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Collecting autographs

Signed, sealed, delivered, they’re yours

I first became interested in autographed items a few years ago as I gathered items for a charity auction. With a copy of Michael Levine’s Address Book in hand, I wrote to a dozen or so celebrities and sports stars for autographs — and was pleasantly surprised when most sent an autographed glossy in reply.

Since then, I’ve run across folks collecting all sorts of autographed items in areas ranging from historical to sci-fi, sports stars to celebrities. While it’s a thrill to get a genuine autograph of your favorite star, buyer beware: "The most common unauthentic items tend to be autographs," says Michael Heffner, managing director of Leland’s Auctions in New York, which specializes in sports memorabilia. "There are more and more forgers coming on the market with everything from signed slips of paper to baseballs. We’ve seen thousands of (autographed) Babe Ruth balls, many of which were forged," he says. While a ball signed by the Babe may be worth $10,000 to $15,000, a copy’s worth zip.

The best way to be sure you’ve got an authentic item is to hand it to the celebrity yourself at an autograph session or similar event. It helps if you’re under 14 or have children; many don’t mind signing as long as the recipient’s a youth. If you purchase, make sure to do so through a reputable dealer, preferably one who deals with in-person autographs. Fan clubs, as well, may be good sources for autographs.

Or try collecting autographs through the mail: Send a short, intelligent letter accompanied by something specific for the celebrity to sign and a proper return envelope. Even though a celebrity may be flooded by thousands of requests a month, you have a good chance of getting a positive result. When writing to celebrities for autographs expect a six-week wait. Some may reply faster — Jose Canseco, Art Carney, Phyllis Diller and Charlton Heston returned autographed items within a week.

Who signs through the mail is an ever-changing phenomenon. Good signers abruptly stop signing. Stars who five years ago were receiving an unanswerable 10,000 letters a week now get only 25 and will sign anything you send them.

Some celebrities, however, have always been notorious for avoiding autograph seekers. These may return the item with an autograph that looks authentic, but was, in fact, actually penned by a secretary or assistant. Among them: Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Streisand, Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, John Travolta and Harrison Ford. In the secondary market, John F. Kennedy signatures are rife; but often his secretaries, too, did these. Many misinformed collectors and dealers buy and sell the secretarial fakes because there’s little information published on this subject.

Talk show host Rosie O’Donnell will not respond to requests from adults and has publicly questioned why adults would want to collect autographs (despite having a wall full of autographed memorabilia herself).

Other tough autographs to find these days include Lloyd Bridges, Judd Hirsch, Ted Knight, Walter Matthau, Roger Moore, Bernadette Peters, Harold Ramis, Kurt Russel and Tracy Ullman.

A simple autograph may be worth hundreds of dollars. For example, black and white signed photos fetching good prices include Stevie Nicks ($295), Elizabeth Taylor ($750), Madonna ($150), Nicole Kidman ($175) and Alec Baldwin ($125). A typed, signed letter by Bill Clinton may be worth about $1,000, George Bush, $700 and Gerald Ford $175. Persuade author Anne Rice to sign one of her hardback novels and it may fetch up to $450.

Ready to write? Look here for addresses:

The Address Book (Berkley Publishing)
By Michael Levine
4,000 celebrities, corporate execs and other VIPs, many with e-mail addresses. $12.

Celebrity Access: The Directory (Thomas Burford)
Lists more than 7,000 addresses, with verification dates. $21.95. FMI contact Celebrity Access, 20 Sunnyside Ave., Suite A #341, Mill Balley, CA 94941.

1997 Rock Music Address Directory (Thomas Kunz)
Thousands of addresses covering rock, pop, oldies, alternative and disco from the 1950s to present. $10.95. FMI contact Starfinders, 146 Hartford Ave., Suite 10, Bellingham, Ma 02019.