RECOGNIZING THE FAKES

Every collector, no matter how good or how long they have been collecting has been fooled by a fake. However, after a while of collecting, they get an a feel for it. For the most part, a Sharpie marker autograph is the best and easiest to recognize as authentic. Most of the fakes you can tell by holding up to a light, placing it on a light table, or viewing closely through a loop. The best defense however is an education in autographs and autograph forgeries.

Here is a list of some of the techniques that are used to try and fool collectors:

1. Proxy or Secretarial - This is when a celebrity has their secretary or assistant, etc. sign their signature for them. Usually if an autograph is acquired through the mail and is a personalized response in Sharpie from a major star it is very likely to be signed by a secretary, but not always. In some cases the proxy signed photo is very good and other times it is not even close to what it should look like. So it is important to do research. Many magazines and web sites have authentic samples of their signatures to compare it with.

2. Pre-Print - This is when the celebrity signs one photo and has many copies made from it. Usually they are a just a little blurry and easy to recognize when held up to the light or viewed through a loop. Sometimes they use a heavy stock paper with a Matt, velvety or high gloss finish on the photo to help hide the pre-print..

3. Duo-Print - This is when an existing photo has a separate signature printed onto it so it appears raised off the surface and not part of the photo but it is also recognizable as a fake under a light or loop, and it looks unnatural and stiff.

4. Rubber Stamp - A rubber stamp is made from a signature and it definitely looks like a signature that has been rubber stamped. It also appears a little smeared and messy, or faded if the stamp pad is low in ink. This is usually the easiest type of fake to spot

5. Autopen - The autopen is a machine that traces a signature from a pattern or metal template. Some of the machines are better than others. The signatures look machine manufactured and start with the same indentation mark as they end. They have no flare or looseness to them, a drawn look, no variation in pressure and abrupt pen stops. Sometimes the ink bleeds out of the indented line. This machine can make an autograph appear as if it was signed with an ink pen because of the indent into the paper. So it is important to remember, that a Sharpie pen won't cause paper indentation and ball point pen signatures don't indent the paper as much as these machines. Pens and Sharpie signatures will have a slight fade out and loosening up after each word is written. However, if a heavy stock paper is being used, there is relatively little paper indentation with an autopen signature. Most modern fakes are Autopens.

6. Forgery ? This is an autographed photo being advertised and sold as authentic but in fact has been signed by someone other than the celebrity. There are good forgeries and some that don't even resemble the real signature. This is another good reason to be well educated on the specific autograph looks like.

There are numerous organizations and resources available that will help a collector to authenticate an autograph. However if the collector uses a reputable dealer with a long and good reputation and always gets an unconditional guarantee of lifetime authenticity then the risks are very low of getting ripped off.