Autograph Collections

As the word is used by historians, the term ‘autograph’ has come to mean a person’s signature, more generally, the term ‘autograph’ refers to any document that was written entirely in the author’s own handwriting. The common usage of the word ‘autograph’ is used in particular to refer to the practice of collecting celebrity signatures.

Interestingly, in East Asia is it considered an honor to receive or own the autograph of a high official or famous gentry. For example, the value bearing the autograph of a high official can rise incredibly as did the autograph of more than one Chinese emperor. Though such rare and highly sought autographs may be priceless, the sale of any item bearing such an autograph was sometimes considered to be a criminal offense.

Though many celebrities such as actors, actresses and other public personalities still enjoy signing autographs for free, there are also many celebrities and types of public characters that charge for autographs. For example, within professional sports there are many athletes that do not sign free autographs in order to discourage disorder and potential injury that can occur in gatherings were avid autograph collectors tend to swarm.

Within the acting and musician categories of celebrity autographs, there are several celebrities that have come out openly against celebrities that are unwilling to honor their fans with autographs and autograph signing sessions. These celebrities feel strongly about giving back to their fans by indulging in requests like autograph granting.

In the 1990s there was a markedly increased number of forged celebrity autographs. Many people see the emergence of popular online auctions as being a key factor in this rise of fake celebrity autographs. Some celebrities responded by deciding to sign exclusive deals with distribution companies in an attempt to ensure that everyone that paid for an autograph got an authentic signature. Other celebrities stopped signing autographs altogether.

Some of the most popular types of autographs to collect are autographs from movie stars and sports idols, as well as singers, teen idols, music groups, social, political and religious leaders, authors and scientists.

Oftentimes autograph collectors will specialize in a particular category such as military leaders or Nobel Prize winners. Or autograph collectors may concentrate on specific documents, such as signatures of those that signed the U.S. Constitution or the Charter of the European Common Union.

As with other areas of collecting, the autograph collecting market is saturated with forged documents and signatures. It is nearly impossible for the average collector to determine whether an autograph or documents are genuine, unaltered articles.

Forgers go to extensive lengths to recreate official looking documents. If you are planning on spending a lot of money to obtain an autograph, you may wish to verify its authenticity by consulting an expert.

Many celebrities and public officials use autopen signatures. Since the 1950s nearly all American presidents have signed their correspondence using one of these machines. An autopen machine can reproduce any message that is typed into the machine, as an image that looks like handwritten ink. A book written about the autopen machine and President Kennedy states that device was ‘the robot that helped to make a president’.

If you would like to find out more about autograph collecting, there are many interesting magazines and online communities that specialize in this fun hobby.

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