Autographs

The value of a celebrity autograph is a curiosity to me. I just don't understand why a person's signature is so dear to so many. The market is driven by two things, the rarity of the autograph and the celebrity of the signer. The most valuable autograph of a living being today would surprise you. It's not from the kind of celebrity that gets media attention. Instead, it is the former astronaut and first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong. His autograph is worth more than $6000. It seems that Armstrong doesn't sign autographs, so if you have one of his you can get rich quick by selling it to one of those autograph collectors ("philogaphy" is the term for the collecting of autographs).

Comedian Steve Martin avoids signing autographs by using his wit. He carries business cards which he hands to fans requesting an autograph. The cards reads, "This certifies that you have had a personal encounter with me and that you found me warm, polite, intelligent and funny.

The current celebrity who signs more autographs than any other is George Clooney. George thinks it is a duty to sign for anyone who asks. But many other celebrities think it is too time consuming or that the person asking is profiting from the autographs. So many refuse to sign. The former Beatle, Ringo Starr, recently announced he wouldn't sign autographs anymore because it took up too much of his time to do so.

But wait before buying a collection of autographs! The FBI did a study of the sale of autographs and found that 70% of those sold on line are fakes. Celebrities sometimes authorize secretaries or someone else to sign their for them. This, the use of "auto pens" and outright forgery of autographs by crooks accounts for many of the fakes being sold to collectors. That's why authenticators are used to verify if the signature is genuine. The value of a person's autograph will often rise rapidly after their death. This is known in the collectibles industry as "James Dean Effect", after the late actor who died very young and without signing many autographs. I read recently that a legitimate James Dean Autograph will sell for about $15,000.

Oh, if you want my autograph I'll gladly give it to you for what it's worth....absolutely nothing.