Identifying Non-Genuine Autographs - Secretarial Signatures

 By: Brian G. Kathenes – ISA CAPP
 
Collecting autographs is fairly easy.  Collecting genuine autographs is a bit more difficult.  Identifying the "good" ones from the "bad" ones is even tougher.  

Today many modern entertainers, political figures, world leaders, and others, extensively use a secretary to handle much of the routine mail that floods into their office.  Some of that mail may be an autograph request.  Many secretaries are authorized to sign for their boss.  Your ability to determine the difference between genuine and secretarial autographs can save you time, money, and aggravation.      

 Entertainers are bombarded with thousands of letters requesting autographs.  Most requests are for autographed photos.  There are publicity services that generate volumes of secretarial-signed photographs to fill the demand for these routine autograph requests.  If you can get past the service and reach that person directly, you have a much better chance of obtaining a genuine autograph.  One way to get past the secretary or service is to write a sincere, personal letter.  

Collectors that “grind out” dozens of routine request letters should expect a high percentage of secretarial responses.  Sincere, personal requests should also include specific questions to the person they are writing to.  If you do your homework and learn a little about the person you are writing to, you can come up with the type of question that only that person can answer.  You may end up getting a personal letter instead of a photo, which is usually worth more than a signed photo.  
  
Presidential autographs are prototypal examples of tough autographs to obtain.  Most times when collectors write, they receive a non-genuine autograph, usually an autopen.  But if you can get past the secretaries and staff, securing an autograph is easy.  It's getting past the staff that's tough.   

Many years ago, a friend of mine was invited to lunch at the Reagan White House.  She had an opportunity to visit with the President.  On her way out she left him a letter from the Director of the local Chamber of Commerce.  The letter invited the President to visit and speak at an upcoming meeting. Several weeks later, the Director received a handwritten letter on White House stationery thanking her for the invitation.  It was an ALS (a handwritten, autographed letter) by Ronald Reagan written as President, indicating that if he were ever in her town he would try to visit.  The letter is worth several thousands of dollars. 
     
Another field of excitement and disappointment is the discovery of Presidential Land Grants.   Many thousands of acres of land were given away as payment for services rendered to the U.S. Government.  Almost all land grants after Andrew Jackson were signed by the President's secretary and not by the President.
 
Look closely at the signature of the secretary and the signature of the president.  In most cases the similarity in ink, and the style will reveal the truth.  But watch out for James Buchanan land grants.  His secretary took great care in attempting to imitate the president's signature.  So study those Presidential signatures very closely!  

In order to determine the difference between genuine and secretarial signatures you will need to develop a file of both secretarial and genuine facsimiles.  Back issues of the Pen and Quill have many excellent articles on “secretarials” and genuine signatures.  There are many other important publications and books available that should be in your library. 
 
The difference in handwriting characteristics of genuine and secretarial signatures is easily identifiable.  With some careful study, comparison with examples in your file, and plenty of practice those “secretarials” will stand out like a lemonade stand in the desert.  A few exceptions to the rule are the secretarial signatures of John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and Herbert Hoover.  The secretaries of these presidents took great effort to duplicate the handwriting characteristics of their employers.  

Take time to learn what genuine signatures look like.  Swap examples of famous signatures with your friends and fellow collectors and as your secretarial file grows, so will your ability to determine the difference between the "good" ones from the "bad".

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Brian Kathenes, ISA CAPP, is a Certified Appraiser and Managing Partner of National Appraisal Consultants LLC, a full service personal property appraisal and consulting firm based in Hope, NJ.  He is a Specialist Certified Appraiser of Personal Property in Autographs, Manuscripts, and Historical Documents.  Mr. Kathenes holds the only certification in that specialty, issued by the International Society of Appraisers.   He is a past member of the Manuscript Society Board of Trustees, UACC Board of Directors, and was the UACC's first Director of Education. 

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