The Standard Guide to Collecting Autographs : A Reference & Value Guide

A hobbyist's guide to autograph collecting offers a fact-filled resource containing more than fifty thousand autograph values and includes a discussion of recent market trends and characteristics, identification tips, and facsimile signatures. Original.

The popularity of collecting autographs has spawned a number of autograph guides, including George Sanders's The Sanders Price Guide to Autographs (Alexander Bks., 1996), which many consider the leading source, as well as several of Baker's more specialized books on the topic, e.g., All-Sport Autograph Guide (Krause, 1994). This guide's introductory chapters cover Colonial and Revolutionary Americana, and there is a separate treatment of those most sought-after autographs--from musicians, astronauts, presidents, and sports figures. A useful chapter, "Understanding the Value of an Autograph," includes a market analysis of the last two decades. The pricing sections comprise more than 400 pages, with each famous name accompanied by retail prices for the signature in four basic categories: a signature alone, on a letter or document not penned by the subject, a document entirely written and signed by the subject, and a signed photograph. There are more than 800 signature facsimiles. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
-Stanley P. Hodge, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, IN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.