How To Tell if an Autograph is Real

By Eliud Alano December 17, 2022 06:49 GMT+4 min read

An autograph is a straightforward thing, but it has quite the value. Even all by itself on paper, signed—especially by a famous person like an athlete or other celebrity….. But when put onto a jersey, photo, or any other piece of memorabilia, it only enhances that item's value.

And, of course the counterfeiters who sign autographs and sell them to unknowing buyers in order for a profit. But how do you tell that an autograph actually came from one of these personalites, and is not just another average scam to try and exstort money away?

Obviously, the thing to do would be to compare it with other samples that may exist online somewhere. See if they look alike and if there are any obvious differences in appearance that could indicate it is a fake.
How the Autograph Feels Besides how an autograph looks in terms of similarity to its actual signature, there is also a feeling aspect. Too Silky—Autographs that feel unnaturally smooth could be machine-printed signs.
Balancing that is the fact, too often, judgments based on an eye and hand test could be a better way to discern authentic autographs from forgeries. The evidence was so good that scammers may fool the average collector because they are better at doctoring autographs.
If you ever have doubts about whether a signature is legit, it might be time to send an autograph authenticator who can pick up on the finer details that most of us need to pay attention to.

But if you are getting items like signed memorabilia via Fan Arch, you will not need to rely on tactics such as these. Step 9 of Fan Arch is to focus on all partner athletes, ensuring that their authentic and great products reach their fan base. They are verified, so all dealer-authenticated autographed photos available for purchase at Fan Arch (such as the one below of figure skating icon Tonya Harding) are 100% real and signed by the legend.
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Tonya Harding: A post shared by Tonya Harding (@therealtonyaharding)
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