Any Autograph Collectors Out There? I Need Advice.

[Hugh]

Hey boys and girls. I was wondering if any of you were into the world of autograph collecting? From the research I've done apparently the market is rife with counterfeits and there are "authenticators" out there. There is so much crap written about the authenticators that my head is spinning. I'm guessing a lot of the negative stuff is the usual Internet crap posted by competitors and it just goes on and on. What I need to know is who is a reputable autograph authenticator for musicians. I have four albums that I know are authentic because they were signed right in front of me by the band members. I've been into the music scene for a long time. I originally got bitten by the bug back in the early '70s when I had the right connections to get front row seats and backstage passes to virtually any concert I wanted to see. I went to a LOT of concerts! LOL

I have four signed albums I need to get authenticated so any help would be appreciated. They are:

1: Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy signed by Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham in Feb, 1975 at MSG.


2: The Who - Live At Leeds signed by Daltrey, Townsend, Entwhistle and Keith Moon in June, 1974 at MSG


3: AC/DC - Let There Be Rock signed by Angus and Malcolm Young, Bon Scott, Phill Rudd and Cliff Williams signed at The Palace Theater, Albany NY in Nov, 1977 (They opened for Rush that night)


4: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here signed by Gilmour, Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright in July 1977 at MSG.

 

[Miner]

Nice collection. Other than "Antiques Roadshow" I have no clue about authenticators. Perhaps check the local comic book store or sports card store for some referrals.
Miner

 

[Ponyboy]

Hugh, I got out of the collection hobby for just that reason: the autograph authentication and validation services are about as accurate as you or I.

I mostly centered my collection around historical political figures (Churchill, De Gaulle, Ben-Gurion, Roosevelt, Lenin) or authors that I liked. The best validation came from reputable auction houses which also provided the best guarantees but the prices can out of hand real fast.

 

[DocL]

Those are awesome. If they weren't so sentimental to you I'd buy the Pink Floyd one from yesterday.

Look up the names of the authenticators that shows such as "Pawn Stars" use. That may be your best starting place. Otherwise I have no idea.

 

[Hugh]

Look up the names of the authenticators that shows such as "Pawn Stars" use. That may be your best starting place. Otherwise I have no idea.

ROTF! Those rag tag cretins that Rick calls in when he can't value an item? That crap is all scripted or at the very least when Rick calls them they know in advance to give a low ball number for Rick so they can get their kickbacks.

 

[westernb4]

ROTF! Those rag tag cretins that Rick calls in when he can't value an item? That crap is all scripted or at the very least when Rick calls them they know in advance to give a low ball number for Rick so they can get their kickbacks.

Especially the doofus with the giant magnifying glass who claims to be a handwriting expert.

Forgery, as mentioned, is rampant. I collect very old books, and have been following the story of an entire forged Galileo book (the non-fraudulent book was published in 1611). This supposedly was Galileo's personal copy and bore his forged signature on its title page. It was so expertly done that an experienced NY dealer paid $100000 for it. Great article about this in New Yorker magazine a week and a half ago.