Collecting and Avoiding the Autograph Trap

I remember the first music autograph I collected it was a signed album from a band called Slade. I was always interested in getting albums signed in the 70’s and I collected numerous items of signed music memorabilia throughout that decade. Rock autographs filled up my collection and over the years I have collected thousands of autographs, signed guitars and music memorabilia including several Beatles autographs, however I never did manage to get a John Lennon autograph.

Most collectors of memorabilia whether it be signed sports memorabilia, celebrity memorabilia or the occasional autographed photo are not as fortunate as me and do not have the available time to dedicate to collecting collectible memorabilia. For those who do not have the time but love collecting, they have to buy autographs. I myself have been selling autographs in one form or another for nearly 40 years!!!

Buying autographs can be a tricky business as there are lots of unscrupulous dealers and people who deliberately forge signatures.

To avoid the autograph trap is what every buyer wants to do, so here are some simple steps to try and insure your money is well spent.

For example if you are looking to buy a signed Manchester united shirt or a signed Chelsea shirt it would be advisable to buy it from a British UACC registered dealer or an AFTAL approved dealer. You are probably wondering why? AFTAL and UACC are governing bodies who check regularly on there dealers and both organisations have strict policies as to the buying and selling of autographs. Also that is the country where those teams play! Over the years I have stood outside football stadia to get the occasional football autograph, signed football jersey, signed footballs or for those in the U.S. soccer memorabilia. In the UK that can be a cold and thankless task as the sport is played during the winter.

I have on occasion had the time to jet off to the U.S. and do some collecting there, when in the U.S. I concentrate on collecting actors autographs, Hollywood memorabilia, actresses autographs and if I have time I trail round the stores in L.A. for horror movie collectables.

In fact the last time I was in the States I attended several conventions and memorabilia shows where I picked up loads of collectible memorabilia namely, star trek memorabilia, star wars memorabilia and several celebrity addresses of which I will be writing to in the upcoming months.

On the subject of celebrity addresses please be careful as not every celebrity signs all there fan mail, some have autopens and others get there secretaries to sign on there behalf, I have seen many movie star autographs over the years like this and have had to disappoint several fans when I tell them.

So as the Sergeant in “Hill St Blues” said “BE CAREFUL OUT THERE”!!!

POSTAL CHAOS IN THE UK

The U.K. is suffering one of its worst winters in years, with all of the country hit for the second time with arctic conditions the couriers and the postal services are struggling to get the Christmas mail delivered, affected by black ice snow drifts and freezing conditions for nearly a month with only a slight reprieve in between the whole distribution network is at a standstill.

 

I have recently had a customer for an item of sports memorabilia which was sent out express delivery say it took 5 working days for his memorabilia to arrive on a next day service! Recorded delivery packages are taking even longer all parcel services are hit even harder especially the door to door services, another customer of mine for a very expensive item of music memorabilia informed me only today that his item is still in transit after several days. I can only imagine that this is a similar story all over the U.K. I have several very big overseas customers who are requiring orders to be fulfilled for the Christmas rush and their items including golf memorabilia, football memorabilia and several signed football shirts has not even arrived at the airport, nor cleared customs after being in transit for 4 days!

It looks like there are going to be a lot of internet customers disappointed on Christmas day or should I say before Christmas day. I have even started doing deliveries of signed memorabilia to customers in my local area, braving the conditions to make sure they have their Christmas presents for the 25^th.  

I can only hope that the situation gets better along with the weather over the next few days and all the internet shoppers get their goods in time for Christmas. Well let’s look on the positive side at least we will have a White Christmas if not the Christmas presents!

  

How to Collect Autographs and Memorabilia During Snow Season

What about this weather? I have not seen a winter this bad since I was 5 years old back in 1963. It looks like the third ice age is coming!!!!
I have not been out collecting autographs since the middle of November.
My Daughter who is across from Cyprus just now (leaving behind balmy temperatures of 25degrees centigrade) was going to a Peter Andre concert at the AECC last Friday, where I was going to try and get Peter Andre autograph for her at the stage door on a photograph or get a signed album, well that was the plan until arctic conditions made it impossible to even get the car out of the driveway. Not only did she not get an item of music memorabilia, she did not even get to see him in concert!

 

If you are an avid autograph collector like me you may be wondering, how do you collect autographs in this weather? Well the answer is you don’t. There is no point not only will your signed photos get ruined but you run the risk of getting stuck in the snow with no way of getting out or home.
My advice to you at this time of the year when you are faced with adverse weather conditions is to catalogue your memorabilia collection and make sure that if you are storing any items outdoors to make sure that they are above ground level and well wrapped in a waterproof covering. Items that are indoors be careful that burst pipes will not damages your autographed memorabilia in these freezing conditions. Where I stay we have recorded temperatures at -15 degrees centigrade!

 

With Christmas just round the corner I have loads of things to do like everybody at this time of the year, I think the next time I will be out looking for famous autographs will be next year. I am planning a trip to the States in March to collect golf memorabilia in Florida and then across to L.A. for some movie memorabilia and a couple of days up in Vegas to hopefully get a few music autographs and finally over to the big apple to meet a couple of autograph dealers and collect autographed photos at Broadway stage doors.
I hope the weather will be better than it is here in the States in march!!!!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year in 2011.

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