“Don’t follow leaders…,” “No more heroes any more…”

Pop culture's leading lights are very keen on telling people not to worship stars. 

Maybe it’s human nature, if there is such a thing, but it’s not working.

We love heroes.

Sports, music, movies, but also politics, science, exploration - astronauts are a huge draw for signed memorabilia collectors. 

The internet age has given us a whole slew of new ways to get close to them.

But we crave something more tangible than the like, follow, and share.

And collecting items associated with the people we admire is a way to feel closer to them.

Add a personal signature and you make the relationship an order of magnitude closer.

Buzz Aldrin very clearly signed this book, a chance for you to feel closer to one of modern history's biggest heroes. 

Here we take you through the simple, but important basics of collecting signed memorabilia.

1 - What is signed memorabilia

Memorabilia doesn’t really have a limit on it.

If an item is associated with a person or event or note and can be used to recall them then you can describe it as memorabilia.

And people will buy almost anything - bath water even.

In conventional terms though, one might look at the baseball legend Babe Ruth and find memorabilia from his life takes in game paraphernalia like uniforms, bats, balls and so on; photographs and documents both from his personal life (contracts for example) and from his profession, so programmes, tickets and the like.

There’s also a whole world of secondary memorabilia, most notably baseball cards (designed to be collectible), but also posters from the movies he inspired and media produced in his honour.

Items associated with all historical figures can be divided in this way.

A Beatles guitar - a primary item to which they have a direct personal connection - is much more likely to command a high price than a secondary item, like a record.

Beatles signatures always add value. This picture couldn't be more perfectly John Lennon either. 

Signatures always add value.

I can’t imagine circumstances in which a genuine signature would reduce value.

Let’s take a very obvious example:

A copy of The Beatles first album, Please Please Me, in great condition in the most desirable possible issue: first pressing with a Black & Gold Parlophone label in Stereo is worth around £3,000.

A copy of the same album, in the less desirable mono edition, but signed - really strongly - by all of the Fab Four is listed on eBay with an asking price of $155,000.

So, if you are collecting and getting something - anything - signed by your hero is an option you should try to get it done.

2 - How do you know signed memorabilia is genuine?

There are two levels of authenticity with signed memorabilia: the object and the signature.

Both should be checked as carefully as possible and, if possible, by experts.

We’ll also look at provenance here.

It’s probably harder to forge an object than a signature, though, it’s not very hard to try to pass off an item as something it’s not.

It’s hard to get beyond education and expertise here.

You need to know your subject.

Did you know that the stitching on official NLB baseballs was changed in 1920 and that’s a way of dating them?

Or that they were made of horsehide until 1974 when cowhide was swapped in?

That rubber shortages during WWII meant for 1943 only an imitatation material was used as a casing?

And, in 1976 the league stopped using Spalding balls and switched to Rawlings?

That’s fairly rudimentary knowledge, but it’s useful ammunition if you start to collect signed baseball memorabilia.

But, how do you know that a scrawl across a baseball really belonds to Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, or Lou Gehrig?

Babe Ruth is one of the most wanted names in sport history. This is genuine, but there are fakers out there. 

The internet has democratised information. It is now much more accessible, and it’s very easy to crowd-source answers on social media or in forums.

Pretty much everyone can easily find access to an image of Lou Gehrig’s signature to look at.

And the sort of information I can pass on now: his illness (he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) often subsequently known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) meant he signed few autographs after 1939 and he never signed the “sweet spot” of a baseball until after Babe Ruth had retired.

It’s all good information.

But you need to be a confident expert to really commit to those pronouncements.

And, you can be sure that the fakers have read everything that’s to be read online too.

Good autograph and signed memeroablia sellers will provide you with a certificate of authenticity. And there are third-party companies that provide the service. Some specialise - The Beatles and baseball, for example.

3 - How do you prove your signed memorabilia is genuine

Provenance is the most important thing apart from your piece of signed memorabilia.

Provenance is the item’s story. Documented.

Ideally, you are able to provide an unbroken chain from the subject of the item to your ownership of it.

This can include primary evidence - a photograph of the subject signing would be perfect.

But also witness statements or recollections of friends, family, or staff.

All sales should be documented too.

4 - How to buy signed memorabilia

You should buy with caution.

But not with paranoia.

There always have been fakers and frauds and there always will be.

But there’s a whole industry of good, honest brokers too.

Follow your passions and you'll collect well. Imagine owning a document of such historical importance as this Albert Einstein letter about Jewish refugees from the Nazis.

And communities around collectibles and fandoms willing to help newcomers learn their way around.

Take the usual precautions you would when buying anything.

And add:

Authenticity - is it certificated? Am I 100% happy both item and signature are what they say they are?

Provenance - can I prove that this item is linked to the subject? What documents come with it to tell that story?

Buy signed memorabilia now

Autograph collecting and signed memorabilia collecting are both fascinating hobbies.

And they can provide an interesting “passion investment” or diversification for your portfolio.

My advice is always that the best collections are built on a personal passion.

You can see some of our autographed items here.

What a huge range.

And, if you’d like to hear more about signed memorabilia, autographs and other collectibles then sign up here for our latest news. You’ll never miss out again.