Fake Rock & Roll Autographs May Outnumber the Real Ones!
The vast majority of Elvis and Beatles autographs on the market are forgeries
STARTING IN 1980, you could find my ads selling used records in publications like Goldmine magazine. I was good at finding moderately collectable records in exceptional condition and selling them at reasonable prices. I specialized in ’50s and ’60s rock & roll, but sold whatever came my way. What I didn’t sell were autographs, which I thought was mostly a rather corrupt business.
The first time someone contacted me via telephone and asked if I had any “signed Dylan albums,” I replied, “Hell, yes! I have as many as you want.”
“Huh?” the puzzled prospective buyer grunted.
“Sure,” I continued. “What do you want them to say?”
“Huh?”
I told him that I had a friend who did a pretty good Dylan signature and that I’d have him write whatever the buyer wanted on the album jacket. “My friend only charges $10,” I added jovially, “and I don’t take a thing for providing the service.”
“You’re telling me you’re offering to sell me a fake Dylan autograph?” he asked.
“Yup,” I said. “See, that’s what separates me from everybody else: I tell you upfront that it’s…
