CLINT AUTOGRAPHS

[kidd]

Can any one tell me how i can tell a Real Clint autograph from a forgery, with so many great photos,but with different signatures about it's
getting hard to tell?
Thank's
kidd...

[Brendan]

Well the website that used to tell you how to spot one is down.

But I found this photo of a fake secretarial signed photo:



It comes from a "Top Ten Worst Mail Signers List".

It also had this to say:

Another major disappointment for collectors comes when they realize that all those wonderful Eastwood signed photos they waited months for actually were signed by a secretary. "But it took so long it must be real," they plead. No, it just took that long because his secretaries are terribly overloaded with autograph requests.

So I guess sending away to WB is out of the question.

I would think your best bet would be to either meet him and get a real one, or search for one that comes with a COA; Certificate of Authenticity.

[KC]

The website Brendan is referring to isn't down, but the article giving tips on how to tell a genuine Eastwood signature has been removed. Perhaps a back issue of the magazine (Autograph Collector, March 1996) could be ordered from the site.

As for "his secretaries" doing the signing, I have it on pretty good authority that a few years ago, at least, there were no secretaries; the signing was done by the daughter of a Malpaso employee. After that, I believe they changed policies, and autograph requests were answered with a handsome photo of Clint with a pre-printed signature.

[kidd]

Thanks for the replies...
They are most helpful.
These autographs do present problems!

kidd.

[vik]

even if the autograph has a coa doesn't mean its authentic.

I read of  a person buying a secretarial photo with a coa and they said to them it was authentic because it was an authentic sectretarial autograph - so you can't win.  

[Brendan]

Yes, but at least it has a better chance of being real with COA.

[Matt]

Unfortunately, a lot of fakes come with COA's.  

I ordered the magazine that Nightwing was trying to link to earlier in this thread. It shows a comparison of a "secretarial" signature and the real thing, and if I remember correctly, I think it gives a few hints on how you can tell if the signature is real or not. When the magazine comes in, I'll scan it and post a link here.  So check this thread again in a couple of weeks.

[kidd]

GREAT!
Thanks i will keep a look out for that.

kidd.

[Matt]

I just got the back issue of the Autograph Collector magazine that featured an article on how to tell a real Eastwood autograph from a fake.  I scanned and uploaded the two page article to my website. When you pull up the links, you'll need to click on the page magnifier to read the article and see the pictures. Unfortunately, the first picture on the first page is as impossible to see when you have the actual magazine in hand as the scan shows it to be.  But the other autographs can be seen pretty well.

Just click on the index link below, and then the links inside it to see the article.

Autograph Collector, Clint Eastwood article

[kidd]

Thanks for that, the photos and article will come in handy for when im looking to buy an autograph.

[44 Magnum]

I have a Clint Eastwood autograph, purchased on the English website www.famouslyyours.co.uk. It came with a Certificate of Authenticity so hopefully it was signed by Clint rather than his secretary!
If anyone can tell me how to display the picture on this site I can show you what it looks like and then you can give me your opinions on it!

[Matt]

Hi 44 Magnum, and welcome to the board.

You'd need to scan your autographed picture and upload it to a website in order to post it here. Also, the website has to allow direct linking to message boards. Many of the free websites don't allow that (Geocities, Tripod, etc.)  If you have a website, upload it and take the URL of the picture and surround it with the image tags, which look like this (without the spaces, which I'm including so the tags can be read on the board): [ img] [ /img]

Even if you are able to post the image here on the board, it is VERY difficult to tell a real Eastwood autograph from a fake, and there's probably no way we would know for sure which yours was. I'd hate to even be put in the situation of trying to judge the authenticity of someone else's prized possession. Maybe it would be best if you were to just study the article posted above very carefully and compare yours with those pictured there.

[philo]

Here is another genuine example




Philo .

[the stranger]

Matt, I do intend to write a short bit about the autograph session, but for now I thought I would show what some people are passing off as a genuine autogragh



unreal.....

-Stranger-

[philo]

Oh my  

That is a great picture.

I feel sorry for anyone who buys that.


Philo .

[Matt]

  That is, by far, the worst fake Eastwood autograph I've ever seen.

[Brendan]

Matt, I do intend to write a short bit about the autograph session, but for now I thought I would show what some people are passing off as a genuine autogragh



unreal.....

-Stranger-

HA!!

I can do better.  

Not that I would or anything....

[palooka]

I thought I would TRY and shed a little light on the Clint Eastwood autograph debate. Authentic Eastwood signatures are scarce. Check eBay on any random day and you will be lucky to find ANY real ones. Most are crude forgeries and the balance secretarial.

I began looking at Clint’s signature in the early ‘80’s. It seemed a little strange that you could write to the biggest star in the world and receive a signed photo back within a couple of weeks. Clint was getting an estimated 10,000 requests a month through the mail. Obviously impossible for Eastwood to keep everybody happy even if he wanted too! Even autograph dealers would sell these ‘secretarial’ autographs quite innocently. It is only recently that the rarity of his autograph has come to light with reputable dealers charging $100-250 for an 8” x 10”. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realize that guy on eBay trying to knock one out for $25 has some explaining to do.

Attached are 14 examples of authentic Eastwood signatures. All these are in my personal collection. The majority were collected by a trusted friend of mine in California over a period of 10 years, some with pictures of him signing. Example #9 is from a book signing in New York 1996 (a very neat signature while sitting) and example #13 is an exceptionally rare ‘Vintage’ signature from a document dated 1955 (that’s long before Rawhide!) Autographs from Eastwood pre 1970 are just about impossible to find.

There are some characteristics to look for in a real Eastwood signature. They should be regarded as general rules rather than essential criteria, even in these examples you will see differences. Examples #1 and #12 were signed a day apart!

1. Look at the ‘C’ and the top loop of ‘E’ they usually form a ‘love heart’ shape.  

2. The final ‘D’ is always fairly pronounced, usually with a loop. The secretarial ones look more like a ‘Y’ or a ‘G’ Example #5 is the only authentic one in my collection that doesn’t follow that rule, although you can see the ‘D’ being formed at an angle.

3. Often there is a lead in to the ‘C’. See examples 4, 6, 10, this line can be even longer in some cases. This is common on more recent signatures.

4. In most cases, his autograph is scruffy, often illegible. Earlier examples are neater but follow the same rules.

I hope this helps some board members with the autographs in their possession. I hope its not bad news. I am NOT an expert in autographs nor would I claim to be able to authenticate all those I see (although I can usually categorize them in to one of four groups…. Definitely right, probably right, probably wrong and definitely wrong). This is my experience of 20 years of Clint Eastwood’s autograph.

If you are buying from eBay or a dealer, you can generally ignore COA’s they are only as good as the individual writing them, most of you have printers and could make your own up just as simply! Go to a reputable dealer who is a member of the ‘Universal Autograph Collectors Club’ (UACC). Then go to www.uacc.org to verify them. The only way you KNOW its real is to watch him sign it! Ask Philo and The Stranger

[Matt]

Palooka, thanks for such a well-illustrated and knowledgeable post. I'm sure many of our members will appreciate your addition to this thread when they're looking to acquire an Eastwood autograph.

[the stranger]

Nice one Palooka! Better than I could ever write, I won't add much to that, simply was going to say, how it varies between the Autographs we got on that memorable night, actually in the order ours were signed were
1. The First Dirty Harry still.
2. The Alcatraz script
3. The Second Dirty Harry Still.

He seems to take his time writing them these days, he was fairly slow in writing them, and also it is worth mentioning what he was leaning on at the time, with my still, it was simply a stiff envelope (Matt will no the type exactly) with Philo's script obviously a much thicker piece, therefore could have slightly effected the signature, and the second still was again leaning on the card envelope, maybe this all has to be taken into account..
The one thing I will say now though, is how could you ever tell a genuine autograph? (unless it is complete crap as the one I posted above) to be honest, it would be near impossible as the circumstances around Clint would be different all of the time, which will effect the look of the signature...
As Palooka said, I don't think I would have ever been happy unless it was obtained personally, and this of course, is bloody hard to do, especially these days..
-Stranger-