Our Guarantee of Authenticity
Our Lifetime Guarantee is the most rock-solid in the industry and applies to all autographs and movie posters .
For over 30 years we have pursued our collecting passion with an intense integrity and code of ethics. Nothing annoys us more then someone selling a valuable piece of memorabilia that is a blatant forgery. When it comes to autographs in particular, we are about as obsessively meticulous as any reputable dealer in the industry. That’s why we back EVERY autograph or movie poster we sell with a Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. Not 7, 15 or 30 days like some dealers, but with no time limit. Also, to establish a standard (and not have an array of less reputable authenticators, some of which will issue any "finding" for a price) we require a certification analysis from PSA or JSA as stated on our COA. As a matter of fact, you may discover we are one of the only dealers who specifically states on our COA "Guaranteed to Pass JSA or PSA". Why is this so important? Read our article "Ten Warning Signs a Dealer May Be Selling Autograph Forgeries" (see step 10b). It could save you from a Very painful and costly mistake.
We also don’t sell everything. In other words, you will not find any contemporary autographs on our site that are usually extremely difficult to authenticate. For example, completely illegible Kevin Costner or Al Pacino autographs, which are indecipherable scribbles, are unusually difficult to authenticate and at the same time easy to forge. . All of our autographs are vintage signatures that can be examined based on several signature studies and over 30 years of experience. For example, we specialize in Frank Sinatra autographs because we are experts with his signature and because there are outstanding signature studies on him illustrating how his autograph changed dramatically over his 60 year career, along with secretarial examples (secretaries and others who signed his his NOT in-person autograph request). We also maintain a good reference library of authentic autograph examples. You will NOT see us selling such well known secretarial autographs like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, John Kennedy or Babe Ruth among many other celebrities who employed others to sign their autograph requests.
Also, another reason we shy away from contemporary autographs is there is no historical data. For example, there are extensive signature studies that have been accomplished for many Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and every President. However, there are no studies or data for modern day celebrities like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt.
I am often asked, “how do you know if it’s real”. The answer comes from a Picasso expert when I asked the same question many years ago, “EXPERIENCE”. An autograph is like a fingerprint and after you’ve developed a certain level of expertise, even the best forgeries are usually easily detected.
Today, the most risky venue for buying autographs are online auctions like Ebay. Since I became an Ebay member in 1998 I have seen a proliferation of obvious online forgers trying to prey upon the inexperienced. To this day, this unscrupulous activity continues to grow. When a forger gets terminated from Ebay, he usually starts another account. It’s a very sad and unfortunate predicament. Our friends and customers are advised to never buy autographs on Ebay as it is estimated as high as 90% are fake. Refer to our “Safe Buying Online Guide”. Also, never buy into the dealer justification for NOT providing a COA. Suspect dealers claim COAs have no value. UNTRUE. COAs are a documented guarantee which will hold up in a court of law. Without such documentation you have little recourse. These same suspect sellers will also be the first to discredit third party professional authentication services, since the last thing a seller of autograph forgeries wants is to have an "Independent analysis" of their questionable autographs.
Note: Most major celebrities, like Frank Sinatra signed autographs and personalized it to someone. Some collectors don’ t like inscriptions, while other collectors do. I personally don’t mind inscriptions because not only is it additional handwriting from that celebrity but it also adds to the authenticity. Not many autograph forgers will risk providing additional evidence of their forgery handiwork by adding an inscription. For example, for such notables as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Bela Lugosi , JFK and others their handwriting is so exclusively unique that even if a forger’s signature is a close match the other elements, like inscriptions will be the dead giveaway.
Read what others are REALLY saying about us (Real testimonials, NOT fake like on Ripoffreport.com and other "anonymous/Unconfirmed" online reviews).
*Secretarial signature: Many if not most celebrities have always employed secretaries (or proxy signers) to sign autographs for them. About 20 years ago, I actually dated one of Elvis Presley’s secretaries and her main job was working in a small office in Graceland signing all his fan mail. She signed his name for me and trust me, NO experienced collector or dealer would fall prey to her signing technique.
Kevin Conway
UACC Member since 1989
UACC Registered Dealer NO. 307
LAMP Approved dealer (Learn About Movie Posters)