Autograph Hell

Sussing out forgeries demands a lot of skill - sometimes.  Other times, it's quite obvious that an autograph is bogus or highly suspect.  Recent history offers three striking examples. In 2007, Sotheby's Auction offered for sale the "only known autograph" of George Dixon, a 19th Century Bantam and Featherweight World Boxing Champion.  The autograph, in pencil, was on a small slip of paper it hadn't been witnessed, dated or notarized.  An authenticator had signed off on it, though it obviously was impossible to verify.  After all, there were no other known autographs of the boxer.  What could the authenticator have compared it to? In 2006, a well-known authentication company verified that an album page had been signed on the reverse side by "April Chadwick."  A skeptic asked, "Has anyone ever heard of a person or celebrity named April Chadwick?" Nope.  Turned out the authenticator apparently hadn't compared the signature to any other.  H

Our prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery are with Comedian Gallagher as he recovers from a heart attack.  According to Fox News Gallagher suffered a heart attack before his show in Texas on Wednesday.  Placed in a medical coma to "relax and recover" for the next 24 hours, doctors say his vital signs are good.  I was fortunate enough to meet Gallagher several years ago backstage at a show here in Phoenix.

I shared these pictures on the Irion Books blog and thought I would share them here too since they are part of my massive autograph collection.  One of my favorite shows on T.V. is Celebrity Apprentice.  I enjoy watching the celebrities try to work together with all their huge and clashing personalities, and work on accomplishing the tasks Donald Trump places in front of them.  I've met a few of the personalities that are on the show this season, and I thought it would be fun to share my pictures.  Take a look!  George Takei  Penn Jillette  Lou Ferrigno Michael Andretti To order your copy of Autograph Hell , CLICK HERE

Signed record albums, photos, even lunchboxes and hand puppets are increasingly valuable Davy Jones with a picture of his younger self; signed copies of Monkees items would be particularly valuable now. That dusty Monkees lunchbox in your attic still won't put both your kids through college, but yes, says a pop culture collectibles expert, the death of Davy Jones might make this a good time to cash in on it.  Gary Sohmers, long-time appraiser on PBS' "Antiques Roadshow," says a Monkees lunchbox in good shape could bring $400-$500 or more. That could be 10%-40% more than it brought a week ago, says Sohmers, largely because the publicity around Jones' death has stirred up a flurry of interest in both him and the Monkees. There has been a renewed interest in the Monkees’ music since Jones’ sudden death from a heart attack at the age of 66 on Wednesday. The band’s “The Best of the Monkees” was the No. 3 most downloaded on iTunes, while the so