Authenticating Autographs

A few years back, one of my aunts took me for a film shoot which involved one of my most favorite stars. After the shoot was done, my aunt prompted me to rush to my heartthrob and get an autograph. I was on cloud nine, or seven or whatever it is called, after I managed to get the autograph, squeezing through a fast developing crowd around my favorite star. It was such an amazing feat for me! I had never imagined that this would happen with me! Nevertheless my joy was short lived as a few months after I got it I lost it! (sob). I guess for those like me who lose such precious things as autographs, there has to be something which will help us get autographs as good as authentic. I was just thinking about this and I came across this amazing bit of information about authenticating autographs. In case you too have had such a heartbreaking experience, this is for you!

Authentication of Autographs - The Process

One of the most sought after collectibles, autographs can help you preserve special memories of a celebrity once that moment of seeing that celebrity is gone. Interestingly, authenticated autographs are available through a lot of resources. You can do it yourselves too! Coming up, therefore, is how to authenticate an autograph.

Step 1
You will have to start off by categorizing the person having signed the autograph as classic or contemporary. Typically, classic signatures can be authenticated. On the contrary, contemporary autographs having scribbles or loops need lot of efforts to be authenticated. For authenticating autographs, the easiest method used by the professionals is to compare it with known examples keeping them side by side.

Step 2
The next thing on the cards is to see if the signature you are looking for authentication is available on the PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)/DNA website. Remember that there will be some amount which will have to paid for autograph authentication. After you find the availability, download the authentication submission form and completely fill it up online.

Step 3
After you have finished filling the form and are about to submit it, get two printouts of the form. You will keep one with you and the other one will go with the signature. Further, you will have to mail the submission form, signature and the payment to the DNA/ PSA address as listed.

Step 4
if you are looking at authenticating baseball autographs or perhaps even otherwise, you will need to pick a tag, as PSA will be tagging your item, if it is deemed authentic. Once you get it, that can adorn your collection as sports memorabilia, if it's a sports person's autograph.

Step 5
Analysis of whether the autograph is authentic or not can be done by observing the flow, size and the overall structure of the letters of the autograph. The slope and shape of each letter can also reveal a lot of things in the process of authentication of an autograph. Sometimes a celebrity's autograph as an adult can be different than when he or she was younger.Some unique curves and ways of writing certain letters and a few other things too are considered when authentication of an autograph is done. an autograph on an inanimate object is a different aspect all together.

That's all! As a last thing, you can select between a signature tagged with an invisible ink and an autograph authentication done by tagging very discreetly. For understanding if the autograph is authentic, a good idea would be to analyze the structure of individual letters of an autograph.

Autograph Authentication Services

There are a number of services which help you in authenticating autographs. PSA/ DNA are the most prominent of them. Then Professional Autograph Dealers Association is another organization which deals in autograph authentication. Apart from these there are smaller companies too, who are in this service. These are leaving no stone unturned for ensuring that their business keeps going great guns. They are into authenticating Beatles autographs, to Babe Ruth autographs. However, according to government surveys, almost 80% o 90% of authenticated autographs are fake. The best option for getting authentic autographs is to get them yourself! But if that cannot happen, then please make sure that you research well, about the signature and company you are buying from.

At the end of the day, even if you do manage to authenticate an autograph, it is not going to be the real stuff! Autograph authentication is like a replacement for what can actually be got from the celebrity. I sign off here! Till next time, it is ciao from me!