The Definitive Guide To Autographs: Collecting Buying Authenticating Selling: Collecting Buying Authenticating Selling

By Michael Kirt Kasmar

Whether you are a novice autograph collector or a full-time autograph dealer, this book is sure to help you. My decades of knowledge and experience from being fully immersed in the autograph collectibles industry and involved in the behind-the-scenes of acquiring in-person celebrity autographs is summariz

• Language: English
• Publisher: Autograph Pros, LLC
• Release date: Nov 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087990699

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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his is one of those books where no one is better than anyone else. I give enormous thanks of appreciation to the following people.

Ryan and Justin, who were two kids I met while we were all waiting to get autographs from The Rolling Stones outside a hotel. They would become two of the most powerful influences in my life and great friends. Before meeting them I never really had friends who shared the same passion for music and celebrity autographs and memorabilia as me, and these guys were hardcore. They had the come early, leave late and do not quit before the miracle type attitudes, and it was infectious. We would really push one another, and as a result, our success rates were pretty good.

Justin Steffman and AutographCOA, because Justin has decades of experience and focuses almost exclusively on modern celebrity and music autographs. I have known Justin Steffman (Owner and Lead Authenticator for ACOA) since I started in this industry. He has an incredible mindset for perfection and laser focus when it comes to examining autographs. By creating RACC, Justin has brought all of the top in-person autograph collectors and hobby enthusiasts together and made the industry much better.

John Brennan aka Captain Sneaks, was big on keeping stuff very quiet and, more importantly, felt the need to explain how best to approach stars so as not to blow up the spot or burn them out. Having put in years prior to us showing up in NYC, Brennan already knew many of these stars and knew just how much he could push them. He shared some of his own experiences about celebrities. In the autograph world, knowledge is definitely power, and I have always tried to be a sponge and learn what I can from whomever I can.

Giovanni Arnold, one of the hardest working men in show business, and is considered by many to be the best in-person autograph guy, period. When we first met Gio, he was one of the few who basically showed us the ropes around NYC. His mentoring and our own knowledge of how to find information immediately got us put in incredible autograph situations regularly.

Tim Henderson, Nickolas Tsui, Gus Weber, and Frederick Weichman II, story contributors and hobbyists who shared their passion and personal experiences through their own graphing stories.

Many thanks!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER 1

AUTOGRAPH HISTORY LESSON

Baseball Cards

It’s in the Genes

My Introduction to TTM

Finding More Resources

Reclaiming My Collection

Improving Item Quality

Rolling with the Stones—Meeting Ryan and Justin

Paying My Dues

Expanding Connections

The Birth of Autograph Pros

Autograph Pros Commitment to Exact Proof

The Growth of AutographPros.com

CHAPTER 2

AUTOGRAPH STORIES

Woodstock ‘99 and Baseball Hall of Fame

Willie Nelson

B.B. King

The Boss – Bruce Springsteen

Slowhand – Eric Clapton

KEEEEF! – Keith Richards

Who the Heck is Mick Jagger?

ZZ Top – Meet & Greet

Aerosmith – Steven Tyler

AC/DC, Roger Waters, Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus, Sia

AC/DC and Twisted Sister

Lynyrd Skynyrd Giving us the Bird

The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus

Kenny Chesney and Jason Mraz

Autograph Pros Go One-on-One with Jeter and Jordan

Autograph Pros Tackle Joe Namath

Batman & Robin, Catwoman, and Darth Maul

Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood and Guns N’Roses Slash

Kiss’s Mace Frehley!

Checkmate by Gerry Kasparov

Aerosmith –Experiences Shared

By Gus Weber

Meeting Sir Paul McCartney

By Tim Henderson

Taylor Swift Selfies are the new Autographs

Meeting Mickey Rooney

By Frederick Weichmann II

NASCAR Morgan Shepherd

Frederick Weichmann II

Wherever I May Roam… A Story of Metallica

By Nickolas Tsui

Snoop Dogg – Keepin it Gangsta

Black Label Society – Zakk Wylde

The King of Pop - Michael Jackson

The Rolling Stones – Too Much Security Tour

By Tim Henderson

Yoga with Sting

By Tim Henderson

Piano Man Billy Joel – Driving Backwards

By Tim Henderson

CHAPTER 3

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Blue and Black Sanford Sharpie®Fine Point

Paint Pens/Paint Markers – Which to Use

Blank Glossy Photo Paper

Index Cards

Plastic Sleeves and Toploaders

Autograph Bag

Painter’s Tape

Autograph Boards

Poster Tubes and Poster Board

Pickguards

Guitars

Camera

Camcorder – Video Recording

Things to Get Signed

CHAPTER 4

WAYS TO COLLECT

Hotels/Venues/Shows/Restaurants (Street graphs)

The Vehicle Follow/Chase

Conventions

CD and Book Signings

In-Person Appearances

Movie Sets

Airports

Training Camps or Spring Training

Concert Signings and Merch booths

Meet & Greets (Backstage Passes)

Street Consignments

TTM – Through the Mail

Trading

CHAPTER 5

HOW TO BUY AUTOGRAPHS

Should You Buy?

Know the Hobby

Live and Breathe Online Forums

Use Fast Opinion by ACOA

Pricing

Establishing Value

Authenticators and COAs Not to be Trusted

Reputable Sellers

What to Ask When Buying

Where to buy

Auctions

Other Online Options

The Art of Negotiating

Ask for Provenance

Buying Direct

Investments

Impact of Death on Investments

Document All Purchases and Reputable Sources

CHAPTER 6

PROTECT AND DISPLAY

Coating Your Autograph

Using Autographed Items

Storing Your Autographs

Displaying Your Autographs

Restoring Your Autographs

Insurance

CHAPTER 7

AUTOGRAPH AUTHENTICATION

Knowing the Industry

Mixers

Knowing the Tough Ones

Autopens

Secretarials and Ghost Signers

Study the Intricacies of Signatures

Maintain a Forgery Database

Authenticating an Item Yourself

Does It Make Sense?

Examining A Signature

Contacting the Celebrity

Authenticators You Can Trust

Beware of Fake TPA Items

CHAPTER 8

ORGANIZATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

RACC Trusted Sellers

RACC Trusted Seller Terms of Use:

Real Autograph Collectors Club (RACC)

RACC Official Musician/Celebrity Presale Thread

Selling on RACC

Searching RACC

RACC Auctions

Consignments

Authentication

Reporting a Post

Contacting a RACC Admin

Pinned Post – Rules and Links

Autograph Magazine Live (AML)

Universal Autograph Collectors Club (U. A.C.C.)

Autograph Fair Trade Association LTD (AFTAL)

CHAPTER 9

KNOWLEDGE, TIPS, AND TRICKS

Market Saturation

EBay.com Completed Auction Search

Multi-Signed Items

Know Who is Signing What

Sketch, Lyrics, Movie Quotes

Getting Used Game/Concert/Film Items Signed

Personalizations

Add or Remove Names

Removing Extra Names or Smudges

Removing Stickers

CHAPTER 10

COLLECTORS VS DEALERS VS FANS

Dangers of Sharing Too Much Information

Collectors/Fans Vs Dealers

When a Celebrity Stops Signing

Persistence vs Disrespect

Selfie vs Autograph

CHAPTER 11

HOW TO SELL AUTOGRAPHS

Naming Your Company

Buying Domain Name/Website Host

Establishing Your Company

Photographing Your Items

Flatbed Scanners

Professional Cameras vs Cell Phones

Types of Angles/Images to Take

Titles/Descriptions

Pricing

Methods of Payment

Where to Sell

eBay

Amazon

Facebook Groups & Facebook Marketplace

Apps

Craigslist, Etsy, Collectionzz, etc.

Auction Houses

Charities

Wholesale

Customer Service

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION

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hether you are buying this book in order to find information about how to meet your favorite band or celebrity, or you are a fulltime autograph enthusiast looking to gain new tips or knowledge from the Pros or anyone in between, thank you for purchasing my book. I hope to convey my true passion and excitement on these pages, as I absolutely love the autograph hobby/industry and I am excited to share what I know. I am very grateful and blessed to have met some amazing people in this hobby/industry, and thankful to those who have helped me along the way. You see, unlike many businesses where owners are protective of their trade secrets, as a collector at heart, I would like more people to join in the excitement of autograph collecting. I learned a long time ago that success leaves clues. You should always pay attention to successful sellers or collectors and look for clues to their success. Inside this book, I share the clues I have picked up so far.

My name is Michael Kasmar, and I am the owner of AutographPros.com, the world’s leading dealer of autographed guitars and celebrity and music memorabilia. I have had the privilege of meeting everyone from AC/DC to Rob Zombie (A-Z) and have achieved sales in the millions. I have been able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities through both in-kind donations as well as consignments with the Charity Works program we created. I was co-founder of the Facebook group Real Autograph Collectors Club (RACC), which has over 10,000 members and shares information on how to meet the top celebrities and musicians as well as foster a safe buying marketplace for authentic memorabilia. My company has consigned autographs for organizations like the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares and helped stock the autograph store for the Dick Clark American Bandstand store.

Our current inventory features autographs from a who’s who list of top music and celebrity stars such as Madonna, Metallica, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Justin Bieber, Eric Clapton, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, as well as former and current Presidents.

You may ask, What about sports, Mike? to which I would humbly reply, I leave that side of the hobby to sports enthusiasts. You see, I come from a humble upbringing, and the wealth I have amassed has come from my own efforts starting from the bottom and working my way up. In sports, I see a lot of young men, sometimes even out of high school, given multimillion dollar contracts. I simply cannot relate to that, and I think it builds a different character. In music, a lot of the guys I have sought started out selling tapes and CDs out of the trunks of their car and went gig to gig before achieving the level of success where they are now selling out stadiums. That creates a different mindset and something I can more readily identify with. When I first began seeking autographs from sports athletes, many of them soured me to it all together. These guys had multiple houses and cars, were getting VIP access and free meals and gifts everywhere they went, yet they were giving people a hard time about making $50 on their autograph! Clearly not all sports stars are like that, and I will share some of my sports encounters in this book, but my passion lies in movies and music, and my company has carved a nice niche in that area of the memorabilia. While everyone has a favorite team in sports, everyone also tends to have at least one favorite band, favorite movie, and favorite actress or actor, so those have been the customers we have catered to for the past two decades.

CHAPTER 1

AUTOGRAPH HISTORY LESSON

Baseball Cards

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an you believe the detail of John Hancock’s autograph? Today there are very few stars signing autographs who have a signature anywhere near that quality. I am not going to bore you with the history of autographs; that is what Google is for. I will, however, share my personal history of autographs. It all started with what I like to refer to as the gateway drug—Baseball cards! I still remember walking into the local card shop, buying a pack of cards, and pulling out a Don Mattingly rookie card, which the store owner offered to buy from me at ten times what I just paid for the pack of cards. It was my first Flip for turning an item into cash, and I was hooked. Just like scratch tickets, baseball card packs were my form of gambling.

Unfortunately, those were horrible years for those of us trying to grow a valuable sought-after collection. Baseball cards went on a crazy rollercoaster ride from adding crazy swatches from jersey’s being cut up to holofoil and autograph inserts. At one point even K-Mart was producing baseball cards. There were way too many cards being mass produced, and nothing was rare anymore. Crooks began using techniques for pack-searching to find the good ones and were even resealing the wax packs. Remember that horrid stale bubble gum?

It’s in the Genes

I also must point out that collecting is in my genes. My father had amassed a collection of comic books that included several sought-after number one issues. I remember hearing the story of how the local bookies (comic book shops) would constantly try to talk him into selling. My father was a closet collector; he literally bought and kept his collection under wraps. I did not get any tips or advice from my father about collecting, but there is no denying that a part of that gene was passed onto me.

My dad was quite a talented artist and could replicate cartoon sketches with amazing detail. While I also had considerable artistic talent, I never directly used my own artistic techniques and talents for doing anything autograph-related. Instead, I used my creative talents to design custom displays and art that some of the most talented artists and craftsman custom airbrushed for me. It is definitely one of the more rewarding feelings to have created something and watch the appreciation of the public.

My Introduction to TTM

Shortly after my card collection started growing at a rapid pace, my sister bought me the Sports American Baseball Address List, I think it was Volume 2 or 3.

Picture 4

The market was still being saturated with baseball cards, so I was collecting Topps, Fleer, and Donrus. Then came minis, the vintage reproductions, and trade publications from Baseball Cards, Beckett, and Price Guides. I even bought up a bunch of Baseball Digests. I may not have read many books at the time, but if those publications count, I was top of my class.

Then I thought of a great way to utilize those worthless baseball cards. I was always a hustler with a lot of energy, so with the funds from my three paper routes, I could afford lots of stamps, envelopes, and even better items. I would handwrite letters and include baseball cards or index cards. It was the early 1980s, so the response rates were incredible, even from the A-listers, and my efforts were quickly rewarded. I discovered that the most success came from the old-timers who would add special notes or include other added gifts. I do not think they got as much fan mail and were far more appreciative. As the responses began pouring in, I had to buy binders and find other ways to store those items, which lead me to Sports Collectors Digest (SCD) and a few other publications. I remember Autograph Magazine, but I think that came much later. There was another publication similar to SCD that I also used heavily called Tuff Stuff Magazine. I used those magazines to buy supplies and other cool things to add to my collection or to mail out; they also provided addresses. In the back, they listed card show calendars and auctions, and I would attend those as well.

I was a teenager then and attended an auction. During the bidding process, the item was at $15 and I shouted, $15.50. The auctioneer politely asked me to allow him to run the auction and dictate what the next increment would be. I ended up winning that item. These are just glimpses of the interest I have always possessed for autograph collecting and the different exciting avenues you can go down.

Finding More Resources

My suggestion to anyone who wants to get involved in autographs would be to use every resource available. Today there are autograph conventions worldwide where celebrities sign autographs for a fee; there are events where celebrities show up and sign for free. There are auctions online and locally. There are not many trade publications anymore, but there are many online websites which greatly improve access to resources compared to the limited sources I had. Just be warned, every one of these comes with its own addiction. There are people who LOVE conventions and attend as many as possible.

There are also many people like me who find the challenge of meeting a celebrity in person and obtaining an autograph for free the better route. The very first autograph I obtained in person was from Rico Petrocelli, an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played his entire Major League Baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. I was attending the Special Olympics being held in Massachusetts, and he was there in support as well. My sister pointed him out to me and suggested I get his autograph. I was very nervous as I walked up to him because I was trying to think of what to say, but I fought my fear and ended up with a program from the event signed by him and a story and memory to last a lifetime. I was also immediately hooked on that feeling of instant gratification and sense of accomplishment. Something about the thrill of the hunt and, of course, the personal and financial rewards were very appealing to me.

I soon had a handful of in-person autographs. I didn’t have a car, lived on an air force base, and relied on other people to cart me around, all of which were not exactly conducive to obtaining in-person autographs. I did, however, have a TTM (through the mail) collection to be proud of. I utilized those books and publications to the fullest and had binders full of rare treasures. Having also attended a couple of card show conventions and auctions, I also had some unique pieces as well. However, I made a rookie mistake when I bought a preprint. A local auction I had attended failed to do their due diligence and auctioned off a magazine with a Willie Mays autograph on it that was part of the publication and not hand-signed. It wasn’t indicated as such, and of course, by the time I realized my mistake, the receipt was long gone. This taught me not to put blind faith into even the best-run auction.

Reclaiming My Collection

Fast-forward many years to the early 80s when I was forced to do the unthinkable—I sold my collection. At the time, things in life were at a rock bottom, and so for pennies on the dollar I literally gave away an entire childhood. All the countless hours of letters to and from great players such as Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, and Hank Aaron, who were signing for me. All those items were gone in the blink of an eye, and it left a lasting impression. I promised myself that when I got back on my feet, I was going to reclaim a collection to be proud of, and eventually I did that and more.

It really all got kick-started when The Rolling Stones came to town. I was a huge fan and always wanted to get their autographs. I was working at a downtown restaurant, found out where they were staying, and decided to try to get their autographs. I showed up a day before the show because I knew they were already in town. There were two kids outside the hotel who I didn’t know at the time, but who would become two of the most powerful influences in my life and lifelong friends. The three of us sat outside and talked autographs for hours. Justin told me about the time he and Ryan had met Billy Gibbons, the guitarist and primary lead vocalist from ZZ Top, and how Gibbons had bought them lunch, given them tickets to see the concert, and let them sit on the stage. Ryan talked about the insane fun they used to have going for the Hartford Whalers 'autographs and how they would do pages of cards at a time and sneak down into the locker rooms.

I was older than Justin and Ryan but absorbed their knowledge like a sponge. Before meeting them I never really had friends who shared the same interest and passion for collecting as me, and these guys were hardcore. They had the come early, leave late and do not quit before the miracle type attitudes, and it was infectious. We would really push one another, and as a result, our success rates were very good.

Improving Item Quality

At the time we met, Justin and Ryan were getting index cards signed and had a great assortment of them. With my previous experience in baseball cards, I began stepping up my game. I immediately switched to doing guitars and then, to simplify, went to pickguards, the white removable scratch plate that unscrews off a guitar. I also carried an assortment of other things like drumheads and later added microphones.

There was a very cool music shop called Wild Bills Nostalgia which was more like a hippy shop. He had some very cool vintage items as well as some nice reproduction concert posters and an assortment of promo photos. I would stock up on some of the bands coming to town. One of my biggest regrets was not partnering with him to help sell his items. I thought my collection was big, but he told me once that he had another seven tractor trailers full.

Rolling with the Stones—Meeting Ryan and Justin

The day I first met Justin and Ryan, we were waiting for The Rolling Stones and were all pretty excited. It was the day before the concert, so no fans were lurking about, and we kept it low key, so it wasn’t obvious we were there trying to meet the Stones. We were able to secure autographs from all of the rhythm section (Lisa Fisher, Bobby Keys, Blondie Chaplin, and Darryl Jones). We also scored the big boy signatures including Charlie Watts who was very quiet and dapper, Ronnie Wood who seemed always wired up, and Keith Richards who is without a doubt one of the most entertaining rock stars you will ever meet. We had been there since early in the morning and stayed all day and night, so it made for a very long but very exciting day.

Obtaining autographs in person, and sometimes even at live auctions, gives me an adrenaline rush. It may be the competitive challenge of trying to secure the autograph. I grew up in a household with two older brothers, so I know something about competition. It may be knowing the value and cash potential like I experienced as a kid when opening a pack of baseball cards, hoping to score a big dollar card. It may simply be that I am a star-struck fan. Most likely it is all of the above.

The actual day of The Rolling Stones’ concert proved to be a waste of time. No one from the group came out. Then word got out, so a crowd began to block the front entrance. There were also entrances to the hotel at the front, side, and a sneaky back garage. As the crowd grew to witness these Rock legends on the day of the show, the more the three of us assumed the worst. We would circle the building looking for any signs of action when we finally spotted the back garage opening so a music van could pull in. Based on Ryan and Justin’s past experience, the garage was definitely going to be the band’s route from the hotel to the concert venue, so that’s where we tried to reclusively wait. Apparently, very few bands had ever used this route, but very few bands had ever achieved the level of stardom that The Rolling Stones had, so it was understandable. Feeding off the excitement of the previous days’ success, where we secured autographs from most of the band, we were optimistic that we would also secure Mick Jagger's autograph. We had arrived very early and waited most of the day to finally see Mick and the boys entering the music van. Unfortunately, there was no way to get close, so all we got was a wave from them from the van. Everyone in the crowd screamed as they drove through. Justin held up a sign that said, Waiting for 2 days – Please Sign, but at that point there was no stopping them.

We decided to go eat and then go to the concert to see if we could catch them afterward. Of course, they put on an amazing show, and we rushed back to the hotel to try to get them on their way back from the show. We knew they hadn’t loaded luggage, so we knew they would return. We were just in time, but as was the case earlier, the van drove right into the garage, and the band disappeared into the hotel without a chance for autographs. Undaunted, we continued to wait several hours into the night with no success.

This is the downside of seeking in-person autographs and the risks you take. A complete day wasted with nothing to show for it. If you are going to be an in-person (IP) grapher, you should mentally prepare yourself for that. You should also prepare yourself for what I call an autograph hangover. Between the mental preparation of what to bring, the anxiety and excitement of where to stand, what to get signed, who is coming out, and hours of standing in the sun and running back and forth, it definitely takes a toll.

After seeing the band simply drive by both times the previous day, I was suffering a severe autograph hangover and was faced with the decision whether to invest another day into these guys. Finally, I decided I had spent enough time on them and had secured Mick Jagger’s limo driver’s phone number and left him with a photo to try to get signed. Doing that turned out to be a big mistake. Apparently, Justin’s sign which now read, Waiting for 3 days – Please Sign, made an impact and got Mick Jagger to roll down the window and sign. These guys each got their photos completed. I had made a costly mistake but one which I would rarely make again. However, I did end up hearing back from his limo driver. Not only did Mick Jagger sign the photo, but he also started to sign the plastic holder that it was in, so we essentially had two autographs. Thankfully, the driver was watching, caught the mistake, and had him sign the photo as well. We purchased the photo for what, at the time, was more expensive than we would like to have paid, but in today’s market, I would buy a thousand more at that price. I think it was $300. This would be the first of hundreds of Rolling Stones autographs we would secure over the course of two decades, creating one of the greatest collections of Rolling Stones memorabilia in the world.

Paying My Dues

Just like with my baseball card and TTM collection, when I go in, I go all in. When you add the excitement of meeting those legends in person, it simply was a game changer for me. Every spare moment I had would be spent outside hotels and concert venues in the hope of securing as many autographs as we could. We would constantly push and challenge one another to get more and better items and to not quit before the miracle—getting the autographs.

We were fortunate in Hartford, Connecticut because there were only three hotels where stars would stay. The Goodwin Hotel was the most expensive and where you would find the A-listers. Both A-listers and many B-listers stayed at the Sheraton Hotel. At the Crowne Plaza, you would often find the bands that do those multi-band shows like the Ozzfest or Warped Tour. You could usually tell which hotels people were staying in because you would see the big tour buses parked nearby. Sometimes, however, bands would be driven in or the buses would drop them off and park elsewhere, so it wasn’t always easy.

We started creating relationships with the doormen at the hotels—some good, some bad. I will say, however, that we were always respectful. What you learn from doing in-person autographs is that everyone lies. The two-bit wannabe cop security guys lie, the agents lie, the doormen lie, and the bus drivers lie. Of course, it is not always the case, but I cannot tell you how many times I have been told that such and such already left only to have them come out 20 minutes later, or that they aren’t even staying there when the tour bus is parked around the corner. You are going to be faced with countless obstacles. If you are somewhat aggressive but respectful, you will find your success rate very high. You will find most of the time that the security is blocking you and telling you they aren’t going to sign. Sometimes the star will ignore them and sign, and sometimes you must try to convince them to sign. My best advice is to ignore everyone else and look directly into the celebrity’s eyes and say, Can you please sign for me? but do so while you nod your head yes. It may sound silly, but it is something I learned when I did sales; it is a psychological thing. If you nod your head, the other person mentally wants to nod their head. My success rate is something worth noting so, yeah. If they say yes, you then must immediately make a move towards them. Keep in mind, they have these big security guards, so you must then say to the guards, He said he would sign, without being too aggressive; so it is best to say, Thank you, to the guards as you approach.

I must emphasize the importance of some aggression and being a go-getter in this area; the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you are going to just stand there with your item out and a marker in your pocket hoping they will sign, you may as well have stayed home. As soon as someone exits the hotel or venue, you literally have seconds to approach and convince them to sign, so it is best that you have your item(s) out and ready to be signed. I hold the marker in my hand with the