I can see your point exactly, my wording was wrong. The guide is all about people avoiding the scammers when purchasing autographs so I have now altered the wording to reflect that.
Now, there will come a time when you will have gone as far as you possibly can by collecting autographs through the mail or in person. Getting the Shirley Eaton's, Richard Kiel's etc. are very easy at the moment because they are great signers through the mail and attend many conventions. What happens when you want to expand your collection so that it contains the likes of the Robert Shaw's, Harold Sakata's and Sean Connery's? The first two are deceased so they will never sign an autograph through the mail or attend conventions and, although still alive, Connery is virtually impossible to obtain through the mail and I really can't see him ever sitting at a table at 'Autographica' selling signatures for £20 each. It is then that you would have to purchase from a dealer and most people in that situation would prefer to buy a non-dedicated autograph rather than one dedicated to somebody else.
This is my point:- dedicated or not most collectors prefer to collect signed photographs, but when it comes down to the true rarities your only chance of getting a real signature may be by purchasing a menu, or some other unconventional signed item which has been dedicated to somebody else. Here is an example:- I always check eBay for Sean Connery autographs every 24 hours without fail and in the last 6 months I have only seen 8 authentic connery signatures for sale from other sellers. Only 2 of those were photographs, which incidentally were not Bond shots, and both dedicated. The other 6 were uncoventional items like the baseball bat that I have in my shop, signed cheques etc. Now even though the unconventional items raised good prices, they were only bid on by the experienced collectors whilst the multitude of fake Connery signed Bond shots were selling like hot cakes to the inexperienced. The inexperienced collectors fail to see that items such as signed cheques are worth far more in value and are virtually impossible to forge and instead opt for a signed undedicated photograph because it will look nicer on their wall. The dealers of fakes know exactly what the inexperienced collector wants and so provides it in mass quantities. You only have to look at the amount of signed Connery photos for sale on eBay compared to the amount of signed cards or scraps of paper. If dealers are forging Connery's signature they could do it on cards and paper just as easily, but they don't (not as often anyway). Why? Because inexperienced collectors tend to only want signed photos of the celebrity in character. What you then end up with are hundreds of people proudly framing and displaying their worthless fake photos on their wall not realising that they turned down a golden opportunity of obtaining an authentic autograph, because it wasn't as pleasing to the eye as the fake signed photo.
If you ever think about purchasing the rarer autographs my advice is this: - Study the signatures so that you have a deep knowledge of what you are looking for and then when something authentic comes along, grab it. It doesn't matter if it's dedicated to somebody else, has creases through it, corners missing etc. As imperfect as it may be do-not-let-it-slip-away. It may be the only chance you'll ever get!
The Signed Image-
I certainly agree and as a collector would prefer a personalized signed item. If I could add that at times after doing the research sometimes you still run into problems on Ebay. Two months ago I won a Daniel Craig signed Casino Royale mini poster that appeared legit however, the seller was inexperienced and did not send it properly,and when it arrived it was damaged. I've learned a lot from the experience (Read the shipping procedures and if they do not sound right to either stay away from the auction or make some helpful suggestions to make the shipping safer.) I have had good experiences with Ebay and am sure other members here have too, however I have decided not to buy any further autographs from Ebay. From now on I will get pictures from either collectible shows(which I enjoy meeting the actors and try to get personalized) and/or from a dealer. I've been checking out the links from this site and from the suggestions of dealers made on this thread. Thanks to all for the great suggestions! That said, last night I ordered signed pictures of Timothy Dalton 8x10 and an 8x10 with both Roger Moore and Barbara Bach from B'BC. It was a little expensive but their great pictures and I look forward to hanging them up with my other bond pictures.
David Lodge - a very rare 6x4 BW signed by David Lodge. David was a very prolific, and well known actor who made a samll cameo appearance in Karl Feldman's 1967 Casino Royale.
Ingrid Pitt 6x4 BW - voice of Octopussy's Galley master
If I could add that at times after doing the research sometimes you still run into problems on Ebay. Two months ago I won a Daniel Craig signed Casino Royale mini poster that appeared legit however, the seller was inexperienced and did not send it properly,and when it arrived it was damaged.
Damage in the post due to poor packaging has nothing to do with the authenticity of any item and is always going to occur from time to time, if you buy anything that needs to be mailed to you, whether bought on or outside eBay. It is always best, as you say, to instruct the dealer/seller how you want it to be packed and posted.
I have decided not to buy any further autographs from Ebay. From now on I will get pictures from either collectible shows(which I enjoy meeting the actors and try to get personalized) and/or from a dealer.
That's a shame because there are still honest dealers like us trading on eBay who take pride in packaging things very securely. There are honest dealers and there are scamming dealers, on and off eBay. Just because you find a dealer who has their own website it doesn't mean that they are not scammers. You can never solely rely on anybody's reputation or word. Educate yourself and only trust your own instincts.
That said, last night I ordered signed pictures of Timothy Dalton 8x10 and an 8x10 with both Roger Moore and Barbara Bach from B'BC. It was a little expensive but their great pictures and I look forward to hanging them up with my other bond pictures.
Go to the website, find the exact items that you ordered, 'right click' on each of the photos and save them to your hard drive. This way, when the order arrives, you can compare the autographs that you ordered with the items you received. If there are any differences, no matter how small, between the actual items you received and the photographs that you based your purchasing decision on then you have been sent similar items and not the exact ones that you ordered. Don't accept this. Contact the dealer and state that you want the exact items that you ordered or a refund. Be stubborn, don't fall for sweet talk. You cannot be careful enough in this hobby.
Grand L Bush ("Hawkins" from LTK) signed 8x10 BW in character. A very rare autograph.
Chan Yiu Lam - "Chula" the black belt at the fight school in TMWTGG 8x10 BW - in character - an extremley rare autograph. I am extremley pleased to have Chan in the collection at last
An enormous thank-you to Steve for both of these items!
My new autographs have been scanned and are up on the site so check them out!
Chan Yiu Lam - Chula - TMWTGG
Grand L Bush - Hawkins - LTK
Kim Mills - Pool Girl - FYEO
Alexander Knox - American President - YOLT
Nina Young - Tamara Steel - TND
I must just take this opportunity to praise Thomas Wheatley's response to my letter I sent a couple of weeks ago. I consider myself quite lucky if I get anything from the actor or personality I write too, so I was delighted when I received on Thursday morning, not only a signed photo but also a letter that was two sides of two pages of notepad paper. Handwritten too! A great man, he wrote the letter in a manner you would expect an old friend to do so. He said my letter 'was the loviest response I've ever had to my work', commented on what I had said in my letter, including obviously TLD, in response to my 'analysis' of the relationship between Saunders and Bond. Also, he was appearing in a play in the town where I go to university and unforunately missed him, and said he wished I could have seen it and just talked about that, among other things. Sorry to rave on about it, but I was really pleased about this response! It'll go nicely to my collection of autographs, including the other Bond related ones, including a Dalton PP that I have as well as a Maryam d'Abo autograph too.
I must just take this opportunity to praise Thomas Wheatley's response to my letter I sent a couple of weeks ago. I consider myself quite lucky if I get anything from the actor or personality I write too, so I was delighted when I received on Thursday morning, not only a signed photo but also a letter that was two sides of two pages of notepad paper. Handwritten too! A great man, he wrote the letter in a manner you would expect an old friend to do so. He said my letter 'was the loviest response I've ever had to my work', commented on what I had said in my letter, including obviously TLD, in response to my 'analysis' of the relationship between Saunders and Bond. Also, he was appearing in a play in the town where I go to university and unforunately missed him, and said he wished I could have seen it and just talked about that, among other things. Sorry to rave on about it, but I was really pleased about this response! It'll go nicely to my collection of autographs, including the other Bond related ones, including a Dalton PP that I have as well as a Maryam d'Abo autograph too.
Steelydan - I've met Thomas a number of times (he's at Starcon in September too) - he's always a gentleman - always remembers people, and tells some great stories. He's a great guy.
Lesley Langley (Hill) - Pussy Galore Flying Circus Pilot - GF - A great rare small b&w photo of Lesley when she was crowned Miss World in 1965 with a preprinted signature - Luckily Lesley has signed the back of the photo with her real signature.
Aleta Morrison - Pussy Galore Flying Circus Pilot - GF - Signed small b&w vintage photo
Comments
I can see your point exactly, my wording was wrong. The guide is all about people avoiding the scammers when purchasing autographs so I have now altered the wording to reflect that.
Now, there will come a time when you will have gone as far as you possibly can by collecting autographs through the mail or in person. Getting the Shirley Eaton's, Richard Kiel's etc. are very easy at the moment because they are great signers through the mail and attend many conventions. What happens when you want to expand your collection so that it contains the likes of the Robert Shaw's, Harold Sakata's and Sean Connery's? The first two are deceased so they will never sign an autograph through the mail or attend conventions and, although still alive, Connery is virtually impossible to obtain through the mail and I really can't see him ever sitting at a table at 'Autographica' selling signatures for £20 each. It is then that you would have to purchase from a dealer and most people in that situation would prefer to buy a non-dedicated autograph rather than one dedicated to somebody else.
This is my point:- dedicated or not most collectors prefer to collect signed photographs, but when it comes down to the true rarities your only chance of getting a real signature may be by purchasing a menu, or some other unconventional signed item which has been dedicated to somebody else. Here is an example:- I always check eBay for Sean Connery autographs every 24 hours without fail and in the last 6 months I have only seen 8 authentic connery signatures for sale from other sellers. Only 2 of those were photographs, which incidentally were not Bond shots, and both dedicated. The other 6 were uncoventional items like the baseball bat that I have in my shop, signed cheques etc. Now even though the unconventional items raised good prices, they were only bid on by the experienced collectors whilst the multitude of fake Connery signed Bond shots were selling like hot cakes to the inexperienced. The inexperienced collectors fail to see that items such as signed cheques are worth far more in value and are virtually impossible to forge and instead opt for a signed undedicated photograph because it will look nicer on their wall. The dealers of fakes know exactly what the inexperienced collector wants and so provides it in mass quantities. You only have to look at the amount of signed Connery photos for sale on eBay compared to the amount of signed cards or scraps of paper. If dealers are forging Connery's signature they could do it on cards and paper just as easily, but they don't (not as often anyway). Why? Because inexperienced collectors tend to only want signed photos of the celebrity in character. What you then end up with are hundreds of people proudly framing and displaying their worthless fake photos on their wall not realising that they turned down a golden opportunity of obtaining an authentic autograph, because it wasn't as pleasing to the eye as the fake signed photo.
If you ever think about purchasing the rarer autographs my advice is this: - Study the signatures so that you have a deep knowledge of what you are looking for and then when something authentic comes along, grab it. It doesn't matter if it's dedicated to somebody else, has creases through it, corners missing etc. As imperfect as it may be do-not-let-it-slip-away. It may be the only chance you'll ever get!
Phew...Now I'm exhausted.
Speak to you soon,
Lee.
I certainly agree and as a collector would prefer a personalized signed item. If I could add that at times after doing the research sometimes you still run into problems on Ebay. Two months ago I won a Daniel Craig signed Casino Royale mini poster that appeared legit however, the seller was inexperienced and did not send it properly,and when it arrived it was damaged. I've learned a lot from the experience (Read the shipping procedures and if they do not sound right to either stay away from the auction or make some helpful suggestions to make the shipping safer.) I have had good experiences with Ebay and am sure other members here have too, however I have decided not to buy any further autographs from Ebay. From now on I will get pictures from either collectible shows(which I enjoy meeting the actors and try to get personalized) and/or from a dealer. I've been checking out the links from this site and from the suggestions of dealers made on this thread. Thanks to all for the great suggestions! That said, last night I ordered signed pictures of Timothy Dalton 8x10 and an 8x10 with both Roger Moore and Barbara Bach from B'BC. It was a little expensive but their great pictures and I look forward to hanging them up with my other bond pictures.
David Lodge - a very rare 6x4 BW signed by David Lodge. David was a very prolific, and well known actor who made a samll cameo appearance in Karl Feldman's 1967 Casino Royale.
Ingrid Pitt 6x4 BW - voice of Octopussy's Galley master
George Baker - 6x4 from around teh time of OHMSS
Damage in the post due to poor packaging has nothing to do with the authenticity of any item and is always going to occur from time to time, if you buy anything that needs to be mailed to you, whether bought on or outside eBay. It is always best, as you say, to instruct the dealer/seller how you want it to be packed and posted.
That's a shame because there are still honest dealers like us trading on eBay who take pride in packaging things very securely. There are honest dealers and there are scamming dealers, on and off eBay. Just because you find a dealer who has their own website it doesn't mean that they are not scammers. You can never solely rely on anybody's reputation or word. Educate yourself and only trust your own instincts.
Go to the website, find the exact items that you ordered, 'right click' on each of the photos and save them to your hard drive. This way, when the order arrives, you can compare the autographs that you ordered with the items you received. If there are any differences, no matter how small, between the actual items you received and the photographs that you based your purchasing decision on then you have been sent similar items and not the exact ones that you ordered. Don't accept this. Contact the dealer and state that you want the exact items that you ordered or a refund. Be stubborn, don't fall for sweet talk. You cannot be careful enough in this hobby.
All the best,
Lee.
Alan Cumming 8x10 BW headshot
2 x bookplates signed by Sir Paul McCartney
Joel Horlen
Mark Prior
Grand L Bush ("Hawkins" from LTK) signed 8x10 BW in character. A very rare autograph.
Chan Yiu Lam - "Chula" the black belt at the fight school in TMWTGG 8x10 BW - in character - an extremley rare autograph. I am extremley pleased to have Chan in the collection at last
An enormous thank-you to Steve for both of these items!
Also got a rare unsigned 8x10 still from OHMSS of Mona Chong - if anyone has her mailing address - I'd be much obliged!
Sir Roger Moore (in a clip from TSWLM)
My own (on the cover of "James Bond Meets Indiana Jones", a FanFic here on ajb [yeah, I know, it's a plug])
Harrison Ford (in a clip from one of the "Indiana Jones" films; I'm not sure which)
I have my own between the Moore and Ford ones on my wall to represent my accomplishment.
Chan Yiu Lam - Chula (the black belt at the fight school - TMWTGG - Very rare signed b&w photo from his film - thanks steve
Grand L Bush - Hawkins - LTK - Rare signed b&w photo from LTK - thanks steve
Kim Mills - Pool Girl (blonde girl that screams when Gonzales is shot in the pool) - FYEO - Rare signed b&w photo
Alexander Knox - American President - YOLT - Rare signed card
Nina Young - Tamara Steel - TND - Signed small b&w agency photo
I'll post again when the autographs are up on my site!
Chan Yiu Lam - Chula - TMWTGG
Grand L Bush - Hawkins - LTK
Kim Mills - Pool Girl - FYEO
Alexander Knox - American President - YOLT
Nina Young - Tamara Steel - TND
www.007autoz.cjb.net
-Roger Moore
Sonny Caldinez 8x10 BW
Jeroem Krabbe 2 x 8x10 BW
Terry Mountain 8x10 BW (rare shot)and leter
Gerard Butler 8x10 BW
Shane Rimmer 6 x 8x10 BW's and a letter
They'll be on the blogsite soon
Steelydan - I've met Thomas a number of times (he's at Starcon in September too) - he's always a gentleman - always remembers people, and tells some great stories. He's a great guy.
Two new additions today -
Gerard Butler - 8x10 BW
Soon Tek Oh - 8x10 BW
Lesley Langley (Hill) - Pussy Galore Flying Circus Pilot - GF - A great rare small b&w photo of Lesley when she was crowned Miss World in 1965 with a preprinted signature - Luckily Lesley has signed the back of the photo with her real signature.
Aleta Morrison - Pussy Galore Flying Circus Pilot - GF - Signed small b&w vintage photo
Both autographs are up on my site www.007autoz.cjb.net
-Roger Moore
6x4 BW Gert Frobe
6x4 BW Donald Pleasance
Vernon Dobtchef 8x4 Colour
Gotz Otto 6x4 BW
Julian Glover 6x4 BW
Julian Fellowes 6x4 BW
John Glen 6x4 BW (with pre-printed Matthew Wood signature aswell)
Caroline Munro 6x4 BW
Judi DEnch 6x4 BW
Jeroem Krabbe 6x4 BW
Rita Coolidge sent me a signed 8x10
Eva Green signed my pictures
Paula Thomas - one of the AVTAK party girls. Dedicated 8x10 BW
Recieved my photos back signed from Gloria Hendry, Louis Jourdan, and Eva Green. :007)
-Roger Moore