Autograph Collecting and Its Popularity
The term "autograph" generally refers to the coveted signatures of famous individuals including singers, actors, sportsmen, artists and other celebrities. Individuals who collect autographs for either hobby or business purposes are called philographists, all of whom devote significant chunks of their time to the activity. So, what exactly are the allures of collecting autographs when it appears to be an expensive pursuit in terms of time, effort and money?
The reasons for collecting autographs vary from one person to the next precisely because it is a very personal activity in many ways. But there are commonalities that can be observed in the various reasons provided by the philographists. These reasons are explained in brief detail in this article although it must be emphasized it is not an all-inclusive list.
To Record History
Autograph collectors are history buffs to a certain extent. The signatures collected along with their dedications, if any, can become valuable sources of tracing the history of a certain individual, organization and movement. For example, the autograph of an author on his own book can provide insights into a previously unknown part of his story.
In many ways, the known autographs of famous people can be compared to the works attributed to them. The authenticity of these works can then be proved or disproved with the known signatures as one of the bases. History can then be rewritten, if necessary, based on the new evidence.
Also, the signature of a person gives insightful clues as to the period of rise and fall and rise again in his life. For example, Mickey Mantle's signature during his early years with the Yankees was smaller, tighter and more tentative but it soon became larger, bolder and more confident as his successes with the team became more evident.
To Know the Signer
It is said that a person's signature can tell plenty of things about his personality. In fact, interpreting aspects of an individual's personality through his handwriting has become an art in itself, which many autograph collectors also dabble in, albeit for recreational purposes.
For example, the bold signature of Babe Ruth attests to his larger-than-life personality, not to mention his great girth. In contrast, the lighter, smaller and more demure signature of Lou Gehrig, which is so often found on the side panel of baseball cards, evokes his shy personality with no wish to become the center of attention. Or take a look at the confident scrawl of Jackie Robinson's autograph, too.
Many autograph collectors also accumulate the memorabilia of their favorite individuals. It is a way of staying connected with the person in a personal way, which is so often true with hero worship.
To Gain Profit
Then there are the people who collect autographs for their monetary value, which may or may not have been the original intention in the first place. A famous person's authentic signature - not those of his authorized forgers - rises in value with the passage of time. And if that person was known to be stingy with his autograph for whatever reason, the monetary values are almost double.
Questions and Answers
Signed sports memorabilia such as a football shirt or cricket cap can be hard to assess as the ink tends to soak into the fabric giving a smudge like appearance which is difficult to validate, the only way to be sure is to be there at the signing or rely on provenance from a reputable dealer. If the asking price for an item of memorabilia is way below a realistic valuation don't bother purchasing as it's probably a fake. The more signatures there are on a piece, the more mistakes there are to
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