Fake Autographs Have Become Sign of Sports Collecting Times

Hockey legend Gordie Howe was 7 years old when his mother helped him develop the signature he would use to please thousands of fans during the decades to come.

So Howe knows his autograph when he sees it. And he knows when it’s a fake.

Over the years, Howe said, he has seen many fake Howe autographs on photos, hockey sticks, gloves and other memorabilia from the sport.

Sometimes he tells the fan it’s a fake; sometimes he doesn’t. He said that seeing a fan’s disappointment just makes him feel bad.

“I am not in the habit of breaking people’s hearts,” Howe said. “Autographs are a very, very important part of the game, and I don’t think they should be toyed with.”

That is why Howe supports an effort by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to protect those who collect the autographs of celebrities in the worlds of sports, entertainment, politics and other areas in which an autograph can command thousands of dollars.

Blumenthal has proposed a law that would require dealers of sports autographs priced at $50 or more to certify that the autographs are genuine. The measure also would empower buyers and Connecticut consumer officials to seek penalties of as much $2,000 and restitution from dealers who sell fake merchandise.

Similar laws focusing on sports autographs are being proposed in New York, California and Kansas. Such a proposal failed in Washington state.

Blumenthal, who testified on the proposal before the Connecticut legislature’s general law committee Tuesday, said he wants to expand it to include unsigned sports memorabilia and the autographs of famous people, including actors, politicians and writers.

“We’re looking into the feasibility of broadening the bill to include all these types of autographs and memorabilia that may have the potential to create this type of fraud,” he said.

Fake autographs and sports memorabilia are a big problem because collecting them is big business. With about $4 billion in sales annually, the collecting of sports memorabilia is the nation’s 23rd largest industry, said John L. Raybin, publisher of Baseball Autograph News, a bimonthly magazine, and executive producer of the nationally syndicated “The Sports Collector’s Radio Show.”

Raybin said that about 21 million people collect sports autographs, baseball cards or other items.

Because of the popularity of collecting, prices have continued to rise. In 1991, for example, Riba Auctions Inc. in South Glastonbury may have set a world auction record for Lou Gehrig’s handwriting when it sold a letter by the former New York Yankees slugger for $8,800.

Raybin said that as many as 5% of sports autographs are fake. But the percentage of fakes among sports equipment, he said, is much higher, particularly for hockey sticks, and bats and uniforms.

Howe recalled an incident in Detroit in the 1970s, when an elderly man proudly showed him a set of skates that he said once belonged to Howe. But the skates were size 8 1/2; Howe wears a full size larger.

“I felt so sorry for the guy,” he said.

The problem extends to the entertainment industry and even to presidential politics, where prices can be even higher.

About six months ago, Riba Auctions obtained $71,000 for a letter written by Abraham Lincoln. Although that letter was authentic, said Brian Riba, president of the auction house, Lincoln signatures were being counterfeited as far back as the 1860s. An item’s age should not be accepted as sole proof that it is authentic, he said.

Signatures are reproduced not only by those seeking to defraud collectors. Authorized signatures, those written by secretaries, family members and others with the permission of the famous person, are another problem because they also are not authentic. So are signatures written by automatic signature machines, which are widely used by members of Congress and by presidents.

Former President Kennedy’s signature reportedly was reproduced not only by such a machine but also by 18 presidential secretaries, including one who was authorized to sign his personal checks.

Bob Erickson, president of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club in Washington, said he once paid $50 for a Ronald Reagan autograph and discovered five years later that it was the product of a very good rubber stamp. But he was able to get a refund because the dealer that sold it had provided an unconditional guarantee. Erickson said collectors should seek such guarantees whenever they buy such items.

A forensic expert writing for a magazine published by Erickson’s club estimated that 3% of signatures purported to be those of famous people are fake. Erickson and Raybin agree that that percentage is much higher for the autographs of singers, actors and others in the entertainment field. Erickson estimated the rate of forgery could be high as 10%.

Raybin and other experts agree that personal checks carry the highest percentage of genuine signatures. Contracts are another good source. Pieces of paper that bear only signatures, or so-called “cuts,” are the least reliable.

Raybin said that dealers themselves are sometimes fooled. One dealer, he said, offered to sell him a New York Mets baseball from the 1973 World Series that included the signature of Gil Hodges. But Hodges retired in 1971 and died a year later. The dealer wanted $450 for the ball.

“So many dealers don’t even do their homework,” he said.

But the reputation of a dealer still is the best guide for collectors in deciding whether to buy an autograph, Raybin and Erickson agreed.

Erickson said the most reputable dealers offer unconditional guarantees that allow buyers to return merchandise at any time if the buyer discovers it is a fake. Collectors should do some research before buying and check the dealer’s reputation by calling a trade magazine, such as Raybin’s “Baseball Autograph News.” It can be reached by calling 1-800-775-TEAM.

Erickson said collectors should buy from dealers who are members of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club or of the Manuscript Society in California. Erickson’s organization sets a code of ethics for the industry and helps resolve complaints.

To contact the Universal Autograph Collectors Club, people may write to the UACC, P.O. Box 6181, Washington, D.C. 20044. The Manuscript Society, whose members specialize in collecting historic documents, is at 350 N. Niagara St., Burbank, Calif. 91505.