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Like many serious collectors who acquire routinely thousands of autographs per month - that’s right per month - I still find it extremely difficult to keep up with the hobby unless I am the individual “there” personally acquiring the signature. On the “front-line” so to speak, part of those actually creating the next treasured collectible. I have always made it a point to cover major events, especially entertainers, rock concerts - when I wasn’t promoting them - in-person. Such is the case as I now cover many of the East Coast major arenas north of Madison Square Garden. It is there I can view firsthand the individuals, or dealers, getting their collectibles signed, plus the signing habits of the entertainer. Although I will often introduce myself to my fellow collectors, I do not know them all by their first name - but I do know their faces and habits. You know, what they collect and where they sit and how the approach their target. I am also forward with the entertainers, showing them photographs of autographed material being sold by dealers, even photographs of the dealers themselves. I ask them questions how they travel, security, etc... and many are happy to share. This summer I have been enlightened by many from Aerosmith, ZZ Top, and Beyonce, to Foghat, Poison, Ratt, David Cassidy (Yep, that guy!), Three Dog Night, you name it, most of the seasonal tours. While some recognized me and my fellow collectors, most did not recognize the names or faces of those authenticating their material. They often dismiss nearly all the material I show them as being something they signed. In fact, Frank Gibbons of ZZ Top was so mad - he refused to sign my Fender pick guards, or other equipment and took down the name of the person claiming to be an expert . He did however sign material for me and I was the only one there to “get him.” “If he’s such an expert, where’s his credentials, his books, and where is he? I don’t know him, never saw him and never signed the material he is offering for sale,” spoke one major entertainer. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Last year when I was in New York City, at the MACY’s Parade, standing next to Tom Cruise, Katie, Suri and the nanny, who were standing next to the Beckhams, me at 6’ 4”, 240 pounds, could not get by his three body guards to get a signature and I tried. Yes, I was smart enough to take photographs and did have a video camera to record the event. Maybe it’s time to ask some of the people who are peddling this material how they manage to acquire their goods! - author, collector, and Editor, Mark Allen Baker

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