pertaining to the private collection of a space enthusiast: http://www.bigcollectibles.com.
Here's a quick reminder about my link policy. As far as I'm concerned, my "Links page" is my personal collection of sites I enjoy browsing. I don't "swap links" and I don't like pressure to include particular pages in the links. Also, I usually wait about 2 or 3 months before I will include a page I've found, just to make sure that the webpage creator is serious about keeping the site going.
Recently I've had some problems with annoying dealers who want me to "swap links." Usually I get about three different emails or so a week asking me to include a site on my page. The email usually starts out with some fake flattery and then asks me to add the link. One recent dealer in particular, a sports dealer, seemed to think that it was a special honor for a link to MY page to be on HIS web site, and that "the only catch" was that I should include a link to his page as well. A quick glance at the page showed that about 25% of his inventory is bogus. I also have about eighty thousand more hits to my site than his. Thank you, but my page is doing OK on its own.
I guess the bottom line is that if your page has any merit at all I'll find you and include you.
Here's an interesting page that a collector has made regarding bad transactions on eBay. Read this before you leap into big deals on that site.
Speaking of eBay, sometimes you do get lucky. Last week I had my best eBay success ever--I bought a Sieger stamp block signed by Neil Armstrong for only $76. I'm convinced of authenticity (about half of all Armstrongs on eBay are fakes but this one is a nice example.) So if you are careful sometimes eBay can pay off, though I don't recommend it for beginners.
To all the people going to the Houston show next weekend (to see Mitchell, Bean, and the rest) have a good time!
The UACC web site now has a bulletin board. Be sure to check it out.
1/23/00--Today I updated the "Links" page and the "Dealers" page.
1/19/00--There is an excellent new website that should be required reading for all autograph collectors. It is entitled The Autograph Forgery Defense Site, and although geared toward athletic autographs it has invaluable advice for all collectors. The author has a very eloquent way of writing and is obviously a very intelligent expert in authentication. Please take a look.
A story on CNN announced that actress Hedy Lamarr has died. This is shocking to me, since I received a signed photo of her only last week. Lamarr lived most of her later years in seclusion and rarely granted autograph requests, so I feel fortunate to have received one from her.
Sy Sussman is now defunct. This company was well-known among collectors as the cheapest source of photographs, but the company announced that December 31st was its last day of business. The end of an era!
Speaking of photograph sources, I received a photo I ordered from Mirrorpix (http://www.mirrorpix.com). The photo turned out very well and I think I will gladly order from them if I need photos in the future.
General Chuck Yeager, first man to break the sound barrier, is selling signed flown first day covers through this web site: http://www.jps.net/siegfried/yeager/. The price is expensive, at $100 per cover, especially since the signature is in pencil, but may be worthwhile for die-hard fans of Yeager.
It's interesting to note that Yeager is selling covers of his 1997 re-creation of his flight for the 50th anniversary of his original flight. For a while he refused to sign covers with the 50th anniversary stamp on them; I suppose he had these covers around and wanted to preserve the value of them.
I was recently discussing autographs with two European collectors and found out that they did not know how to purchase US stamps to use on return envelopes. It's very simple--the US Postal Service has their own website from which they now sell stamps. I even use this web site, as I've found it more convenient to pay the $1 in postage instead of going to my local post office to wait in line. Go to http://www.usps.gov for more information on how to purchase US stamps.
1/17/00--Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the in-person message board--I have enjoyed reading all the in-person autograph experiences posted so far. If you haven't posted your own story, please go to the front page and click on "Post a Message on My Message Board." (Also, if you haven't signed the Guestbook, please sign in!)
Caleb Gluck of Golden State Autographs has announced officially that he will no longer publish a regular catalog. Instead he will sell his stock solely through eBay. See my "Links" page (at the bottom) for a link to his auctions.
I recently purchased two signed copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird" from a bookstore in Monroeville, Alabama, city of residence of Harper Lee. The books were available as part of a private signing with Miss Lee (and had to be ordered in advance, so none are left over). The owners of the bookstore were told by Harper Lee that she did not enjoy the booksigning and has decided that she will no longer sign autographs in general. So it seems that the era of being able to obtain autographs from this reclusive celebrity is now over.
Russ Still, author of the spectacular book "Relics of the Space Race," now has a web page called ValueSign. This is an attempt to help stop the fraud in space memorabilia which has afflicted eBay since its inception. The website provides estimates of the values of selected space-related items at any given time on eBay, including low estimates on obvious forgeries. I applaud Russ's efforts, though I think the problem is too rampant to police anymore. Also, you can't really authenticate an item through a scan, and some forgeries are bound to slip by. I still think the best advice for eBay is 1) bid on items presented by known, trusted dealers, 2) risk only the money that you can afford to risk, 3) deal with UACC members and verify their UACC status, 4) read the auction details very carefully, 5)know the autograph on which you are bidding.
1/6/00--While I was in San Francisco I stumbled upon the Booksmith, which is a great bookstore on Haight Street in the famous (notorious?) Haight-Ashbury district. It is one of the bookstores from which I buy signed books over the internet. (http://www.booksmith.com/) The Booksmith sells many modern first editions which have been signed by the author. The best deal at present is Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" (50th anniversary edition) for only $16.95. There was an impressive stack of these books in the middle of the store when I was there.
Walter Benjamin Autographs is perhaps the oldest autograph firm in the U.S., having been founded in 1887. Now this giant in the field of autographs has a web site at http://www.benjaminautographs.com. On the web page, owner Christopher C. Jaeckel hints that the company is converting from paper catalogs to a full-time online site. It's about time!
In general I think that the idea of web-based autograph dealers makes sense. Paper catalogs are very costly to produce--if a catalog costs $4 per person, and a mailing list has 400 people, it's easy to see why a free web-based system is appealing. I think that the savings should be passed, at least in part, along to the collector.
1/5/00--Happy New Year! I just got back from my millenium celebrations in San Francisco, where I had a fantastic time. I rang in the New Year at the Embarcadero with plenty of champagne and parties afterwards. I hope everyone else had a wonderful celebration.
There has been a problem with the web page (and it wasn't Y2K related). Somehow the code for the main page was truncated and Netscape browsers failed to display the page. Sorry for the inconvenience, as I couldn't fix the problem while on vacation.
For the autograph of the week, I am displaying a great letter that was written to me by Glenn Seaborg (atomic scientist/discoverer of Plutonium), only months before he had a catastrophic stroke. This fantastic letter outlines his opinions regarding the most significant scientific advance of the Twentieth Century, which is rather sad since he did not live to see the close of that century. I thought that the letter would have special meaning at this particular time.
