— Elvis Presley and the Beatles top the list of most-forged celebrity signatures in 2012, with less than half of their autographs for sale certified as genuine, according to memorabilia authenticators PSA/DNA.
The King and the Fab Four joined notable figures such as former President John Kennedy and the late pop star Michael Jackson on the list of most-forged celebrity signatures, released this week.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong landed at No. 3 on the list, after fake Armstrong signatures rose significantly after his death in August.
One reason that forgeries of Armstrong’s autograph soared was that he rarely signed for fans, said Joe Orlando, president of Newport Beach-based PSA/DNA.
“Armstrong is someone who is very conscious of the value of his own autograph,” Orlando said. “Even before he passed away, he was very tough to get. … It really heightens the level of his market.”
Secretaries and assistants responding to huge volumes of fan mail are one reason for fake signatures floating through the marketplace, said Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment and music memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles.
“Back in the day, the kids would write to the movie studios,” Barrett said.
“There was absolutely no financial gain 50 years ago, and secretaries and assistants just wanted to make them happy,” she said. “A lot of times, people stumble upon an old box of signed photographs in grandma’s attic and don’t know they’re forged.”
Barrett, whose specialty is the late Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe’s autographs, said official documents such as contracts and checks are reliable sources to verify whether a signature is forged.
“A good rule of thumb is to compare it (to) a signed contract,” she said. “Sometimes (celebrities) would have secretaries or other sign photos and letters, but they couldn’t have a contract signed by a proxy.”
