Hi, please don't take this as criticism or the wrong way, it is meant as a genuine query as I am not familiar with autograph selling, but in this day and age of digital wizardry, for want of a better term, is it a good idea to show the full signatures on a public forum?
Hi mate not taken the wrong way at all ! It's good that you're thinking about forgers as God knows there are so many these days.
Years of collecting autographs in multiple genres and asking advice and opinions from experienced collectors and experts has taught me that around 95% of all autographs are fake. However with that in mind, there ARE things we can do to avoid buying fakes.
The first is to educate anyone that will listen. The second is to try and persuade those not listening that they need to - even if only for the sake of their bank balances!
The amount of money being spaffed away on fake Harrison Ford's alone is shocking.
There will always be a "tell" that an item is fake - be it pressure , flow, form, etc and the best advice you will ever get to avoid fakes is to check any autograph through a reputable authentication source. For SW there is none better than Star Wars Autograph Universe ( find them on facebook ). They operate a quick opinion service for just a few quid.
While it cannot 100% rule out a fake (you really need to see items in person) it will give you an extremely good chance of avoiding buying one, plus they also offer other services well worth looking into for high value items.
Also, avoid relying on COA's. They are ONLY as good as the person/company that issued them ! I can make you one on the PC in seconds - they almost all are just toilet paper tokens,
made to help scammers convince the unwary that their fake is real. You should ONLY trust a COA from a well established company and even then some of those have questionable
histories. Get to know the companies' reputation by hanging out on forums like this and talking to fellow collectors. Learn who you can trust.
I personally only trust COA's issued by the following :
Official Pix ( also known as OPIX ) - a company that used to have the official licence from Lucasfilm, still hold regular signings and carry a stellar reputation.
Star Wars Autograph Universe - the leading facebook group for collectors of Star Wars autographs. Also deal in other areas such as Marvel.
The biggest collectors and best experts can be found as members and staff admins here.
K9 - a legend in the Star Wars autograph community who has been around a very long time and holds a gilt edge reputation. Used him many times to obtain some choice pieces.
Also, when dealing with fellow collectors, don't be afraid to ask around about their reputations on sites like SWAU. People's reputation and feedback counts in this game.
Hope this answers your questions
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