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How to Detect a Forged Celebrity Autograph

Autographed memorabilia is fascinating to collect, although unscrupulous dealers often try to take advantage of naive collectors by selling them forgeries. Sports autographs, in particular, are often forged so that they can be sold to collectors who are often only concerned with the resale value of these items. In fact, the FBI estimates that every year nearly 1 billion dollars is lost on such forgery scams. For this reason, if you buy a celebrity autograph, you should definitely be sure to have this signature appraised by an experienced professional.

Things You'll Need

Healthy Skepticism
Patience
Time to Do Research
Willingness To Pay For An Appraisal By an Experienced Professional

Instructions

- 1
  Consider How the Seller of the Autograph Has Gained His Reputation. The truth is that dealers in autographed memoribilia stand or fall on the basis of their reputations. The only time when this is not true is when autographs for sale at places like Ebay lure impulse buyers to snap up a "good deal". Don't be in such a rush to buy that you forget to size up the character of the person you're buying from.
- 2
  Beware of High-Quality and Low-Quality Copies. Forgeries may vary in quality, but nevertheless they still are not authentic examples of autographed memoribilia. These copies are sometimes very difficult to detect, and it's wise to have the autograph for sale authenticated by an expert. If you skip this step, your chances for buying a forgered autograph increase astronomically.
- 3
  Be Skeptical of a Flawless Signature. Is an authentic celebrity autograph any less real if it is signed on a napkin? Of course not. On the other hand, are forgeries any more real if they are packaged attractively with a nice frame, a terrific glossy photo and a signature produced with shiny silver ink? A cool presentation can often mask a scam.
- 4
  Do Your Research. Some of the most flagrant forgeries can be avoided if you do some basic research. For example, if you are purchasing a celebrity's autographed memorabilia, you will certainly want to know what the celebrity's true signature is supposed to look like in the first place. This seems like a no-brainer, but when a buyer is eager to strike a good deal, he sometimes bargains without using his brains. Also, look to see what type of ink or paper was used, and find out if this is consistent with that used by the celebrity in question. For example, if you find a John Lennon autograph written on a fresh sheet of notebook paper, you should keep your money in your pocket.
- 5
  Listen to The Story the Seller Gives, and Take the Time to Verify It. His story may be entertaining to listen to, but does it make sense? More importantly, can it be verified? Take the time to verify a story behind a celebrity autograph. Forgeries are often pawned off when a seller does nothing more than simply to produce a sense of false urgency in the buyer.

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