A LOOK AT HARRISON FORD SIGNATURES--BEWARE! 

     by Steve Grad

Isn't it amazing how you can own your favorite celebrity autograph with just the click of a mouse? For the uniformed collector, or someone that has no idea what autographs are about it's a great and novel idea. You can shop online for that great Christmas or birthday gift. If you husband or wife likes Jimi Hendrix, Harrison Ford, John Wayne or Madonna, you can have it, and usually at the right price.

What an experienced autograph collectors knows, is that there is rarely a deal to be found if your looking for an autograph of one of those celebs. A signed Jimi Hendrix photo that is genuine could cost you up to $2,000, while a real autographed Harrison Ford autograph runs anywhere from $125-$200, John Wayne's autograph on a photo can cost you as much as $1,200 and Madonna on a photo or album could run $500. 

While the novel concept of 'forgery' has been around forever it's now an art form that is being put to use daily and sold on the internet. You've heard this story before… "Hey, I just picked up a great looking Harrison Ford autograph for $9.99". If you check the person's feedback, it's probably close to zero indicating that person is a 'newbie' to the autograph world and they probably just brought a forgery.

I am sickened daily by the amount of forged Harrison Ford autographs and that's whom I'm going to concentrate on for this article. Ford, has been in some of the highest grossing films of all-time, including the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. For years, he has been sought after by autograph hounds and to be quite honest the demand outweighs what is available that is real. 

I have had 10 different in-person experiences with Harrison Ford, in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Not all have been successful, but I have been able to get nine different items signed by the actor, almost all pertaining to Star Wars. While he's not that difficult of an autograph in person, I have been turned down several times by Ford, but he's still my favorite actor. I have a pretty good gauge on his autograph characteristics and I'm really disappointed on what I see on the Internet.

It's truly amazing to think that this has happened, but the individuals that forge autographs and sell them on the Internet are no longer using in person examples to forge from, instead they use a forgery. What this does, is create a whole new autograph for a celebrity and in some cases it's nothing like the real thing. 

Look at the scans of Ford autographs. The first three are horrendous, and not even close. A seller on ebay, that has atleast two user names and is based out of Las Vegas, sells atleast 5-10 supposed Harrison Ford autographs on ebay monthly. The two black and white photos are both from him and as you can tell, the autographs aren't even close. The other Harrison Ford fake listed, is yet another example of how a forger, copies another forgery. It's a horrendous rendition of Ford's autograph.

Now take a look at these beauties:

                     

I pulled up Harrison Ford's name under the autograph section and came up with some pretty startling numbers. Out of the 40 specimens that I examined, only three were real! Many or the examples offered were with a starting bid of $9.99 and many included the following: 1)Autograph guaranteed 100% authentic. 2)Obtained in Manhattan on a movie set last year. 3)Signed by the celebrity listed before our eyes. 4) We only sell autographs that we obtain in person or through our chasers/employees, show promoters, celebrity agents or the celebrities families. The signature on this item is crystal clear and by looking at the photo you can tell this is a great piece

 

Whatever you say! Also, another 'ploy' being used of late by forgers is to state that they are 'a top member of the Ebay Power Sellers Club.' So what! What does that get you? Nothing. You're a power seller, great, good for you, it still doesn't mean you sell real autographs. 

Please also view the two real autographs of Harrison Ford that I have obtained in person. As you can see, the forgers aren't even close! Isn't amazing what a real autograph look like? (located at the top of the story)

A few tips to watch out for when buying celebrity autographs. Beware of low minimum bids. They usually spell disaster. If you see a Harrison Ford autograph selling for $4.99 with two minutes left to go, stay the hell away. Use some common sense too. It's always good to check out a sellers past history and see what he/she is up to. If they have multiples of tough graphs, don't bid. And as always, if you can, try and get the celeb in person to guarantee authenticity. Good Luck.