Elvis Presley Tops List of Forged Autographs For 2010

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Dec 22nd 2010 at 9:01PM

Autograph buyers beware, some autographs being sold can be forgeries. PSA/DNA, the world's largest autograph authentication and certification company and a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. has released their 2010 list of the most often forged autographs of the year. Their research found that many alleged Babe Ruth autographs are bogus as are many Elvis Presley signatures.

Over half of the signatures of some famous sports, historical and entertainment figures submitted in 2010 to PSA/DNA Authentication Services were judged to be fakes. "As a result of the popularity and value of many autographs, a good portion of them are forged by unscrupulous individuals," said Joe Orlando, President of PSA/DNA.

"This past year, our experts reviewed over 200,000 autographs submitted by collectors and dealers worldwide. PSA/DNA does not often receive obvious forgeries, so if our rejection rate for a particular autograph, such as Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley, approaches or exceeds 50 percent, you can only imagine how high that percentage might be in the overall marketplace," Orlando cautioned.

The top ten list:

1. Elvis Presley
2. The Beatles
3. John F. Kennedy
4. Marilyn Monroe
5. Michael Jackson
6. Jim Morrison
7. Neil Armstrong
8. Jimi Hendrix
9. James Dean
10. Walt Disney

Look for more Michael Jackson forgeries to become more rampant. "With his recent passing in 2009 at the age of 50, Michael Jackson forgeries flooded the marketplace in 2010," Orlando said. "Prices for authentic Jackson autographs generally range from $200 for signed piece of paper to $1,000 or more for a signed photograph."

A genuine Babe Ruth autograph can bring from $3,000 to $50,000 depending in what was signed (well-preserved baseballs are top sellers). Elvis Presley's autograph can sell for $1,500 to $35,000 depending on what was signed.The amount of money involved highlights the need for caution when buying from off the internet or in other places. Independent third-party authentication services provide a level of protection against fraud.

(Images in this post are genuine autographs courtesy of PSA/DNA)

Tags: autographs, babe ruth, elvis presley, signatures