Autograph Hell

Celebrity autographs are big business, bought and sold for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.  An Illinois man started collecting autographs of athletes and movie stars as a kid. And 43 years later, he’s still going strong. “Hi, I’m Marty Peters. I’m from Coal City, Illinois, and I am an autograph collector. (Marty opens a photo album)  This is what I call my beginning for my autographs. I’ve been a sports nut my whole life. (Marty holds up Bill Melton’s picture)  “This is Bill Melton, 3 rd baseman for the Chicago White Sox. This woulda been back in 1971. It was my very first autograph that I ever got.  I have, give or take a few, right around the 30,000 mark. That bin right there I completely forgot I had. You wouldn’t believe what they’re going for on E-bay. My cousin, Rick Roseland, he collected autographs for many years.  He’s 15 years older than me, and at 6 years old he got me started on doing this.” “I’m Rick Roseland, Coal City...

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MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Collecting sports memorabilia is big business these days — but how do you know if you’re getting the real deal? Before you buy a fake, FOX6′s Contact 6 says it’s important to know what can happen.    Baseball is America’s popular past-time, and like most sports, baseball has generated a memorabilia business worth billions. “I consider myself very knowledgeable about what a real one and a fake one is,” Mark Mench said. Mench has been an autograph collector for 30 years, and is very confident he can spot a fake. However, his batting average took a hit recently. “A Steve Prefontaine autograph you almost never see. So, he advertised for things that almost everyone would be interested in who collects what I collect,” Mench said. The “he” Mench is referring to is Carl Myer. “The way he fooled me is because – how he spoke. He knew dealers, he knew the business, he knew basically everything I knew about autographs and I`ve collected 30 ...

If you are like me, you've collected autographs for years and have built up quite a collection.  I have albums upon albums full of my coveted autographed pictures, and closets full of autographed books and memorabilia.  I love it.  I was recently asked what my most prized autograph is and I had to think about that for a while.  That is a hard question because each one has a story and is special in its own way.  I love my autographed picture with President Reagan but I also love my signed boxing gloves my Mohammed Ali!   Tell me what your most coveted autograph is!

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...

The outside of Larry McLendon's home looks normal, but as soon as the door is opened, it's easy to see that this house isn't like any other. "Every room, including bathrooms, is covered floor to ceiling with autographs and memorabilia," said McLendon. McLendon has been collecting autographs for about 50 years, but he can still name the first one he ever got. "My first grade class was assigned to draw a picture of President Eisenhower," McLendon said. "My teacher sent my picture to the White House, and a few weeks later I actually got a note back from President Eisenhower thanking me for the picture. That was my first autograph." He said he got serious about collecting years later when he got a few more autographs. "I met Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961, right before Maris broke Babe Ruth's home run record," McLendon said. "I also met Jack Dempsey, the world heavyweight boxing champion, that year. Since (my fa...

Here are a few steps you can take to help recognize a pre-printed autograph.  These tips do require you to have the autograph in your possession.   1. The signature will appear to be below the surface of the glossy portion of the photo and it will often appear very ‘flat’. 2. To test this, hold the photo at an angle very close to a bright source of light. A real autograph is on surface of the photo and should reflect differently than the rest of the surface. It will be very obvious when it is a legitimate autograph signed on top of the photo. A preprint will blend right in with the surface of the photo because it is actually part of the photo and the glossy reflection will be the same in the background of the photo as well as where the autograph is printed. You may have to move the photo around to get the right angle and notice the difference in reflection but with a little practice you'll become adept at this in no time. 3. Since the au...