Autograph Authentication Course
Autograph Authentication Course
Autograph Authentication CourseAt the end of October I attended an autograph authentication course run by AFTAL
The idea of the course was to keep us up to date with information of what the autograph forgers were up to and to increase our knowledge in how to spot fake autographs. Including me there were 14 AFTAL dealers and most of those were UACC Dealers as well, although there were a couple of autograph dealers who were not affiliated. The course was run by Garry King of Autografica (who is one of the leading authenticators in the UK).
On our arrival into the course there were several items on display including a Chelsea shirt signed, signed music memorabilia, signed albums, vintage autographs and various items of autographed memorabilia. Also during the course of the day we were set a test which included us authenticating autographed photos, autographed jerseys, signed football shirts and music autographs along with a written test in general about the the memorabilia industry. It was very interesting to see that forgers were not only forging sports memorabilia, but, movie memorabilia, golf memorabilia, music memorabilia, in fact by the end of the day we realized our worst fears that all signed memorabilia was being forged not just by individual forgers but large criminal gangs in the US and the UK.
After Garry had set the background for the course and how to identify forgeries we broke for lunch and were looking forward to the afternoon's content which was the practical part of the course. At this point I would just like to mention the food was fantastic at the venue which enhanced the setting and the course content.
The afternoon started off with how to ensure you are buying authentic autographs, this section covered sporting memorabilia, music autographs, famous autographs, Star trek autographs and star autographs. We were shown several items of several items of autographed sports memorabilia and we were told how to verify it was an authentic autograph, by using digital microscopes and magnifying glasses, general observation and a few forensic hand writing tips. After the sport memorabilia of we moved on to several signed autographs, Chelsea signed shirts and finally a couple of items of famous autographed sports memorabilia.
At the end of the course we were all handed out a comprehensive list of signature studies and a list of reference books of which I had most of them , however I did acquire a couple of new reference books to add to my vast library original autographs and authentic sports memorabilia. As a result of this course I am now going to offer an authentication service to the general public so if you have Star Trek memorabilia, Star wars memorabilia or even the odd item of sport memorabilia, I am going to be able to authenticate it for you ( at a price of course. Lol).
So to sum up it is not enough to simply have autographs for sale or a sign saying buy autographs from me in today's market you really need to be an expert in your field
Who is not just able to sell autographs but make sure that the items you are selling to the general public are genuine autographs and memorabilia.
I am always looking at ways of improving my company and making sure my clients interests are being well looked after. That is why I am an AFTAL approved dealer and a UACC registered dealer. Being an AFTAL dealer and a UACC dealer lets my prospective customers know I am not a legitimate autograph dealer who sells the genuine article nor pre printed scanned or forged autographs.