Stephen Beck's Autograph Page

If you send a photograph or another item for the celebrity to sign your chances of getting an authentic autograph are much, much better. Finding an interesting photograph to send is a challenging and fun part of the hobby of collecting autographs by mail.

Note: be sure to contact each company for up-to-date prices.

Photograph Companies:

In my opinion, the best source of general photographs is Movie Star News; 134 W 18th St; NY NY 10011
(Include $5 for an illustrated series of catalogs with regular updates.) They offer photos mainly of movie stars, but also of celebities in other fields such as sports. Color photos are $5, Black and White are $3. The quality of photographs varies considerably.

Other good sources of photographs:

Hummerdude's; P.O. Box 4348; Dunellen, NJ 08812. Sports and entertainment photography.

An photograph obtained from Space Images, signed by Buzz Aldrin

News Agencies:

News agencies document special events with photography and they have the potential to become a vast resource to a collector who is willing to spend time and effort conducting research to find a particular image.

One may often buy photographs of local celebrites and events from the local newspaper. Photography departments sell  photographs taken by their photographers. As this policy will vary from  newspaper to newspaper contact the one in your area for more information. This is often an inexpensive source for photos.  A collector with access to a good public library may have access to archives of many newspapers from across the nation and world and therefore may be able to locate interesting photographs taken by local photographers.

One may also try obtaining photographs from national newspapers, magazines, and news services. These are often very expensive and impractical for most situations, but they are sometimes the only source                available for certain photographs. Here are two such sources:
 

U.S. Government Sources:

Photographs of current (and some recently retired) Supreme Court justices can be obtained from:

· Supreme Court Historical Society; US Supreme Court; 1 First St. NE; Washington, DC 20543
(202)554-8300 or (888)539-4438

Items available include formal and informal group shots and individual portraits. Prices start at $10 for 5x7, $15 for 8x10, a bit more for group shots. Color and b/w photos are available. Be advised that many of the photos are not well-suited to autographs, as they feature dark foregrounds and backgrounds. The individual portraits of Breyer and Ginsburg are the best for signing.

· The United States Department of Defense sells photographs related to military subjects from 1982 to the present. Photos are inexpensive but you must know what photo you are looking for. You must also pay a research fee for the photograph. Contact the department at this address for more information: Customer Services; DoD Still Media Records Center; Bldg 168, Anacostia; 2701 South Capitol St SW; Washington DC 20374-5080.

· The Defense Visual Information Center, 1363 Z Street, Bldg 2730, March AFB, CA 92518-2717, (telephone: (909)413-2522) maintains the official photographic records of the Armed Forces. Each collection encompasses the activities of a specific Service from the following dates: Army, 1955; Air Force, 1954; Navy, 1958; and Marine Corps, 1959.

· Information concerning Air Force photographs predating 1954 can be obtained by writing to the National Air and Space Museum, Information Management Division, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560 (telephone: (202)357-3133).  The NASM also has a limited number of images pertaining to the space program.

The National Archives also sells photographs of historical and contemporary subjects. These photos are excellent and are great for signing or to frame with signatures of historical figures.

In previous years the process of finding a photograph through the National Archives was tedious and complicated. One sent a letter to the Still Pictures Branch to ask if a photograph was available, and several months later (if at all) one would receive a reply. Luckily, there has been an effort recently to digitize the National Archive’s holdings and place it on the Internet to assist with locating specific images. This has simplified the process tremendously. A search engine is now available on the Internet and photographs may be viewed before ordering. However, to purchase a photograph one must select a private vendor as the National Archives no longer prints its own photos. Specific information regarding authorized vendors can be found on the web site.

The National Archives of Canada also supplies photographs of Canadian-related subjects such as the U.S. National Archives.

Another often-overlooked resource is the network of presidential libraries.  Each former U.S. president since Herbert Hoover has a presidential library maintained by the National Archives which contains archives of presidential activities while the president was in office, and each library sells photographs from the archives to the public.  Not only are presidents and first families represented, but contemporary personalities and events are often documented by the photographs.  The photographs are moderately-priced (usually between $10 to $25 each.)  Contact the respective presidential library through their photography departments for more information.

George Bush Presidential Library; 1000 George Bush Drive W.; College Station, Texas 77845
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; 40 Presidential Dr; Simi Valley CA 93065
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library; One Copenhill; Atlanta GA 30307
Gerald Ford Presidential Library; 303 Pearl St NW; Grand Rapids MI 49504
Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace; 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd; Yorba Linda CA 92686
Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library; 2313 Red River St; Austin TX 78705
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library; Columbia Point; Boston, MA 02125
Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, 200 S.E. 4th Street, Abilene, KS 67410
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library; US Highway 24 & Delaware; Independence, MO 64050-1798
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum; 511 Albany Post Road; Hyde Park, NY 12538
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library; West Branch, Iowa 52358
 

Other items for signing:
 

Books: You can always visit your local bookstore for books to send to celebrities, but spending $20-30 on each book tends to become very expensive quickly! A good way around this problem is to find a good source of overstock books. Overstocks are surplus books that are slightly out-of-date and are hard to sell, so bookstores sell them at huge discounts. The best source of overstocks is Edward R. Hamilton, Bookseller. This company sells overstocked books at very low prices, mostly in the $3-5 range. Ask for a free catalog by writing to: Edward R. Hamilton, Falls Villiage CT 06031-5000 or visit their web site.

 Other sources of overstocks online are Daedalus Books and Book Express.

The best online source of books at full price is Amazon Books.

 Bureau of Engraving and Printing
c/o Order Processing Department
PO Box 371594
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7594

Small engravings (5x7, image about 2x2 1/2) are generally $4.00, large engravings (8x10, image about 4x5) are generally $4.50, postpaid. Write to the above address for further details and a current pricelist. Items are slightly cheaper if purchased in person at the BEP souvenir gift shop in Washington, DC.

Two online sources include Fleetwood's and Smith and Son

 Political Americana
685 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202)547-1871 or (800)333-4555 for orders
Two other branches in Georgetown and Union Station, DC

 Capitol Coin and Stamp
1701 L St. NW
Washington DC 20036

 Contact them directly as their stock changes almost daily.

Next: Address sources