subject: Scrutinizing Your Autograph Collection Today [print this page] Scrutinizing Your Autograph Collection Today
As a newbie to the hobby of autograph collection, you must be wondering how it all started?
Well, the hobby of autograph collecting dates as back as the Greece civilization. Cicero is one the world renowned collector of his time. Queen Victoria herself has a wide collection of autographed items ranging from the famous presidents of various countries to the popular world leaders around the globe. In America, ex-president Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy are self-professed autograph collectors themselves.
With a lot of people growing interested in autographs, the new breed of collectors must be careful in perusing and purchasing autographed items for their protection and safety as a lot of counterfeit and forged items are offered for sale everywhere. Both collector and dealer each face an increasingly difficult job of identification and valuation. Multiple markets, title questions, and authenticity concerns all contribute to the confusion and challenges of collecting autographs and historical documents.
There are practically millions of dollars wasted on forged autographed items and collectibles because collectors overlooked and neglected systems that will carefully appraise these hard to find collectibles. There are also valuable collections that were treated as worthless junk' because novice suffered from wrong identification of an authentic and prized collection. So be sure to know the basics and check on the authenticity of your collection so you can properly add value to them. The value attached to a collection can vary from the professional to the uneducated collector or a non-collector's perspective of the item. Overall, its best to consult an expert on the subject if you believe that you have a truly priceless collection.
In one instance, an individual was asked if the pile of old paper in a box had any value, he retorted to the person asking that they were merely garbage.' Curious, the collector rummaged to the file of what seemed to look like junk and he was able to unearth a very rare paper with an autograph along with some old letters and manuscripts. He had it appraised, and it turns out that the entire collection was valued at twenty-five thousand dollars! It turned out to be something of value. For someone who doesn't care nor understand the autograph collection hobby, these are mere garbage he's willing to easily throw away without batting an eyelash. With millions of dollars worth of autographs, manuscripts, books, and photographs just around the corner, chances are pretty good that there may be something from your old house, the local auction, or garage that's worth checking out. Some of it may be worth scrutinizing, while others aren't. Just be sure you know the difference, and are familiar with the value before you even think of spending that penny.
