Do you ever feel like you know just enough about Autograph Collecting to be dangerous? Let’s see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Autograph Collecting experts.

Since the days of the pony express, collectors have used the mail to get those things that they treasure, desire and collect. Today is no different. With today high technology, just about any thing you want can be obtained by mail. Autograph collecting is one of those things that is done by mail. By using the mail you can get autographs that you may not be able to get any other way. Collecting via mail is easy. Some research on your part may have to be done first. You have to know the full name and address of your celebrity.

The full name may not be necessary in every case, but you do have to know the name the celebrity uses most frequently. When you are autograph collecting via mail, you also need stamps, #10 envelopes, 9×12 envelopes, pen, unlined paper and unlined cards. If you have a computer, there are many sources available that will help you with your research. After you have gotten all your supplies and addresses, you are now ready to make some contact. Now you are ready to compose your letter. It is always a good idea to type your request. If you cannot type it or get someone to do it for you, make sure you take time to write legible. Let’s remember that celebrities are busy so whatever you write needs to be brief, readable and cordial. If you are not brief and to the point, there is a much lesser chance of you getting a response because they may not have time to read a long 2 or 3 page letter. Some even type AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO in all caps. By all means don’t mention your request casually. Also remember to be complimentary, after all they are human beings too and may just need a little lift. Just in case your celebrity does not have an available photo, autograph collecting includes 3×5 cards that are signed.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Autograph Collecting. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

These cards may prove to be just as valuable some years later as a signed photo. Autograph collecting can take many forms whether via mail or in person. You need to be prepared to pay postage if you are autograph collecting via mail. It is not fair for the celebrity to give you a photo/signature and pay the postage. Put one stamp on your #10 envelope and 2 stamps on your 9×12 envelop. Make sure you put your return address on your #10 envelopes. This provides an avenue for you to be contacted if there are any problems with your mailing. Your autograph collecting is enhanced when you cover all of your bases. Even though you have done everything you can think of autograph collecting via mail takes a lot of patience. Autograph collecting from these busy people take time.

Travel, work schedules, appearances, fun and time with family take up much of their time. Supplying photos and autographs for autograph collecting is probably done on down time by them or an assigned member of their staff. When you are autograph collecting via mail, it may take years to receive a response. So sit back and relax!

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

When you are not sure of what you are doing, it is best to start out small. While you are learning how to buy the inexpensive way is the way to go if you are autograph collecting. You sure don’t want to waste your money. It may not be your intention to buy to resale, but you sure want to be satisfied with your autograph purchase.

You need to ask the dealer questions and more questions, such as the source of the autograph, how long the dealer has been in business, and you may even ask for customer references. Even with all of this, you still be dealing with someone who has less integrity than you desire. If the dealer provides evasive answers to your questions, or if he provides unsatisfactory answers to your questions, let that be a warning sign and do not rush into any offer no matter how good it sounds. Time is important when autograph collecting, nevertheless, it may be better to waste time then money. When you decide to resale your investment ten years from now, you want to be sure you have something worth selling. And even more so that the mementoes you pass on to your love ones were actually signed by your hero, not someone in the penitentiary serving time for fraud.

Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.

You have to be smart, do some research, make contacts with other dealers and autograph collecting people and remember the old adage,? If it’s too good to be true, it probably is! Dealers who are respectable and with integrity will not mind such questions because they understand that you may be new to the hobby of autograph collecting and need to ask more questions to verify any purchase you make.

A seasoned person autograph collecting is more astute and will be able to spot most rip-off artists who want to make quick money by forging an autograph of a hot celebrity. Using online auctions for autograph collecting can be deceiving and these auctions should be used with caution. You may get many good deals from online auctions on items like baseball cards, comic, and other collectibles. But when it comes to bidding on autographs, you may just be bidding on a forgery. Your recourse if this happens may be limited because these kinds of people disappear literally into thin air after they upload a batch of fake autographs. The sad thing about auctions, you can’t put too much stock in the feedback portion. Let’s face it, if they knew the item was a forgery, more than likely they would not have bidded. When autograph collecting and you order something online, you give positive feedback based on how quickly the order delivered.

It may be several days, months, or even years before you discover that you have been taken or ripped off. You need to fine a few reputable dealers that you can trust. You don’t need a mall full of dealers, because the higher the number of dealers you’re buying from, the more likely you will buy some un-authentic autographs. Autograph collecting is a challenging task. If you really want to be at the top of your interest, join an organization such as the UACC. You can become a regular member of one of these groups for a low membership fee. The collective wisdom of the membership will teach you a lot. Stick with the dealers you can trust.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about Autograph Collecting.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

If you want to make some money autograph collecting you must be ready to make an up front investment. The amount will determine the goals you have for your business. In order to be successful, you should be organized and know the ins and outs of autograph collecting. Autographs must be the real thing to generate a good profit from others.

People are not looking for copies when they buy autographs. Competition is keen in this field. There are several ventures from which to get autographs to sell. The best way to really make a profit is to do your autograph collecting in person. This is a sure fire way of knowing exactly what you are getting. Some autographs sell for more than others just as in the sales of other things. The price of autographs depend on the availability, in other word supply and demand dictates what price you will be able to ask for in resell. Remember there are a lot fraudulent copies on the open market. You will be competing with them in your autograph collecting business.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

You will have to learn how to detect scams before you make purchases from dealers and other people who do autograph collecting. With today’s technology, if you are not an expert, it is very hard to tell the real thing from a forgery. Perhaps your first move should be to make contact with an authenticator and get to know him. This will be a reliable source to clear up the reality of what you have collected. As you know it will not always be possible for you to get these autographs for resell in person. It takes some patience and you must watch the market for the supply and demand factor before making some of your sells. There are special wholesale autograph collecting dealers.

It will pay you to get to know as many of them as possible. You will soon find out who is worthy of your trust and who you need to avoid. Learn from the experiences of others. People don’t mind sharing and recommending the good dealers to you. They will also share with you the bad experiences they have had autograph collecting. If you are new to the business stay on guard, because of the advancement in technology you don’t always get what you are looking for. And sometimes the person or dealer from whom you made the purchase is unaware of the forged signature also. Pricing is very important if you expect to make a profit. In order to get what you want at the price you want it will be necessary to attend autograph auctions, autograph conventions, and other wholesale functions for autograph collecting.

You need to know as many reputable wholesale dealers as possible. You may want to start with some internet shopping. Most businesses of this nature have websites and will give you some introductory information about their business as it relates to autograph collecting. You may wish to use the public library to get background information on various personalities.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on Autograph Collecting. Compare what you’ve learned here to future articles so that you can stay alert to changes in the area of Autograph Collecting.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Autograph Collecting? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about Autograph Collecting.

Many celebrities use different methods for autographing in place of the real signature. Most autograph collecting is done solely for the real autograph of these people that are famous and well thought of. As we all know, celebrities of all kind are busy people, so a lot of the signature signing when not in person is done in a variety of ways. That is why, you can only be sure of an authentic signature or autograph in autograph collecting when you get it in person.

In autograph collecting by mail and other exchanges, you need to know that you may get an autograph but it may be done not by hand or the celebrity?s hand but by autopen or some other method. One of the most popular ways famous people have for sending out autographs for autograph collecting is by using a staff member to sign for them. Some famous people have a staff, so call PR staff, for the expressed purpose of signing autographed photo and distributing them or mailing them to individuals who are autograph collecting. In other words, if you receive an autograph via mail, it may not be the real thing. But at least you have something; it depends on the focus of your autograph collecting.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

If your autograph collecting is simply a hobby, a copied photo signature may serve your purpose. If your autograph collecting is an investment, then you want the real signature and need to pursue autograph collecting avenues that will provide you with the real signature. When you receive a non-authentic autograph from a celebrity, it should not be perceived as disrespect for fans or how they feel about their fans. Some celebrities may be too old, sick, filming a new movie or on the road touring to have time to give you a real signature. That is why some famous people use the autopen autograph. John Isaac Hawkins, an Englishman developed the first autopens. He received a US patent in 1803. Thomas Jefferson was one of the first to start using the device in 1804 for autograph collecting. The autopen is a machine that can duplicate a signature over and over. A signature is copied onto a template that is inserted into the machine. This mechanism will copy the signature onto an item such as a photo, 3×5 cards, or letter for autograph collecting. For the most part you can tell if an autopen has been used by it’s lack of natural flow, the signature is shaky as the autopen vibrates and the flow of ink is consistent, plus an ink blotch that looks like a period is at the end of the signature.

The blotch/period is a result of the marker in the autopen machine coming to an abrupt halt at the end and resting in one spot of the item too long before being lifted off. It goes without saying that each autopen signature will look exactly alike. Another way to tell if you have an autopen signature is to write for another autograph. Compare the signatures by laying them atop each other and hold up to a light source. If they coincide with each other, you have an autopen signature. Harry Truman is believed to be the first President to use the autopen in a business way for mail and signing checks. Today this device is used by politicians and fundraisers to sign letters. If you are autograph collecting, you need to try and verify the origin of the signature.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Writing fan letters is one of the many inexpensive ways for autograph collecting to take place. But there are some guidelines that you must follow to enhance your chance of receiving these autographs via mail. Because of time, distance and accessibility of celebrities it is necessary to use other means to do autograph collecting. Since these important and famous people must read hundreds of letters, and maybe thousands of letters, the fan letter should be short and right to the point. You may limit your chances of autograph collecting with a long letter of praises and comments about their books, films, or albums. If the person is real hot at the time of your writing, it may take days, weeks, or even months for your mail to be read. It has been known to take as long as three years for some people to receive a response.

Moreover some never do receive a response to a fan letter. Let’s remember that these people have very tight and challenging schedules. They find themselves in a position sometimes to be all things to all people. So when you are autograph collecting via fan mail you need to factor in some patience and extra time to get what you want – an autograph. There is a slim chance that you will receive an autograph if they have to read through many pages of prose to find your request for an autograph. Make sure the request is at the beginning of the letter, so if time is limited, they know what you want and can go about the business of sending it. They don’t have time to read all the accolades you want to give them.

If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole Autograph Collecting story from informed sources.

Nevertheless, they are happy that you have acquired posters, and other items of interests while autograph collecting. All these things that hobbyists collect add to the celebrity’s bottom line. A flattering letter in most situations increases your chance to get something in other scenarios of life, but not in this case. Brevity is the key to getting what you want in this situation. By all means type your letter, if you don’t type, have someone to do it for you. Remember time is of essence here and celebrities do not have time to decipher poor handwriting. If you must write, take your time and make it legible so it can be read quickly. It may be better to print this letter if you do not type. Autograph collecting requires some creativity in many instances to get what you want. Here is one of those times. Not only should you include your request at the beginning of the letter, but you need to highlight this request in some way.

The first thing you need to do is type or print AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO in all caps. This may not be enough so highlight this request by circling it, putting it in color with a highlighter and you may even include extra spaces before and after the words ?autographed photo? request. It will surely be seen and you may get results from this letter. Writing fan mail is a method that has been used for years to get autographs. Whatever it takes to make your request stand out DO IT!

There’s a lot to understand about Autograph Collecting. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Autograph collecting takes time and concentration in almost every situation. Therefore you don’t want to miss out on great opportunities or chances to pursue your hobby or a chance to add to your livelihood. What greater way is there to collect autographs than at one of your professional, church, political, fraternal, or social convention.

If you are an active individual, and you must be since you are a collector, you will attend one or more conventions each year. You never know who you will meet at these conventions. So when you attend these events be prepared for autograph collecting. Many conventions have noted and well known guest speakers such as politicians, community activists, well known authors, and educators. If you purchase a book by an author and he is a guest at the convention, autograph collecting from that author is almost a sure thing. The nature of the convention will dictate more or less who will attend. Autograph collecting is limited sometimes when a convention is highly specialized, such as a convention for social workers, or a convention for day care workers and some of the other less poplar conventions.

The best time to learn about Autograph Collecting is before you’re in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable Autograph Collecting experience while it’s still free.

Even if you are not attending the convention it is sometimes possible to mingle among the conventioneers and get some autographs from noted speakers and other persons of interests. When you are autograph collecting you are giving a person a feeling of self worth. Who will refuse a chance to be recognized in a positive way? Conventions also provide many resources for you to use for autograph collecting. There are usually plenty of handouts pertaining to the convention plus there are other vendors there who are marketing. Some of these vendors hand out some of the things you may need down the road, like pens, pencils, and memo pads. If you by chance meet someone else who is autograph collecting, it affords you a great opportunity to exchange ideas about your collecting interest. It is very important to find out who is at these conventions. Have you ever been to a function and left and didn’t know a certain celebrity was there until you were back home? It is easy to do because at conventions you are not in all the sessions that take place at these conventions. If you are not in a particular session you just don’t know.

People have been known to miss certain sessions at some of these conventions in order to meet and see other people. When you are autograph collecting you have to go where the autograph is. Remember that a renowned individual at a convention is not listed on the program. If they are not involved in the convention in a special way, the person in charge of the convention may not know this special individual is in the audience. It just may be coincidental that this person is in town during the convention. Your autograph collecting can take on a new meaning if you are able to get these autographs.

So now you know a little bit about Autograph Collecting. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

It is no secret that autograph collecting seekers are looking for the real thing if you can get it. In order to do so, we must know the factors that determine the value of what we collect. For those who are doing autograph collecting as an investment, meaning you plan to later sell or leave you collection to children or other family members as part of an inheritance, you want to collect valuable autographs. It is important not only to know what to look for, but also how to maintain the value you have If you can maintain your autograph collecting finds, then you will not have to replace items, losing money in your investment as well as losing time.

It does not matter why you are autograph collecting, you want to be sure you have a collection of some value as it reflects history and your favorite personality.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

Usually autograph collecting is started at a very young age when value may not be as important as it is when you grow older. Nevertheless, it pays to take the time to factor into your autograph collecting some things to look for when you are autograph collecting. Unfortunately, most of the time we do not have time or money to meet the famous people from whom we would like to do autograph collecting. Movie Stars, sports figures, musicians, television personalities, and high ranking politicians are not walking past our front or in the supermarket where we shop. One of the most important factors that will determine the value of an autograph is known as ?supply and demand?. Some times when you are autograph collecting, you may find a battered document that looks worthless, but if some authentic rare signatures are on it, you just may have found a gold mine. There are an abundance of factors and variables that will dictate to you the value of something. At times we may appreciate having some thing in poor condition than not having it at all.

So look at supply and demand when you are autograph collecting as one of the determining factors for the value of your find. Another factor to consider is the autograph itself. The autograph needs to be readable without having to use your imagination. After all in autograph collecting nothing is more important than the autograph. If you cannot make out the autograph, you don’t have one. Water/coffee damage and other stains take away some of the value of your autograph collecting finds. People who are seeking autographs are looking for the best. If you autograph collecting finds are in poor condition, and there is not a crux for finding the autograph, you lose a chance to get top dollar. Autographs you may find in pencil are of little value. In earlier years autograph collecting was done with the use of ink pens (dipped in ink), now a day ball point pens are the signing choice.

Ink has always been the preferred way to do autograph collecting because it is not as erasable as those signatures done in pencil. Also pencil writing has a tendency to fade and you can not keep it for long periods of time.

Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about Autograph Collecting into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about Autograph Collecting, and that’s time well spent.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

For some people autograph collecting provides an important link between the past and the present. Autograph collecting takes many forms it depends on the interests; enthusiasm, and focus of the collector. People tend to treasure signatures and want to have concrete evidence of having known a celebrity, even if it is in a small way.

Autograph collecting is one of the many avenues you can use to feel apart of some special event or person. Autograph collecting may be specialized for an example the autograph may document the life of a person. When there is the opportunity to live in the area where your celebrity lives, you have many options of how your autograph collecting will grow. Others may use autograph collecting to illuminate a certain field of endeavor, such as the arts as in painting. Collectors usually have special interests. These interests may be based on the environment, experience, education, travel, and so on.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Autograph Collecting, keep reading.

Autograph collecting sometimes starts with only one interest and then mushrooms into a potpourri of other autographs. Autograph collecting does not have to go in any special direction; it is sometimes determined by where the heart leads. Since people collect for different reasons, the autograph collecting does not have to be that of a famous person. One dentist in a small community collects teeth that are unusual. He gets permission from the patient to keep them. After they are mounted, he asks the patient to sign his name under his teeth. The patient autograph or signature makes the collection authentic and come alive for this dentist. So you can see some collect for sentimental reasons, some for historical reason, to some it is a hobby and for some it is a job. Yes there are those who make a living off of autograph collecting. If you idolize or have a great deal of respect for writers, actresses, athletics, painters, crafters, and scientists, or whomever, you may choose to start autograph collecting on anyone of them.

With the growth of technology the original letters are becoming extinct. Communications are sent via fax and e-mail and the original letter has been replaced. Nevertheless autograph collecting is likely to be around for a long, long, time. Collected autographs are becoming rarer for autograph collecting. Real collectors find so much joy and fun in autograph collecting. In addition the challenge to get another autograph is always there. Did you know that some people attend certain events just to be in a position to get a certain autograph?

It can be on a program, piece of paper, paper bag, napkin of it doesn’t matter just so you get the autograph. When collecting those autographs be sure to get it in pen. An ink autograph is worth far more than one written in pencil. There are almost as many reasons for collecting as there are collectors. In our culture and highly civilized society, autograph collecting is valued because for the most part all of us want to actually own a piece of history or that special occasion.

Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it? And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on Autograph Collecting.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

As we look back to the beginning of recognized autograph collecting, we know that literacy was not what it is today. A great deal of the country did not read or write. The United States was mostly an agrarian nation. Autograph collecting in America did not get on good footing until 1815. According to newspaper accounts, William Sprague of Albany and Israel Tefft of Savannah were the first major Americans to start autograph collecting.

People lived off of the land and there was little of no need for literacy as it related to their immediate livelihood. Transportation and communication was in its infancy and not what it is today. Therefore before you could do autograph collecting a degree of literacy had to be in place. During the colonial period, the ability to write was a reflection of your socio-economic status in the community where you lived. The style of script was supposed to match your social identity. Black slaves and non-elite women were denied the opportunity to learn to write. Nevertheless, commercial white men were encouraged to learn to write and to read.

See how much you can learn about Autograph Collecting when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the rest of this great information.

It was when writing literacy approached 100% among white Americans that autograph collecting begin to come to the forefront in this country. Handwriting analysis or graphology became increasingly popular after the Civil War and into the twentieth century. With the rising interest in individuality, autograph collecting became very popular with Americans. In the early 20th century, ordinary Americans wanted some individuality. The handwriting was one of those popular and desired forms of individuality notwithstanding autograph collecting. People could hardly contain themselves while waiting for the mailman to see if they had a letter from a love one. Stamps were check and mail was an inexpensive form of communication. Everybody had a desire to read and write and made an effort of sorts to learn.

Any signature and all signatures were treasured during the early days of autograph collecting. Writing has always been important for preserving our history. Therefore in the beginning autograph collecting was one of the avenues used to collect history. Type setting was not like it is today so hand written manuscripts were treasured and very valuable. A handwritten manuscript in a broad sense is an autograph. It was recognized in the early days that autograph collecting was a way to collect history, not only governmental history, but history in every form including the art, literature, inventions, music and science. History seems to come alive when it feels like you have a piece of it. In the early history of autograph collecting, letters, notes, and documents all were under the autograph collecting umbrella. During this time signatures were the most inexpensive of autographs.

The history of autograph collecting comes in several forms – Books signed by the author, letters (handwritten or typed), documents (checks and contracts), manuscripts (short quotations written out), signed photographs (all sizes), presidential land grants, and signatures. Autograph collecting had its beginning by bringing moments in time to life. It is one of the oldest forms of collecting, and one of the most rewarding.

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what’s important about Autograph Collecting.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Autograph collecting can be a very rewarding and a fun hobby. If you are autograph collecting as an investment, meaning you plan to sell part of your collection from time to time, you may be disappointment with some of your autographs. Celebrities may use several ways to provide autographs for you. One methods used for autographs is a designated staff member. This person uses his time to autograph pictures, and other memorabilia for autograph collecting. Secretaries and other staff members practice signing the signature of celebrities and sign a very similar signature for autograph seekers.

The famous can stretch their visibility this way. Time is the reason for using others to do what fans want the famous to do. Many times there is no way to know the difference except you see it for yourself. Autograph collecting requires a human touch and unlike some of the other kinds of collecting can be easily copied. When you get two autographs from the same person and they are just alike, you know that some kind of automation was used.

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

It is humanly impossible to sign your name the same way every time. Therefore, some celebrities choose to use individuals to sign for them so the autograph is given a look of authenticity. The celebrity business have many requests daily for signatures, so this is one way they choose to accommodate these requests. It is not unheard of for a famous person to be completely out of the country for months and months at the time and still send you an autograph from their address. For the hobbyist, this is acceptable in many instances because they have no interests in making money off of the signature. If the autograph collecting is done as an investment, it is better to get autographs in person, and then you know what you are getting. There are many outlets too that sell autographed pictures and other items by celebrities. Many of these businesses are unscrupulous dealers who are out to make a quick buck.

Choose what kind of autograph collecting you wish to do. If you are just look for something as a reference point, this may not matter to your collection. These autographs are not free. These are businesses and these people earn a living selling all kinds of collectibles not just signatures but any collectible that will generate a dollar. If you do serious autograph collecting, take the time to see the person sign, and then you will know that you are getting the real thing. Another way stars use to send out autographs is by using a stamper. When a signature stamper is used, you will know it because every signature is the same. If you get two signatures from the same person and the two signatures are exactly alike more then likely a stamper has been used or some other form of automation.

With the advances in technology today, it is very easy to duplicate a signature. There are dealers of collectibles who preprint autographed photos of celebrities. If you want to have a true collection, when you are autograph collecting, it is best to get your own autographs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO