We are pleased to announce the debut of a brand new category on H_D Sports & Autographs: the much anticipated FOOTBALL category! The following items have been added to the inventory: FOOTBALL - Peyton Manning photo
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Aside from the authentic, hand-signed autograph, there are many other types of autographs that buyers and collectors need to be aware of. These include the autopen, the secretarial, the pre-print, and the outright forgery.
1) THE AUTOPEN - Autopens are probably the most difficult for new collectors to recognize. Firstly, the signature is actually signed in ink. The signature appears to match known authentic samples so the buyer thinks, "Hey, I've got the real thing here!" The experienced collector will be able to spot the autopen signature by examining the pen strokes. When a person writes their signature, they often "pick up" their pen several times (try this for yourself and you'll see what I mean)! Your signature is often not done in one, uniform pen stroke, but the autopen is. You can also spot an autopen signature when you see other people's items who have the EXACT SAME signature as yours. How this works is that a pre-programmed machine (with a carefully placed pen) signs your photo. 2) THE SECRETARIAL - Secretarial signatures are difficult to spot, but can be recognized if you know your celebrity or athlete's tendencies. "A"-list celebrities often employ secretaries, as well as stars who just don't want the hassle of dealing with fan mail. Secretarials are hand-signed signatures, but they are done by a secretary or someone who represents the athlete or celebrity. Some of them are very good at reproducing the signatures, so they can be hard to spot. However, secretaries don't always "get it right," so if you compare the signatures to a known authentic sample (in person, for example), you should be able to tell the difference. 3) THE PRE-PRINT - Pre-prints are usually pretty easy to pick out, but not always. Pre-print signatures are just that: signatures that have been pre-printed onto a photo or card. How this works is that the celebrity or athlete signs an original document (photo or card), and then thousands upon thousands of this sample are reproduced (copied) for the intention of being distributed to the fans. Some TTM fans don't consider these to be "true" successes, but they are a good reference when you have a questionable autograph and need something to compare it to. 4) THE OUTRIGHT FORGERY - Some of these can be very good, while others are very bad. Smart collectors should "do their homework" and study the signatures of known authentic samples to be able to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake. Forgeries are overly abundant on eBay, though there are some real ones in there as well. Making a blanket statement like "only fakes are sold on eBay" is false. Buyers and collectors need to do their homework. Keep in mind the price may or may not dictate whether what you have is authentic (fakes are generally many times cheaper than an authentic, but in-person dealers have been known to drop the prices significantly on authentic autographs around the holidays). A Certificate of Authenticity means very little unless you can trust the seller's reputation (PSA/DNA, JSA, Mounted Memories, Tri-Star, and Upper Deck Authenticated are some of the more reliable but not infallible authenticators). THE BOTTOM LINE - When in doubt, ask the seller where he or she got the autographs. If they were obtained in person, ask them exactly when and where the signing took place. Sellers who are only selling authentics should have no trouble or qualms with providing this information. If they were obtained TTM, be cautious because they may be an autopen, a secretarial, a pre-print, or even an outright forgery. Stay away from any seller who shies away from answering your questions. I hope this brief guide has given you some insight into the hobby. If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them! J.R. We have cut the prices on many items currently in stock. If you've been waiting for a price drop, now is your chance to buy great authentic autographs at a low price! Some items have been reduced by over 50%. Check out the catalog now!
Drew |
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