Autograph Reference Section
Tilly Masterson 007
UKPosts: 1,472MI6 Agent
Due to the amount of new collectors that appear to be getting ripped off by fakers who are selling them worthless tat, I have put together a quick reference part that will hopefully help them see what is real and what isn't.
This guide could prove very useful for new or inexperienced collectors so that they can be prevented from being 'stung' by the rising number of fakers out there.
So, I have included the Bond actors' section, I will soon post up a Bond villains and Bond girls section, demonstrating again what a real and fake look like.
Here are a few examples of what a genuine and what a fake autograph of each of the Bond actors look like:
Hope this helps!
Pierce Brosnan
Fake
Genuine
Roger Moore
Fake
Genuine
Timothy Dalton
Fake
Genuine
Daniel Craig
Fake
Genuine
Sean Connery
Fake
Genuine
George Lazenby
Fake
Genuine
This guide could prove very useful for new or inexperienced collectors so that they can be prevented from being 'stung' by the rising number of fakers out there.
So, I have included the Bond actors' section, I will soon post up a Bond villains and Bond girls section, demonstrating again what a real and fake look like.
Here are a few examples of what a genuine and what a fake autograph of each of the Bond actors look like:
Hope this helps!
Pierce Brosnan
Fake
Genuine
Roger Moore
Fake
Genuine
Timothy Dalton
Fake
Genuine
Daniel Craig
Fake
Genuine
Sean Connery
Fake
Genuine
George Lazenby
Fake
Genuine
Comments
What may be an idea, and to save you loads of your own time by having to post the baddies, girls, bit-parts etc, is that a thread is opened for AJBers who are 'unsure or uncertain' about the authenticity of an autograph (perhaps before purchasing or maybe already in their collection) and post a picture so fellow collectors may comment?
Whilst my exeperience in the field of Bond autographs is fairly extensive, it doesn't compare to you, or indeed some of the others on this forum. If I am ever in the position of doubting, I would normally come here (well, you and Mark first!).
What do people think?
Cheers Andy - your feedback there is much appreciated.
I'll look into doing a thread as you suggested where people can query an autographs authenticity and can reply accordingly to them. :007)
My thoughts exactly matey! I have over 11 years experience in James Bond autographs so am always happy to lend a hand when required.
You've beaten me to it Sir Miles, I was going to ask for it to be made a 'sticky' since it seems an important enough topic!
Cheers
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
By all means, post away any queries you have regarding the authenticity of an autograph!!
Me too, seconded!
Thanks!!!
Notice how the scammer has used virtually the same type of pen (sharpie) most probably and also the same colour of ink has been used on most of the siggies. This is another common thing that they tend to do.
Is he saying where the signatures were ontained from?
I really can't see Connery signing TTM.
Moore will sign (sometimes TTM) but that's what Bondstars are there for, to sell autographs on his behalf with some proceeds of sales being given to Unicef.
Lazenby you only really have a chance of getting at an autograph show as he is difficult to get TTM.
Brosnan is 'iffy' sometimes, he will sign occasionally via film sets and IP.
Craig has got more difficult to obtain now he is in the height of his career being Bond and all that so is literally swamped with letters.
Dalton, why oh why he would even go near a Bond item to sign now I do not know, the man is a no-no on Bond material now and is even difficult to get on the most basic of items such as index cards and autograph books, so he won't and hasn't signed any Bond material for over 20 years as he has cottoned on to the amount of people that sell his autographs on Ebay.
Might not be what you wanted to hear but you did ask after all!
I think that's such a shame - I can just about understand his reasons, but I think thats a real shame for Bond fans that would like his autograph for their personal collection.
If you CAN'T...
[list=*]
[*]1 get an in-person signature at a show or event
2 contact the star yourself through an agency or management (and then just minor stars)
3 trade with a fellow collector you can really trust
4[/*]
[/list] bid or purchase from an officially licensed business representing contracted artists, like BONDSTARS
then don't bother or waste your money.
No manner how carefully you scrutinize or compare yours to an authentic original, there are technological ways of duplicating signatures down to a molecule. I have actually thrown photos and signatures away rather than believe I had a bogus item or refused to scam someone else with a trade. Or am I just old and paranoid?
I agree with you Sir Miles regarding his reason for not signing Bond stuff anymore and it is also a shame for the genuine Bond fans who like you said, would like his autograph for their collection and are unable to (without an expense) have one.
Best advice you can get - back this up fully!
While they are claimed "originals" the guy has been rather vague on where they came from, etc. so I was iffy.
I'm not a huge autograph collector for the very reasons you have all stated-very difficult to verify unless seen with your own eyes.
Thanks again!!
I remember one of these posters on eBay with Harold Sakata's autograph on it, and found that it's one real pain in the backside trying to get eBay to pull it.
I wonder why he was a bit vague - clearly struggling to conjure up a plausible excuse to cover up his lies of where he got this 'wonderful' signed poster. 8-)
It just shows you how these brainless idiots will sign even a long deceased actors signature and pass it off as an original - even in the most modern of pens (commonly sharpie) which would not have been around possibly at the time Sakata was in GF or even before his death.
The good old saying comes to mind here, If it looks to good to be true, then it probably is!
First up, a Goldfinger cast I just got a few days ago....with Connery, Honor Blackman, and Martin Benson.
Next, a Connery index card
And finally, Dalton and Virginia Hey
What do you guys think? If the general consensus is that they're fakes, I'm going to see what I can do about a refund. And even if that's not possible, it's a good lesson learned and I know to avoid certain sellers in the future. And I will re-evaluate my Bond autograph collection -- I'm certain that many are real because they are either from Bondstars.com, TTM successes, or autos I received in person....but I'll be highly skeptical about several that I received from other sellers.
Were these all obtained from Bond Collectibles?
Thanks for the opinion - that makes me feel MUCH better!!
Yes, all three of those are from Bond Collectibles. I know it's tough to ever be 100% certain of an item that is purchased, no matter what the reputation of the seller is...but those looked pretty good to my admittedly untrained eye.
It really is a shame that there are so many fakes out there, so the opinions of everyone on this forum are much appreciated by people like me who are trying to learn while still building a nice collection!
I have been collecting Autographs for about 10 years now, in all regions of Entertainment, primarily Formula 1 and Bond, and its definately getting harder to find Older Autographs that are authentic. But what can we do as Collectors without the Millions to get us Rare Autographs through Dealers
One of the most Faked in Formula 1 was Michael Schumacher at the peak of his career, and I've seen some rubbish over the years, but I've also picked up stuff that was authentic for pennys due to the Listing on Ebay being done by an amateur...Bad Photo, False description and so on.
I myself don't mind taking a risk on Ebay sometimes if the price is right and I can be 90% sure that its real, if it turns out to be Fake then I haven't spent a mint on it and can take the loss.
Even the Biggest Dealers in the World get slated with Fakes, so you can really only be 1000% sure if you get it in Person.
Anyway, I'd like an opinion on these sigs...... (also praying that it'll be positive)
Robert Shaw
Harald Sakata
Timothy Dalton
Thanks for any info and what a great thread:D
Some great items there!
I particularly like the Sakata, but it looks kind of 'fresh' to me. By that I mean, it's like it's only been signed yesterday. For an autograph such as his, I would expect to see at least a few discoloured parts on the card which would indicate it is ageing as he's been dead for over 25years I believe! But to be honest, it all looks good, so I do think there is a 75% chance that the Sakata is genuine.
Might need a second opinion of some of the other guys though.
The Shaw all looks good to me, so yes, as far as I'm concerned it's the real deal.
The Dalton looks genuine also, only that it looks like he's signed it in a bit of a rush, certainly at the 'D' in Dalton.
I had the privilege of talking to both Harold Sakata and Lotte Lenya by telephone back in 1968-1970. I've scanned a letter & photo from Harold Sakata below. Everything I ever got from them--about 10 pieces--was signed in BLUE pen; use of black pen back then was very unusual. (Even my letter from Albert Broccoli was signed in blue pen) I don't think Sakata started adding his hat logo to his signature until the 1970s.
I'll let you--or others--decide if yours is authentic. Best of luck with your collection.
DrNo07, Thanks for the scans of your Sakata Items, I've never really had the chance to compare the Signature as good as now and I'm pleasantly surprised that there are many similarities in the signature that make it even easier for me to believe it could be real.
Just out of interest, a few years ago I spoke to one of the Curators at Frasers Autographs in London, about an Autograph I had for sale and it was a 70s signature signed in Silver Pen, the expert there told me that it could be real as Silver pens were around back then and this doesn't necessarily mean its a fake. It turned out to be one
The b/w scan from my collection is 100% genunine . I maintained a friendship with Dolores Keator (Ziff), often talked and corresponded with her in Miami from December 2004 up almost until her death at age 81 in November 2005. She even donated $600 scholarhship money to the public school where I was teaching (signed check as further proof) Notice that the signatures don't even remotely bear similarity. The point is that it's often the signatures of minor stars that can be easily forged because they're far less known or requested.