Three James Dean handwritten letters to his girlfriend, never before offered for sale, will be sold at Christie's London November 23, 2011. I've posted the article below from Autograph Magazine . Take a look! James Dean handwritten letters are among the rarest and most valuable of Hollywood autographs. Only a few have come to market since Dean’s tragic death in a 1955 car crash, just 24 years old. So when Neil Roberts, Christie’s Head of Pop Culture in London, asked for any information we might have on them to help him with a potential consignment, I had to know more. But I had to wait…. “At the moment they are reluctant to send me any copies,” Neil said. “However the names and places they provided seem to add up. I’m sure you will understand that at this time I cannot pass on any details.” That was a year and a half ago. The wait was worth it. On November 23, Christie’s will auction three James Dean handwritten letters never ...
Ive been trying to get a Harrison Ford as Indy and I'm confused. I used to get signed photos from one guy, now I'm hearing all sorts of wars going on and it seems like the poor collector is stuck in the middle of it all. I saw on one site that supposedly Charlton Heston had a secretay sign through the mail. I took one of my supposed secretarials and matched it up perfectly to a personal check heston signed and a contract and they all match perfectly so does that mean Heston had a secretary signing checks and contracts for him?? I see the same thing with Clint Eastwoods too. Either dealers are selling secretarials like mad or if theyre good Eastwoods then some authenticator is beyond stupid and ruined it for everyone who has a real Heston and might want to sell or trade it etc. I get fed up being jerked around by these guys and feel like my whole collection of autographs is no good unless one these big wigs say it is...whether it is or not doesn't matter apparently
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeleteI have been there—that’s why I wrote the book---I was really pissed off.
I have no real answer for you---I found that most if not all the autographs from big name artists are secretarial-autopens or stamps---they are rampant on the Internet.
I personally would only buy personal letters on their letterhead or historical documents from older established dealers you feel you can trust----or in person—which is always best.
I have been burnt from the best as it seems you have also. There are lots of great looking autographs that are done by talented people making hand copies of real or even fake copies—they don’t know the difference either.
Anyway----the reason I wrote the book Autograph Hell was to open eyes like yours so they would ask questions and be skeptical before buying—even from reputable (?) dealers.
How/Where/When and by Whom are always questions to ask—also authenticated from a real authentication house----not just a certificate from the dealer.
Hope that helps.
Sorry for your problems!
Chuck