Autographworld.com Michael Jackson Autograph Auction

[Darren Ruskin, III]

does anyone else want to comment on these MJ signatures being offered in Autograph World's current auction? Has anyone purchased other Jacko signatures from them that look like this? Thanks...D

 

http://www.signaturepieces.com/auction/lot.asp?item=499

 

http://www.signaturepieces.com/auction/lot.asp?item=498

[Steve Cyrkin, Admin]

Let them know what you think, Kyle. It's clear that a lot of good entertainment dealers need to be more aware of secretarials.

[Rich]

LOL - I'm still trying to see the Clayton clearly.  Most people blow Clayton so royally, that at first glance this seemed like it might be ok.  Still, I'm trying to see the differences between this and examples on Eastlink.  What are the giveaways on Adam?

[Rich]

Edge is about as accessible as Bono, at least during tours.  I have a couple friends who've met Adam, but maybe only a couple who've met Larry.

 

And, sorry, but you've lost me on the Bono exhibiting zero characteristics of an authentic example.  If authentic, I don't think it's a particularly great example (they often aren't), but many authentic examples I've seen could easily be written off as fake if the source wasn't otherwise known.  While they aren't exactly identical, the AW Bono seems to exhibit some of the same traits as the one below.  Again, I'm not authoritatively declaring the AW one authentic, but saying they're very bad forgeries seems a bit extreme.

[Darren Ruskin, III]

The Bono you have shown here is authentic and I do not see any similartities between it and the one on AW. The AW one also shows the "2007?" dating as an afterthought as well, which isn't typical when he adds the year.

 

As for the Edge, yes that was the case for awhile, but he has gotten about as grumpy as Adam and doesn't meet the herd as Bono still likes to do. I'm not saying he never does, he has just toned it down. He's still nicer than that jerk Larry Mullen Jr.

[Darren Ruskin, III]

Also, this isn't as much for you as it is for others that are looking to pick up an authentic Bono, but Bono used to be nice enough to give you that specific first "o". Looked more like the number 9 or the lower case letter A, but he only does that now when taking his time with a signature, which is a shame. It was the one thing a lot of forgers could/can not pull off. Here are a couple authentic examples of that style

 

 

And here are the typical examples he gives now in a crowd or when he is just "doing the deed". Notice, the first looped O is almost completely gone. Not a lot to work with, but still has that classic Bono feel to it.

 

[Rich]

Good examples, Darren. Nice series of fairly consistent sigs!  Honestly, I wouldn't want that album, but Bono can be so wildly inconsistent, that usually I'm only able to write off the worst of forgeries.  Take a look a Eallink's database of fan-obtained in-person examples.  Some of them I would would think were fake!

 

http://www.u2eastlink.com/collector/firmas/indexe.php

 

I talked with a friend of mine, Max, who's a huge U2 fan and particularly interested in fan-obtained autographs.  He has a nice facebook page where he posts examples that fans submit to him.  His response was kind of the same as yours, though he though it was better than you average ebay forgery attempt.  Thanks for your input.  This is obviously a topic I'm particularly interested in.  

[Rich]

In all fairness to AW, I have purchased an authentic example from them in the past:

 

http://www.autographworld.com/customer/showcoa.asp?order=7677-1041&...

 

The Barnes and Noble signing had the advantage of keeping the signatures somewhat consistent (though Bono's is a bit wacky on some of them).  After I bought it, I compared it with some online examples from fansites and blogs and was pretty satisfied.

 

http://joshmadison.com/2006/09/30/u2-book-signing/

[Darren Ruskin, III]

The book is very nice, you are lucky to have received one without the personalization, which they were doing a fair amount of that day. One of my old pals i would sometimes hang out with doing autographs paid $500 for his ticket to be in line from a scalper. Both Bono & Larry personalized the book to him, no talking them out of it...ouch

[Rich]

It was quite unusual to find one with no personalizations - or the sarcastic "Beautiful Ebay" inscription that Bono and Larry started writing I remember seeing on several of the authentic copies (which DID end up on ebay, lol).  That was really the only thing that confused me on this.  But the signatures were spot on and looked exactly like what people were getting at the B & N signings, so I didn't hesitate to bid.

 

 

 

 

[Steve Cyrkin, Admin]

Is he "an idiot" or simply pricing it at a level he wouldn't mind parting with it? I don't have a problem when sellers charge even prices we consider insane, as long as the autographs are genuine and nothing is misrepresented.

Price is one thing any potential buyer can investigate fairly easily.

[Darren Ruskin, III]

100% real and I agree people can price anything at any price, I wouldn't have it any other way, but let us be realistic. 10 grand USD for a litho signed by 4 members of U2 and their manager? Maybe there are more people out there that would pay such a price than I realize. Good luck to him - hope he gets it. 

[Steve Cyrkin, Admin]

Who would buy that when they could buy this for about $3,000?