Mark Twain Autograph from 1880

[Mike T]

Any opinions on this one?  Seller claims he purchased in 1996 from "Screen Screamers" in England.  Any opinions are appreciated!

[Mike Shepherd]

This autograph looks typical of Mark Twain’s signature in that time period but unfortunately so would a good forger’s.  Authors like Charles Dickens and Mark Twain were like rock stars in the nineteenth century.  They toured around the world and signed a lot of autographs.  In 1880 Mark Twain published A Tramp Abroad.  Tom Sawyer was published four years prior to that in 1876 so he was obviously very popular at the time of the signature.  Like I said, it looks typical so if you trust the seller you should feel confident having it in your collection.  Sorry for the history lesson but it is usually necessary when considering these types of autographs.  I hope that this was helpful.

There is actually one thing that I am a little concerned about.  It seems to have been signed with a fountain pen and fountain pens had not been invented yet.  It is hard to tell from the image and would require closer inspection.

Here is an example to compare it to.  It is a reproduction of a typical Mark Twain autograph.

[Mike T]

Thank you Mike for sharing your knowledge!