Five Ways to Determine if Your Autograph is Original

If you are a an autograph collector or thinking of buying an autograph from an auction store then sometimes you might encounter a situation where you need to determine the authenticity of the autograph. There are several ways to do that. Before buying any autograph you can ask the buyer whether it is certified by any recognized authentication organization.

With the recent enormous growth of autograph sellers on eBay, and the appearance of a multitude of new galleries and retailers offering expensive autographs, casual autograph collectors and one-time buyers have in many instances sought “certificates of authenticity” issued by the seller at the time of sale. As with any guarantee, these certificates are only as dependable as the seller issuing them.

In many instances, sellers will use a professional authenticator to determine the authenticity of the material they wish to bring to market. The autograph industry is currently contentiously split between two types of authenticators: those who rely upon their professional expertise and experience personally having collected and/or sold large inventories of autographs over a period of many years, and “forensic examiners” who rely on academic credentials. Disputes have led to court actions, most notably gallery owner American Royal Arts vs. Beatles autograph dealer Frank Caiazzo.

Potential autograph buyers uncertain of the legitimacy of the seller or authenticator should carefully research both parties.

Mostly autograph that appear on the internet auction sites are fake. This is why sometimes they can offer real low price. But the sad part of this is you are just paying for a piece of paper which is worthless.

When buying an autograph, you have to make sure that you are aware of what that person’s signature is meant to look like. We have seen many people who offer “Genuine” autographs for sale that include spelling mistakes in the name!

Always try to check the testimonials of the person you are buying from. Do not take for granted that people with high positive feedbacks are selling authentic items. The positive feedback usually means that they deliver on time, mostly because they are signing to orders. More reputable autograph dealers will usually give you more specifics about their autographs. For instance, when the autograph was signed, whom the autograph was made for etc. Always verify all the information before making any purchase.