Jamie Deen / Bobby Deen Book Signings

Jamie Deen / Bobby Deen, Food Network stars, will be signing copies of their book Y’All Come Eat at the following locations:

4/3/08 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – US Route 1. Princeton, NJ.
4/4/08 6:30 PM at Book World - Bloomfield Avenue. West Caldwell, NJ.

Jamie Deen Bobby Deen Book Signings
Jamie Deen Bobby Deen Book Signings

Book Signings & Events

Link To Original Post

Autograph Collectors Club of India

The newest club in the block has something unique to boast of.

The state’s first and only Autograph Collectors’ Club of India at Bistupur houses some rare autographs. Right from autographs of legends of the past to living legends across the world, the club has it all.

Founded barely a year ago, this club boasts of over 600 rare autographs.

Right from Indira Gandhi, the first woman Prime Minister of India, to Edmund Hillary, the first person to scale Mount Everest and Gerhard Schmatz, the German mountaineer — the club boast of all their autographs. The club also has autographs of living legends like Mahasweta Devi, Kapil Dev, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Manmohan Singh and Archbishops of Vatican City among others.

Founder member of the club R.K. Choudhary said there are eight members who toil hard to enrich its treasure. The club members remain vigilant all the time.

“Whenever any personality comes down to the city we never miss the chance to get his/her signature. Sometimes it becomes difficult to get autographs,” said Choudhary.

The team has to do a lot of research work for making the collection richer. Sometimes they get the autograph of eminent personality by sending them email.

Few of the interesting autographs the club has is of chief ministers of Jharkhand, top officials of Tata Steel and Tata Steel Corus.

The club would host an exhibition to display the autographs soon.

If you think the club only has the autographs of the personalities then you are wrong. Along with the autographs you find some rare information regarding those personalities.

Autograph Collectors Club of India
Autograph Collectors Club of India

Link To Original Post

International Autograph Collector Club Will Launch April 1st

Interested in sharing your hobby experiences and knowledge with the international autograph community?

On April 1st, 2008, the International Autograph Collector Club will be launched. This will be an expansion of the German Autograph Society (AdA), founded in 1986.

Collecting autographs is the main issue of the club. It's members share an interest in handwritings of all kinds.

The fields of collecting are multi-faceted according to the collectors’ fields themselves. The focus comprises manuscripts, autographed letter signed, signed documents, SP, FDC, cartoons and autograph cards.

They cover almost all fields: history, politics, sports, classical/pop music, literature, art, science, theater, movies, space travel, military, ecclesiastics etc.

Go to
International Autograph Collector Club for more information and a membership application.

International Autograph Collector Club
International Autograph Collector Club

Link To Original Post

Autograph Collecting: More Than a Hobby

Reprinted from The History Buff and Autograph Alert:

“Freedom is but one generation from extinction.”
-----Ronald Wilson Reagan

“If the government were put in charge of the Sahara Desert there would be a sand shortage in less than five years.”
-------Anonymous ( for fear of reprisal)

“He who controls the past, controls the future; and he who controls the present, controls the past."
----------George Orwell

There is much depressing news these days concerning the dishonesty and outright fraud in the autograph and manuscript hobby. In fact, it sometimes seems like there are no limits to the mendacity of many individuals in our field. But there is another, more important and more uplifting side to this hobby that at least in part motivates some very good people in the world of manuscripts. Autograph collectors and dealers should understand clearly that they have a potentially important role to play in preserving the history of our country separate and apart from institutions and that function may help to ensure the long term survival of our freedoms as discussed herein.

Since there is no ‘American Race’ our country is defined entirely by its history which includes from its inception our founding documents. Those documents encompass not only the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution but also the written and printed records of early commerce, literature and science. The importance of this material was recognized by congress in the 1800’s and that is why Peter Force was commissioned to collect and thus preserve as much of the early written record of American history as possible which resulted in his nine volume work entitled American Archives***. It is tragic his effort was terminated before it was completed because of a lack of funds.

Orwell wrote in his classic novel 1984 that to establish a tyranny you first need to destroy a country’s history. Remember, the protagonist in 1984 was Winston Smith whose job in the Ministry of Truth was to keep rewriting history so that the government would always be right. If you accept the argument that America and American exceptionalism is defined by our history it follows that each new generation of Americans must be afforded free access to the pristine letters, newspapers and documents that define our beginning history accurately so that they will understand and appreciate how important it is to perpetuate our founding principles and why they stand in part as a barrier to tyranny. One of the best ways to ensure Americans have access to their written and printed history is to keep as much of our history as possible in private hands and that is where our field comes in. Our role as historical conservationists will make certain that government never has enough credibility to proclaim that history is what they say it is. Just as environmentalists work to preserve the physical environment autographists must work to conserve our political environment including our inalienable rights and freedom. We can well do without another Ministry of Truth.

One thing is clear, today the government is not the only threat to our freedoms and rights. It is now apparent that neither the American academe nor the mainstream media any longer serve the function of ‘watchchdogs’ of government. They now function more like cuttlefish squirting ink to obscure the aims of those who really are trying to scuttle America or at least transform it into European-style social democracy. The evidence is now overwhelming that the majority of mainstream media is thoroughly corrupt and has become nothing but a cheerleader for socialism and the destruction of America as we know it.

America has many governmental and private institutions that collect and preserve our history and many of those entities are in fact well known-The Smithsonian, The National Archives and The Presidential Library System to name a few. But it is my contention that these and similar institutions should not gain complete control over our recorded history for reasons already cited as well as the following: First, the record is now clear that many institutions have done a deplorable job in archiving and preserving the items they have been given. Thus, a recent audit of the Presidential Library system by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)** showed that several of the libraries including the Reagan Library had inadequate staff, poor techniques of record keeping and below standards for preservation. The Reagan Library staff was given a list of 20 items they were alleged to have in their possession by the OIG and they could only find 20 per cent of them. Along the same line the OIG has launched a major criminal investigation of alleged thefts from the National Archives the exact extent of which remains unknown at present. And who can forget Sandy Berger being allowed to stuff documents in his socks and underwear and walk out of the National Archives in broad daylight only to proceed to destroy what probably were very important records of the National Security Administration effort, or lack thereof, against terrorists by the Clinton Administration. Furthermore Berger received a mere token punishment for stealing from all Americans and he is already back in the mix in national affairs. Another example of governmental incapacity and neglect surfaced recently when it was revealed by the national media that the Supreme Court had misplaced one of the Stone vellum Declarations of Independence which was only found recently behind a row of filing cabinets. Before it was found it was alleged to have been stolen. A second reason for not giving historical material to institutions is that it often becomes sequestered and thus unavailable to average citizens without something akin to an Act of Congress. Third there is the danger that the more these institutions acquire the more they want and some have shown, especially at the state level, that they will use the legal resources of government to launch replevin actions to recover items that are now in private hands but which they claim, but often fail to prove, actually belong to them. Fighting replevin is very costly to all concerned but especially for collectors and dealers. Finally as this article previously argued that the more the government controls our recorded history the more power it has to revise that history to its own ends. When President Reagan was asked how he thought he would be treated by history his response was—“It depends on who writes it.”

So, to end this where we began, autograph and manuscript collectors may play an important role in preserving our history and thus the long term survival of freedom in America. Autographists can function in a sense like worker bees pollinating the next generation of freedoms. Autographists can not guarantee the outcome of the perpetual battle against government usurping our rights and freedoms but that does not negate trying. Original historical materials kept in private hands can be used by citizens to teach and educate and thus stimulate an interest in and appreciation for the importance of our history. Understanding that history gives the citizens the ammunition to oppose any public policy initiative that diminishes our political or religious freedoms. A historically literate citizenry should be able to deter government or even the academe or the media from attempting to rewrite history to advance their political ends.

***Peter Force, ed. American Archives 9 vol 1837–1853, major compilation of documents 1774–1776.

**http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/NARA_OIG_Audit_Report_No._08-01.pdf

Link To Original Post

Sotheby’s Features Lincoln Signature at Gettysburg

One of four leaves from an autograph album used to gather signatures at the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery, 19 November 1863. Lincoln’s signature is at the top.

The only known signature by President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg will be sold at auction next week in New York.

The signature, A. Lincoln, is on a page that was part of an autograph book from the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery on Nov. 19, 1863 - the day Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.

Selby Kiffer, a senior vice president at Sotheby's, said today that while photographs, diaries and newspaper accounts exist that document Lincoln's presence at Gettysburg that day, the autograph book leaf is the only item that survives that Lincoln himself handled on this most pivotal day in American history.

"It's tangible evidence of his being there," said Kiffer, who handles historical books and manuscripts for Sotheby's, which is holding the sale next Thursday.

The only two known copies of the Gettysburg Address are not believed to have been written on that day, Kiffer said.

Sharing the gilt-edged page with the Lincoln signature is the signature of William Seward, Lincoln's secretary of state, and the names of two prominent Pennsylvanians: Simon Cameron, Lincoln's secretary of war and a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Gregg Curtin, all of whom were seated at the platform with Lincoln during the ceremony.

The autographs of two Union generals who saw action at Gettysburg (Abner Doubleday and George Sykes), Lincoln's two private secretaries (John Hay and John Nicolay), and several foreign dignitaries appear on three other pages from the album.

Kiffer thinks the album may have belonged to one of the dignitaries because it contains signatures from all 13 men who were present and it would have been unlikely that any ordinary citizen could have gotten all those autographs at one time.

The autograph book pages were part of a private collection that will be auctioned along with presidential and other American manuscripts, including documents from Lewis and Clark and John Brown.

Among the other Lincoln papers is a letter responding to a group of Massachusetts schoolchildren who asked the president to free slave children. The collection will be on public exhibit at Sotheby's gallery in New York tomorrow through Wednesday.

Lincoln Signature Gettysburg
Lincoln Signature Gettysburg

Link To Original Post

Helen Mirren Book Signing - Fifth Ave, NYC - 3/28/08

Thanks Amanda-Rae!!

Helen Mirren Book Signing
Helen Mirren Book Signing

Link To Original Post

Adam Loewen Signing - Great Moments, Inc.

Adam Loewen
Baltimore Orioles

PUBLIC SIGNING

Saturday,
April 19, 2008
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Autographs - $20.00

Timonium Location

If you are unable to attend, you may drop off or send in your item to be autographed.
Items are to be dropped off to the autograph site only.
Items must be received before the signing date.
Please remember to include return shipping.

Adam Loewen Signing
Adam Loewen Signing

Link To Original Post

Baseball in Japan: Not All Cheers

The Americans swept into Japan and swept out. Two capacity games on two consecutive nights (44,628 on Tuesday and 44,735 on Wednesday) thrilled the baseball-mad locals as the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland A's split their season opening series in Tokyo, the third time Major League Baseball (MLB) has staged such an event in the last eight years. When the second game (which the A's took 5-1) was over at 9:51 p.m. Japan time, the two teams, barely recovered from jet lag from the trip over, hopped a bus for nearby Haneda International Airport and a pair of all-night 11-hour flights across the Pacific.

While Japanese fans cheered the lightning series, the country's baseball organization, the Nippon Professional Baseball league (NPB) grumbled. Its best players are migrating to the States. American games are cutting into the Japanese pastime's TV ratings. And now this latest spit in its eye just as NPB opening week commenced. Complained Yomiuri Giants pitching star Koji Uehara, "We're just starting our season. So why does the MLB have to come to play here. There's nothing to be gained from this." Added a Japanese professional baseball official, who wished to remain anonymous, "Every time the MLB holds one of their openers in Japan, sales of our opening week tickets go down.... We see more and more empty seats. It's not necessary for the big leaguers to come here."

MLB Asia's personable head Jim Small is aware of the sensitivity. Says Small, "We're aware of our position here. We know we are guests. We don't want to do anything to offend our hosts. We just want to solidify our base in Japan with fan clubs and small promotions" But the Bosox and A's visit was anything but small. It featured appearances by two of Japan's chief exports: Boston starter Daisuke ("Dice-K") Matsuzaka and his teammate, reliever Hideki Okajima. Furthermore, MLB is in the middle of a six-year $275 million TV contract with Japan's largest advertising firm, Dentsu. Japan's monolithic broadcaster NHK meanwhile has just announced plans to continue its heavy coverage of American baseball by airing some 270 MLB contests where Japanese stars are playing. That is more than twice as many NPB games on NHK's schedule. Most of these are live transmissions from the U.S., broadcast in the morning on NHK's burgeoning satellite network, reaching 13 million households. Despite the inconvenient schedule, Japanese have watched in significant numbers.

TV ratings for the Tokyo Giants, in particular, have fallen several percentage points since live MLB telecasts became a regular morning affair in Japan (the Giants' biggest star, Hideki Matsui, defected to the New York Yankees in 2003). But Japanese baseball is far from dead. Seasonal attendance has actually increased in the past three years (by 5%), thanks to the establishment of interleague play. The NPB has also managed to hold on to a core fan base.

Baseball Japan
Baseball Japan

Link To Original Post

Cal Ripken, Jr. Book Signing Tour

Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore Orioles great and Baseball Hall of Famer, will be signing copies of his book Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference at the following locations:

4/15/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Honeygo Blvd. Baltimore, MD.
4/16/08 1:00 PM at Borders Books – School Street. Boston, MA.
4/17/08 6:00 PM at Bookends - East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ.
4/19/08 2:00 PM at Books-A-Million – Chain Bridge Road. McLean, VA.
4/23/08 12:30 PM at Borders Books – North State Street. Chicago, IL.
5/6/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Olentangy River Road. Columbus, OH.

Cal Ripken Jr. Book Signing Tour
Cal Ripken Jr. Book Signing Tour

Book Signings & Events

Link To Original Post

Doctor Collects Astros Wives' Autographs

Baseball season is about a week away, and when the Astros take the field against the Padres, one Houston doctor will be watching closely.

Dr. Eric Haufrect, who is a self-confessed baseball fan, has done something unique. He's delivered over 30 babies of current and former Houston Astros.

"Roy Oswalt's wife and Lance Berkman's wife, Morgan Ensberg, Adam Everett, Brad Ausmus," he listed for us.

"When I first started coming to him it was about 20 years ago," said Kim Williams who is married to Astros player Woody Williams.

The Methodist Hosptial doctor has delivered all three of Kim and Woody Williams' babies, but in addition to being the obstetrician to the 'Stros, Dr. Haufrect has started another tradition.

"I thought to myself, something is inconsistent with a woman who has been laboring all day, who had produced a perfect child and then the husband being the center of attention," Dr. Haufrect said.

So he went out and purchased a dozen baseballs and then asked the wife to sign one. That has led to a one-of-a-kind collection of balls autographed by current and former Astros players' wives.

He says a few players were caught off-guard adjusting to a reserve role.

"It was when the husband said, 'Would you like for me to sign the ball?' I said, no, no, that's alright. Your wife today is my superstar and it became a habit," Dr. Haufrect said.

One of the first autographs he got was from Kim.

"I was pretty tickled with it at first because I don't get asked much for autographs unless it's for a permission slip for my kids at school," she said. "So, I was happy. I was happy to do it."

Along with the wife's autograph, he gets the baby's name and birth date. He says his trademark is now a hit with everyone.

"I think the husbands like it as much as I do," he said.

Dr. Haufrect has one autographed baseball from a dad in his collection. It's from Roy Oswalt, whose wife gave it to the doctor as a special gift.

Doctor Collects Astros Wives' Autographs
Doctor Collects Astros Wives' Autographs

Link To Original Post

Bob Feller Pitching and Signing

One of the highlights of visiting Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla., is seeing 89-year-old Bob Feller in full uniform playing catch on the field before the game, as he does before every game here. His follow-through isn't exactly what it once was, but it's impressive that he still can do this much. Once the game begins, Feller signs autographs for a $5 donation to his museum. Not a bad price for someone who was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in - get this - 1962.

Bob Feller
Bob Feller

Link To Original Post

Jesse Ventura Book Signing Tour

Jesse Ventura, former Governor of Minnesota and star professional wrestler, will be signing copies of his book Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! at the following locations:

4/2/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Third Street Promenade. Santa Monica, CA.
4/5/08 2:00 PM at Book Soup - Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA.
4/10/08 6:30 PM at Bookends - East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ.
4/11/08 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – Route 3 East. Clifton, NJ.
5/16/08 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – Galleria Shopping Center. Edina, MN.

Jesse Ventura Book Signing Tour
Jesse Ventura Book Signing Tour

Book Signings & Events

Link To Original Post

Teri Hatcher's Autograph Rule

Teri Hatcher will only sign autographs with her daughter's permission.

The Desperate Housewives star and single mother likes to make sure 10-year-old Emerson knows she comes before her mum's celebrity.

Teri, 43, told Heat magazine: "We have a little rule: I don't really have pictures taken with people when I'm with her. Unless she looks at me. Sometimes a little girl will come over to the table at a restaurant or something and say 'Can I have your autograph?' and Emerson will just look at me and she'll go, 'It's OK'.

"Because I feel like if constantly did it, I would lose my time with her. So when I'm not with her, you have much more chance of getting all that from me.

"I just don't feel it would be fair to constantly push her to the sidelines. But there are also benefits of being famous and she gets that."

The former Bond girl says being a mother is the most fulfilling thing she does, and she'd gladly quit acting to spend more time with her daughter.

She said: "Being a mother is the most fulfilling thing I do. You could take it all away except that."

Teri Hatcher's Autograph Rule
Teri Hatcher's Autograph Rule

Click for Teri Hatcher autographs

Link To Original Post

Ron Keurajian Interview - Beware of Autograph Forgeries and Authenticators

Reprinted from the Oxford Leader and AutographAlert:

Almost every one who is a serious collector of autographs of those enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame know the name Ron Keurajian. He is considered by many to be one of the foremost experts on the signatures of the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx and all the other members of the Hall of Fame. He is presently writing a book on the signatures of all the members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and this long awaited treasure should be completed by years end. The following story is a rare interview with Ron Keurajian.

March 12, 2008 - Would it surprise you to learn the vast majority of autographs on the market from baseball's early legends are fakes?

It doesn't surprise Oxford resident Ron Keurajian, but then again he's an expert in this field.

"There's a lot of forgeries out there, especially with the vintage material," he said. "Ninety percent of the Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Cy Young autographs out there are forgeries."

Since the early 1980s, Keurajian has been collecting, studying and writing about vintage baseball autographs, the real ones and the fakes.

"Baseball has such a hold on the American psyche. It's our national past-time," he said. "There's such a need to possess something signed by people like Ty Cobb or Lou Gehrig."

Between 2001-06, Keurajian wrote 50-60 articles on vintage autographs for Sports Collectors Digest.

Keurajian also coedited sports memorabilia guide published in 2003 by Krause Publications. He wrote the sections on vintage autographs from baseball hall of famers and professional golf's early legends.

"I'm working on my first book, which I hope to have completed by Christmas," he said. "It's a study of every member of the (baseball) Hall of Fame and their signatures."

For about three years, Keurajian's been collecting specimens and illustrations, trying to get multiple signatures from each player at different times in their lives.

He's now down to probably seven or eight names, some of which he admitted he's never going to find like pitcher Rube Waddell, who played from 1897 to 1910 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946.

No known examples of Waddell's signature exist, so "it's impossible to complete a hall of fame set," Keurajian said.

It was a 1982 meeting with former Detroit Tiger Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer that sparked Keurajian's interest in vintage autographs.

"He's generally considered one of the five greatest second basemen ever," Keurajian said. "He used to live down the road from me (in Southfield). I lived at 12½ (Mile) and Evergreen. He lived at 13½ (Mile) and Lasher."

Keurajian called Gehringer to interview him for a high school report he was writing. The old Tiger, who played from 1924-42 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1949, invited him over for a face-to-face meeting.

"He gave me a couple signed picture postcards and I was hooked," Keurajian said.

Collecting autographs is about preserving history and owning something once handled by a legendary figure.

"You're holding something that was actually touched by them and that's very powerful – that's something you want to possess," Keurajian explained.

Vintage baseball autographs come in many forms, from cancelled bank checks and photographs to letters and gum cards.

"The single signed baseball in good condition is the most desirable of any medium," said Keurajian, who noted the only problem is they're difficult to store.

At one point, Keurajian had a large collection of autographs.

"When I started collecting back in the early 1980s, stuff was worthless," he explained. "You could pick up a baseball signed by Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth for $50 to $100."

Today, that same baseball sells for $50,000 to $100,000, if the ball is a "museum-grade specimen," meaning it's a "cream white ball with a nice bold signature."

It was this meteoric rise in values that forced Keurajian to store his collection in a safety deposit box.

"The problem with this stuff is it gets so valuable, you can't really enjoy it," he said. "I was seeing my collection one or two times a year. That's not a collection anymore."

So, Keurajian sold most of it, but did hang on to a few specimens. He said "probably the only piece of consequence" he has left is a 1924 baseball signed by Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth at Navin Field in Detroit.

"Cobb was the greatest ball player of all time and Ruth was the greatest slugger," he said. "To have those two on a baseball is a great combination."

These days Keurajian is more into doing research, collecting information – such as examples of autographs whether they're scanned or photocopied – and writing about it.

"I'd say I probably have 10,000-15,000 illustrations in my files," he said.

Keurajian's focus is on the physical construction of the autograph, known types of forgeries in the market and counterfeit documents, and how to spot forged signatures as opposed to genuine ones.

"A signature's like a fingerprint -- no two people in the world have the same handwriting," he said. "No forger can copy handwriting perfectly."

"If you have somebody that's really good with autographs that understands handwriting they can spot even the best forgery," Keurajian noted. "I've seen thousands of Ty Cobb autographs, so with a Cobb signature you can just put it in front of me and bang, in a second, I know whether it's either real or not."

When it comes to well-known legends like Cobb and Ruth, Keurajian said, "Nine out of every 10 signatures you see for sale of those guys are fake."

"The demand for these autographs is just huge," he explained. "There's literally 100s of thousands of people collecting these types of autographs who are willing to spend big money on it."

The chances of an autograph being a forgery increases with the hall of famers most people have never even heard of before.

"When it comes to the really rare names like the (Christy) Mathewsons, the Willie Keelers, closer to 99 percent are fake," Keurajian said.

Mathewson was a pitcher from 1900 to 1916 and part of the first class of players inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936. Keeler, an outfielder from 1892-1910, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

But the biggest problem in vintage autograph collecting is the so-called authentication companies who supposedly examine signatures and issue certificates of authenticity for forgeries.

"Even if it comes with a certificate of authenticity chances are they're still fake," Keurajian said. "There are no good authentication companies in the market today that know what they're doing. Certificates of authenticity carry about as much weight as the Hitler-Chamberlain peace accord of 1938."

He's seen big items sell for between $50,000 and $150,000 which "are nothing but high quality forgeries that have been wrongly certified."

It's the people who don't know much, but want to invest in vintage autographs that are getting "burned" by these so-called authentication companies, Keurajian said.

"A lot of big money's being paid for forgeries by unsuspecting collectors," he explained. "It's really become a problem."

Keurajian urged current and potential collectors to visit AutographAlert.com to "see all the mistakes these companies are making."

Ron Keurajian Interview Autographs Forgeries Authenticators
Ron Keurajian Interview Autographs Forgeries Authenticators

Link To Original Post

Broadway Stars Lend A Hand To 'Project Teddy Bear'

Angela Lansbury, Sara Ramirez and David Hyde Pierce are just a few of the dozens of Broadway stars who have posed for photos with stuffed breast cancer awareness bears and supplied their autographs to help raise money to support The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

Project Teddy Bear was conceived in 2004 as a way for walk participant Lisa Spodak to raise money and awareness to fight breast cancer. Spodak has walked in 13 walks (each is 2 days and 39.3 miles long) since 2002 and raised more than $100,000.

The current batch of live auctions ends late Friday, March 21, and consists of 25 bears with autographs and photos. The featured celebrities come from the worlds of film, television and stage. All the eBay auctions can be reached through http://www.lisawalks.com/ptb2008.

Additional auctions are launched throughout the course of the year and people can learn more, and sign up for a notification mailing list, at http://www.lisawalks.com.

The Avon Walk series is a project of the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and funds raised are distributed by the Foundation to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved. During the 2007 Avon Walk closing ceremonies, the Foundation immediately awarded a total of nearly 50 grants ranging from $100,000 to over $6 million to leading cancer centers, research institutions and community-based organizations in the Walk regions, with additional grants awarded nationally throughout the year. For a complete list of Avon Foundation funding, visit www.avonfoundation.org.

Autographs Project Teddy Bear
Autographs Project Teddy Bear

Link To Original Post

Thousands Seen Stuck With Fake Art Prints

Take a second look at that signed Picasso print you bought on eBay.

A ring of art counterfeiters has sold thousands of prints since 1999 bearing the forged signatures of Picasso, Miro, Dali and other famous artists to buyers around the world.

"Thousands of people will learn they ... bought a fake," said Chicago-based U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who announced indictments on Wednesday charging two Americans, a Spaniard from Barcelona, and two Italians from Milan and Monsummano with multiple counts of fraud.

U.S. authorities will seek to extradite the Europeans.

Sale prices ranged up to $50,000 for counterfeit prints that came with forged artists' signatures and fake certificates of authenticity that were sold in galleries, at art shows and through Internet auction site eBay, Fitzgerald said.

The counterfeits were produced in Spain and Italy, with the volume of fakes such that two of the alleged conspirators warned another one not to flood the market.

While buyers are stuck with the bogus works, prosecutors offered a Web site where they can provide details of how they were scammed: www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln.

Fake Art Prints eBay
Fake Art Prints eBay

Link To Original Post

Pakistan's 'eBay' to Cash in on Bhutto Memorabilia

Pakistan's first auction website is all set to cash in on memorabilia linked to slain former premier Benazir Bhutto, offering items as diverse as autographs of the leader and newspapers with reports on her assassination.

Nilaam.pk (http://nilaam.pk/), which is being seen as Pakistan's equivalent of eBay, will be launched in mid-April.

An autograph from the former Pakistan People's Party chairperson is likely to be sold for USD 650 while a 4x6 picture of a smiling Bhutto sitting in a leather chair is likely to go under the hammer for not less than USD 305.

"This (Bhutto autograph) is a rare and unique item from a true martyr for democracy and human rights," a dealer known only as Pakiworld in the virtual world wrote on the website.

Pakiworld will list the autograph on the auction website within moments of its launch on April 15.

The prices of the Bhutto memorabilia are likely to surpass those of some mementos of US President John F Kennedy.

"His (Kennedy's) signature on an index card was selling for USD 150," pointed out an auctioneer on a website.

In addition to autographs and photos, even the December 28, 2007 issues of newspapers, which carried reports on Bhutto's assassination the day before, will be up for grabs.

"It's the nature of the event, combined with the news photo and headline, that give that issue great value," wrote memorabilia collector Rick Cipolla, who picked up six copies of a newspaper to resell.

"I expect to get about USD 10 for the Daily News issue," he wrote.

Nilaam, being launched by a US-based private investment company, is poised to bring the benefits of e-commerce to Pakistan's growing base of internet users.

Nilaam Pakistan eBay Bhutto Memorabilia
Nilaam Pakistan eBay Bhutto Memorabilia

Link To Original Post

Julie Andrews Book Signing Tour

Julie Andrews, legendary actress and star of "The Sound of Music" and "Mary Poppins", will be signing copies of her new book Home: A Memoir of My Early Years at the following locations:

4/1/08 7:00 PM at Bookends - East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ.
4/2/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Union Square. New York, NY.
4/4/08 1:00 PM at Borders Books – School Street. Boston, MA.
4/5/08 Noon at Macys – Market Street. Philadelphia, PA.
4/8/08 1:00 PM at Disneyland – Main Street Opera House. Anaheim, CA.
4/10/08 7:00 PM at Borders Books – Westwood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.

Julie Andrews Book Signing Tour
Julie Andrews Book Signing Tour

Book Signings & Events

Link To Original Post

The Beatles Signatures Under the Hammer

A full set of autographs by The Beatles scrawled on a "tatty" birth certificate is expected to fetch up to £3,000 when it goes under the hammer, it's been announced.

The owner was serving at Salisbury Plain in the mid-60s and met the band when they were filming Help! with the Royal Scots Greys. He went to a pub in the High Street, Amesbury, and shared a few drinks with them before getting the autographs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Amy Brenan, a valuer at Duke's auction house, in Dorchester, which is handling the sale, said: "When a local gentleman pulled out a tatty bit of paper from the pocket of his wax jacket, I was rather surprised he thought it was something special."

She added: "When I unfolded the paper, I realised that the signatures where written in black ink on the back of the gentleman's birth certificate.

"The gentleman told me that the only piece of paper he had on him was his birth certificate and so he asked the band to sign it for him. Needless to say that the gentleman now has a new birth certificate."

The signatures are to go under the hammer at a specialist sale on April 10 and 11.

Ms Brenan added: "It's very rare to find a full set of signatures with such an excellent provenance behind them and with the current buoyant market for this type of memorabilia, I wouldn't be surprised if they made the top end of the estimate."

The Beatles Signatures Auction
The Beatles Signatures Auction

Link To Original Post

Autograph Chase in Full Swing for Collectors

The great autograph chase is in full swing for collectors who swarm Cactus League ballparks and practice facilities.

For the most serious of fans, their drive for collecting is decades long and their cache of autographs is as extensive as the hours spent getting them. Many boast thousands of prized signatures on baseballs, bats and cards.

They savor stories of sweet successes and lament the bitter disappointments.

These aren’t the people who put their catches of the day on eBay or sell autographs at shows. Instead, they build extensive personal collections.

Many collectors admit that it has become more difficult for them to gain access to players, and personal exchanges are becoming rare because of tightened security.

But they’re not at all deterred from continuing the craze.

At the end of the day, sometimes they’ve won, other times they’ve lost.

But like an old Brooklyn Dodgers battle cry, there’s always that saying: “Wait till next year.”

Bruce Honga, 46, northeast Phoenix

Bruce Honga is perhaps the most seasoned and foremost autograph collector in the Valley.

Honga, who grew up in Scottsdale, said he has been collecting autographs since 1970, and has amassed more than 5,000 of them.

“I’m a junkie,” he said. “It’s a hobby. It’s something that I’ve done forever that’s a lot of fun. I just enjoy going out and meeting the players.”

Honga has gotten autographs on bats, baseballs, photographs, posters and cards.

A roofing contractor, Honga said that he grew up a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and his first two autographs were of former first baseman Steve Garvey and third baseman Ron Cey.

Honga also has the autographs of 101 baseball Hall of Famers, missing only six of the 62 who are still living — Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Steve Carlton, Dennis Eckersley, Red Schoendienst and Ozzie Smith.

He’s an autograph seeker who’s successfully made the transition from an era of being able to approach players on the field to today’s era of tightened ballpark security.
As a teenager, Honga once visited Hall of Fame pitcher Carl Hubbell at his home in Scottsdale.

“A few of us kids, we just walked up to the apartment complex where he lived, and asked a maintenance worker which one Carl Hubbell lived in,” Honga said. “The maintenance guy pointed and said ‘over there.’ When Carl Hubbell came to the door, his left arm was twisted and his left hand was bent backward from years of throwing the screwball — and he let us in. Just being able to sit and listen to him tell stories was incredible.”

Honga also said that overall, it has become tougher for older collectors to get autographs from players.

Many players think the older guys are selling them, but that’s not always true, he said.

“I just collect for myself and don’t sell them,” Honga said. “Sometimes, I’ll trade an extra autograph for one I don’t have.”

Rico Quinonez, 42, Mesa

Rico Quinonez estimates he has about 1,000 autographs of various baseball players, which he has collected since the 1970s, when he was a kid.

His vast collection fills a room in his home, and Quinonez says he needs more space to display it, but that his wife likely would not be in favor of it.

“My wife always asks me, ‘Why do you need more autographs?’ ”

“I tell her there’s new players, and I have to get their autograph,” he said. “It’s addicting. It’s a nice hobby and something I just like to do. My collection is for me to enjoy while I’m alive. After I’m gone, my kids can do whatever they want with it.”

Quinonez remembers getting his first two autographs while living in New York in the early 1970s — from Sandy Alomar and Walt Williams, who played for the Yankees at the time. After that, he was hooked.

“I was a Mets fan, but my dad took me to a Yankees game,” Quinonez said. “He knew Sandy Alomar. They both were from Puerto Rico. My dad knew a baseball player, and I thought that was the coolest thing in the world.”

Later, when his family moved to Florida, he became a batboy for visiting teams at the spring training facilities of the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays during the early 1980s.

Quinonez said he likes to get players’ autographs on equipment used in games, such as batting helmets, bats and jerseys he often purchases at charity events hosted by the teams.

“It’s more affordable than trying to get all the different baseball cards that are out there,” Quinonez said.

Quinonez, who works the night shift as a stocker at a Mesa Wal-Mart, also takes photographs of the players during spring training. He quickly gets them developed and brings them back for the players to sign. He also lets some of the players keep an extra photograph of themselves if they sign one for him.

That strategy recently helped him acquire the autograph of rookie outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, the Japanese sensation training with the Cubs.

The elusive autographs for Quinonez? Former New York Yankees superstars Reggie Jackson and Don Mattingly.

Quinonez is already passing down his collecting skills to his oldest daughter, Victoria, 8, who often accompanies him to the ballparks.

“She has the routine down pat,” Quinonez said. “I tell her when she asks for an autograph, always be nice and polite and don’t get cocky.”

Don Schmit, 81, Scottsdale

Even as one of the older autograph seekers, Schmit isn’t about to give up the hobby anytime soon.

The Scottsdale resident has collected thousands of autographs on baseballs and baseball cards, visiting several spring training parks each year to get autographs — something he has done for nearly 20 years.

Schmit retired to Scottsdale in 1989 after working for 42 years in the service department of a GM dealership in Wisconsin. He said his wife, Audrey, encouraged him to do something “to stay off the streets.”

“She told me, ‘You gotta do something. You can’t sit around, so find a hobby,’ ” Schmit said. “I love sports, so, I started getting autographs of baseball players. I like the challenge of getting them. Some guys say, ‘He’s tough to get’ — so it’s ‘Hey, you gotta get his autograph.’ I used to do it from sun-up to sundown, but I’m no longer physically able to do that.”

Schmit said he is collecting the autographs and setting them aside for his six children and nine grandchildren.

A lot of the players now recognize him and walk the other way, he said.

“In the beginning, very few would refuse you an autograph,” Schmit said. “It would just be a matter of gathering the stuff you wanted signed and taking it to the ballpark, but you just can’t do that anymore.

“A lot has changed in the last 15 years because of how teams have changed things around at ballparks that don’t allow you to get as close to the players. It has become somewhat of a game for the younger players not to sign. They make a lot of money, but there’s no (public relations) on their part.”

Schmit said it has been a thrill to acquire autographs from his favorite player, Hall of Famer Robin Yount, also a Valley resident.

“It’s best to decide what you really want signed instead of carrying everything to the ballpark,” Schmit said. “You can’t carry everything when you’re going up to a player — you might end up with nothing.”

Autograph Chase Baseball Spring Training
Autograph Chase Baseball Spring Training

Link To Original Post

Kevin Lands "The Golden Jet"

The Golden Jet, Bobby Hull, flew into Springfield, Illinois, earlier today for an appearance at the last home game of the Springfield Jr. Hockey Blues at the Nelson Center. Regarded as one of professional hockey's greatest players, the Hall of Famer entered the lobby of the ice rink by demonstrating the "right way to skate." Sporting his 1961 Chicago Blackhawks championship ring and a Hawks leather jacket, he quickly became fast friends with folks waiting in line with hearty handshakes and posing for photographs. Once his table of merchandise was set-up, he sat down and began signing. Each person was required to purchase one item ($10 postcards, $20 and $30 8 x 10s of very poor quality, ie. no glossies, $20 pucks, $100 replica sticks) and Bobby would sign that item and however many additional items you brought. I got Hull to sign a postcard and then he gladly added his signature, complete with his uniform number and The Golden Jet inscription, to my hockey stick that I brought.

Link To Original Post

Jose Canseco Book Signing Tour

Jose Canseco, maligned former MLB star slugger, will be signing copies of his new book Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball at the following locations:

4/1/08 3:30 PM at Bookends - East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ.
4/2/08 12:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – Fifth Avenue. New York, NY.
4/3/08 12:30 PM at Borders Books – School Street. Boston, MA.
4/4/08 12:30 PM at Borders Books – North State Street. Chicago, IL.
4/5/08 11:00 AM at Wal-Mart – South Route 83. Villa Park, IL.
4/7/08 7:00 PM at Book Soup - Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA.
4/9/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Jack London Square. Oakland, CA.
4/11/08 7:00 PM at the Clayton Book Shop - Clayton Road. Clayton, CA.

Jose Canseco Book Signing Tour
Jose Canseco Book Signing Tour

Book Signings & Events

Link To Original Post

Arnold Palmer: No More Sloppy Signings

It might seem like a simple detail, but World Golf Hall of Famer Arnold Palmer believes PGA Tour players should sign autographs, and neatness should count.

"I don't know where a player comes off ... being asked to give an autograph, and he scribbles something down there that you can't read," Palmer said Wednesday during a news conference at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, site of this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. "Well, who in the hell knows what it is? Why take the time to do it? Why not make it legible?"

There never has been a case of a fan not being able to read Palmer's large, looping signature. Palmer also pointed out that fellow Hall of Famers such as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player have very legible signatures.

Palmer said he even chastised his grandson, Clemson golfer Sam Saunders, for signing a sloppy autograph.

"I sat on him," Palmer said. "Now, when he gives an autograph, you can read it."

Players in the field chuckled at Palmer's peeve about penmanship and said it was symbolic of his relationship with fans.

"Peter Jacobsen got on me about my signature when I first got up here, and I know he did because Arnold got on him once," Joe Ogilvie said. "That's typical Arnold: Not only will he give thousands of autographs, but he wants each one of them to be readable. He cares that much about the fans."

Arnold Palmer No More Sloppy Signings
Arnold Palmer No More Sloppy Signings

Link To Original Post

Recent Celebrity Signings

Actress America Ferrera (L) signs autographs at the "Under The Same Moon" premiere held on March 11, 2008 in Hollywood, California.



Actress Eliza Dushku autographs a tennis ball at the 4th Annual K-Swiss Desert Smash Celebrity Tennis and Golf Event at the La Quinta Resort and Club on March 11, 2008 in Palm Springs, California.



Coco signs autographs of her pictorial in Playboy at The Hawaiian Tropic Zone on March 11, 2008 in New York City.



Carmen Electra signs autographs for fans along the red carpet at Caron Butler's Birthday Party bash at The Park on Fourteenth on March 13, 2008 in Washington, DC.



Valerie Bertinelli signs copies of her new book "Losing it" at Bookends on March 13, 2008 in Ridgewood, New Jersey.



Actress Kate Beckinsale visits "Late Show with David Letterman" at Ed Sullivan Theater on March 13, 2008 in New York City.


Photos courtesy of WireImage

Celebrity Signings Autographs Ferrera Dushku Beckinsale Bertinelli
Celebrity Signings Autographs Ferrera Dushku Beckinsale Bertinelli

Click for Kate Beckinsale autographs
Click for America Ferrera autographs
Click for Carmen Electra autographs

Link To Original Post

Stanley Gibbons Claims Rare Collectibles Becoming Popular With Investors

Rare stamps, autographs and memorabilia are becoming increasingly popular with investors as the economic climate worsens, it was claimed today.

The UK's biggest retailer of collectibles, Stanley Gibbons, said its sales rose 21% to £20.2 million during 2007 as investors looked to diversify their assets.

Gibbons, which sells goods ranging from rare Penny Blacks to autographs by Marilyn Monroe, said pre-tax profits for the year to December 31 were a record £4.5 million, a rise of 20%.

Chief executive Mike Hall said: "Collectibles as an asset class are growing and tighter economic conditions are resulting in an increasing number of investors turning to our products as a means of protecting their wealth by diversifying their asset holdings."

The company said that collectibles were becoming more popular within the savings and wealth management industries and were being seen as an alternative investment.

"Even now, our stamp and autograph indices are available on Bloomberg information terminals for institutional investors. A small increase in acceptance by institutional investors would make a significant positive impact on the growth potential of our businesses," the company said.

Gibbons said visitor numbers to its websites were growing at pace having reached four million visits during 2007, up 40% on 2006. It is to expand the languages used on its site to cash in on the "Bric" emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The onus is on Stanley Gibbons not just to sell products, but to find the rarities in the first place. It says it has a "wants list" of more than £12 million worth of rare items its clients want.

Mr Hall is confident the future bodes well for the firm. "Increasing demand for our investment products, coupled with a better quality stockholding, place us in a strong position as we start 2008 with an increased momentum," he said.

Andrew Wade, of stockbrokers Seymour Pierce, said highlights of the Gibbons' results were a 37% increase in sales to investment clients and a 36% rise in sales of autographs and memorabilia. "The business is continuing to deliver on its promises and potential," he said.

Stanley Gibbons Rare Collectibles Popular Investments
Stanley Gibbons Rare Collectibles Popular Investments

Link To Original Post

Cult Killer Roch Theriault's Artwork For Sale

The prison artwork of a notorious Canadian killer is being offered for sale on an American website that promotes criminals as celebrities.

More than half a dozen items produced by cult killer Roch Theriault at the Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick are up for auction on MurderAuction.com, which specializes in so-called "murderabilia."

Collectors can bid for oil paintings, pastels, signed handprints and even short poems written out and coloured by Theriault, who's serving a life sentence after being convicted of a brutal murder in 1993.

The charismatic leader of a tiny religious group near Burnt River between 1977 and 1989, Theriault chopped off the hand of one of his concubines and killed his wife by disembowelling her.

A television movie about his bizarre cult, which was modelled on Old Testament themes and attracted up to a dozen adult followers, was titled Savage Messiah. It was broadcast in 2002, the same year the National Parole Board turned down his first bid for day parole.

"Cult leader Roch Theriault is one of the craziest and sickest criminal(s) in Canadian history," the anonymous Canadian-based seller of the artwork -- identified only as Redrum's Autographs -- declares on the website.

"Theriault's artwork is extremely rare as he doesn't write to anyone but family."

The art being auctioned is abstract or contains inoffensive images such as flowers, and dates from October and November 2007. Minimum bids range from US$20 to US$500.

The three-year-old website is one of the earliest to create a specialized marketplace for crime memorabilia, which has generally been banned from mainstream sites such as EBay.

MurderAuction.com founder Tod Bohannon makes no apologies, saying it's merely a branch of the well-established hobby of collecting celebrity autographs.

Bohannon, 30, began collecting criminals' signatures at age 13, when he first wrote to notorious prisoners. His large collection now includes a few choice Theriault pieces, as well as some prison memorabilia from Canadian child-murderer Clifford Olsen.

"More than anything, it's about getting to know someone who's looking for a friend," Bohannon said in an interview from his home in Cornelia, Ga., where he teaches kindergarten by day.

His advice for crime victims who might object to the website? "If my site's hurting you, just don't go to it."

Laws in the U.S., designed to prevent criminals from profiting from their notoriety through big film and book deals, have been challenged on constitutional grounds.

Cult Killer Roch Theriault's Artwork For Sale
Cult Killer Roch Theriault's Artwork For Sale

Link To Original Post

Sen. Arlen Specter Book Signings

Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator (Pennsylvania), will be signing copies of his new book Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate at the following locations:

3/24/08 7:00 PM at the Philadelphia Central Library – Vine Street. Philadelphia, PA.
3/25/08 8:00 PM at Book Revue - New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
3/27/08 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – South Hills Village. Pittsburgh, PA.
4/1108 7:30 PM at the Penn Bookstore – Walnut Street. Philadelphia, PA.

Publish date for this book is March 18, 2008.

Arlen Specter Book Signings
Arlen Specter Book Signings

Link To Original Post

Fans Reach Out To Kevin Everett

BALTIMORE - Kevin Everett signed about 300 autographs last night at the Ed Block Courage Awards banquet at Martin's West. Afterward, he waggled his tired right wrist and smiled. It was, he said, a good hurt.

"That was a workout - for my hand," said Everett, the Buffalo Bills tight end who fractured his spine in a football game in September - an injury initially believed likely to leave him paralyzed.

But Everett is recovering, and though he'll never play football again, he has become a hero to others. A number of those moved by Everett's story got his autograph at the Block Awards, which honor players from each NFL club who are voted most inspirational by their teammates.

"Oh, you're the miracle guy!" Lynn Winkler exclaimed upon reaching the front of the line. Then the Fallston resident leaned toward Everett, who was seated at a table, and asked, "Do you have faith in God, Kevin?"

Everett nodded.

"Well, he has his hand all over you, buddy," she said.

Again, a nod.

"Welcome back to football, Mr. Everett," said Ron Meliker of Ellicott City. "Everyone was holding their breath for you, sir."

Everett's fellow award-winners expressed admiration.

"To me, Kevin is the truest recipient of this award, hands down," said the Cleveland Browns' Gary Baxter, a former Raven. "Several of us have been in uncharted waters, pushing the limits of medical science. But he's the real miracle, proof that God has plans for all of us."

Scott Lynn stood in line for 30 minutes to get Everett's autograph - not for himself, but for the 11-year-old son of a friend, Kevin Lawyer, a Carroll County orthodontist killed in an auto accident last month. Lynn thought it important that the youngster recognize the courage of others facing rough times.

Next came Mark Odum, 53, of Bowie. He approached Everett in a wheelchair, having broken his neck in a diving accident more than 30 years ago. Odum remains paralyzed from the waist down."

"How's it goin'?" Odum asked.

"Goin' good," Everett said.

"What's left [to recuperate]?"

"My hands," Everett said. Numbness persists.

"We're cheerin' you on, man," said Odum, motoring right along.

As he left, Odum shot the football player a telling glance.

"Stuff happens," Odum said softly. "What matters most is what you do after it happens."

Kevin Everett Ed Block Courage Awards Baltimore
Kevin Everett Ed Block Courage Awards Baltimore

Link To Original Post

Kid Rock Slings Hash, Signs Autographs at Waffle House

Kid Rock replaced his signature fedora today with a paper Waffle House hat.

The entertainer came to sling hash browns and sign autographs for hundreds of fans during a fundraiser at a suburban Atlanta diner. The event came just a week after Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, pleaded not guilty to a charge of battery from a fight last fall at another Waffle House.

Waffle House spokeswoman Kelly Thrasher said the Atlanta-based company wanted to ‘‘take a negative situation and turn it into a positive situation.’’

Proceeds from the fundraiser were to go to Nicholas House, a homeless shelter for families in DeKalb County, where the 37-year-old entertainer was arrested last October following a fight with a customer.



Ritchie was met by enthusiastic fans, some of whom drove hundreds of miles to see him.

First in line: Ashley Miles, 21, a nurse from Morgantown, W. Va., and her mother, Terri Miles, from Maryland. They arrived at 8:30 p.m. Monday, set up chairs and waited all night for a chance to see the star.

‘‘I love him, he is gorgeous,’’ the daughter said.

Later today, Ritchie was scheduled to play a show at Gwinnett Arena, north of the city.

Link To Original Post

GAI Authenticators Speak Out to AutographAlert.com!

Reprinted from AutographAlert.com

Global Authentication, Inc. has re-appeared after their sudden and mysterious closing.

The new Global website states: “Global authenticates autographs of sports, entertainment and historical memorabilia using top industry authentication experts.....by using exemplar signatures and expert analysis we confirm they are genuine and rendered authentic.”

AutographAlert.com has been contacted in writing by a few of their former and a present authenticator.

This is partially what these insiders had to say:

Global Authenticator #1

“I am...and currently being used as the lead authenticator by eBay even over PSA and their Stupid Quick opinion.”

“If you want the real inside story on GAI, I talk to the disgruntled employees everyday!”

“I have been one of GAI’s major thorns even though I was (or am) used by them. I butted heads with JP for years over his Global Express service. There were items that would come in for me to see and JP would slap a COA on them without sending them to me for my approval....He was a little stunned that I knew each item that he stickered without going through me. I’m sure you guessed that over 70% of his authentication were forgeries.”

“JP pretty much just offered COA’s in bulk to dealers who needed quick and cheap COA’s. He was a pathetic excuse for an expert.”

“JP having so much power with so little education and experience was a major problem.”

“What about MB name appearing on the ‘new’ GAI COA’s? The guy knows nothing about authentication.”

“I know I am a target because I am with GAI. however, I can show that I was working against them just as much as with them.”

“I really do think that GAI will maintain a presence. Unless we decide that they are too big of a risk for eBay. If that happens, I will come to you 1st as I want all of the customers to know. They deserve to know if their COA’s are worthless.”

“I have to say, that I have not been given free reign to attack any dealers on eBay. I have worked hard to at least give dealers a fighting chance against PSA. Their quick opinion fails countless GOOD items that I am now allowed to counter.”

Global Authenticator #2

“I have been an autograph authenticator for Global for a year now, my name and photograph was being used on their website however I have never been asked to authenticate a single item for them....”

Global Authenticator #3

“I actually worked with Global as their.....autograph authenticator for about six months. I did it as a service to the hobby I did not receive payment from them. I had to quit because the head authenticator, Justin kept passing non-authentic autographs. I kept pointing out the forged autographs they were passing and they would not reply to me. I even contacted his boss Steve, the president of Global and he would not contact me back.....”

“My last communication with them was with SR, the President. I told him via email and voice mail, that I thought JP was passing tons of fake....autographs and it was ultimately going to give them a bad name and kill their business. He never bothered to respond to me...”

NOTE: though this is a reprint, we will not publish the full names of individuals indentified in the article.

Link To Original Post

The Ripper Casebook: Open to the Public

'PC.97J. NEIL reports at 3.45.a[m] 31st inst, he found the dead body of a woman lying on her back with her clothes a little above her knees...' So begins a vivid account on lined notepaper, by a Superintendent J Keating, under the heading 'Metropolitan Police'. The ink seems as fresh as a morning newspaper. Yet it is dated 31 August, 1888.

This is one of the police reports filed just hours after Jack the Ripper claimed another victim in London's East End. It is one of numerous documents relating to the Victorian killer which, after more than a century in the archives, are to go on public display for the first time.

Handwritten accounts from the scenes of the crimes, detectives' case reports, coroners' inquiry records, witness statements, photographs and letters will form the centrepiece of a major exhibition, 'Jack the Ripper and the East End', at the Museum in Docklands, London. Visitors will not be spared graphic descriptions, such as 'her throat cut from ear to ear', in the retelling of the bloody and gruesome crimes.

'They are absolutely amazing,' said Julia Hoffbrand, curator of the exhibition. 'They were written on the day each woman was found, so as a step by step account you get a real sense of what happened. The documents bring home the fact that these are real people and real events. They are very moving.'

The files were first kept at Scotland Yard, then transferred to the National Archives in Kew, west London. But due to their fragile condition they could only be viewed on microfiche. 'It's a rare opportunity to see the actual documents in the original ink,' Hoffbrand said.

The police report of 31 August 1888 continues: Dr. Llewellyn, No.152 Whitechapel Ro[ad]... arrived quickly and pronounced life to be extinct, apparently but [a] few minutes, he directed her removed to the mortuary, stating he would make a further examination there, which was done on the ambulance. It has since been ascertained that the dress bears the marks of Lambeth Workhouse and deceased is supposed to have been an inmate of that house.'

Jack the Ripper is believed to have killed five prostitutes in or near Whitechapel in 10 weeks between August and November 1888. More than 170 names have been put forward as suspects including the Duke of Clarence, the artist Walter Sickert, who had a morbid obsession with the killings, Montague John Druitt, a barrister who took his own life just after the last murder, and Michael Ostrog, a Russian thief. Books, plays, films and musicals have mythologised the killer and every night tourists walk the same streets on a guided Jack the Ripper walk.

A letter purportedly from the Ripper to the police will also be on display. Dated 7 November 1888, the handwritten scrawl states: 'Dear Boss, I am writing you this while I am in bed with a sore throat but as soon as it is better I will set to work again on the 13th of this month and I think that my next Job will be to polish you off and as I am a member of the force I can soon settle accounts with you I will tear your liver out before you are dead and show it to you.' The letter, signed Jack the Ripper, has a crude drawing of a man, but remains one of many tantalising clues.

Among the documents are witness statements to coroners as well as contemporary press reports. At the inquest into the death of Catherine Eddowes, whose mutilated body was found in Mitre Square in Aldgate, her daughter Annie Phillips tells of her father's separation from her mother: 'He had no ill will to my knowledge against Deceased [Catherine Eddowes]. He left Deceased between 7 & 8 years ago entirely on account of her Drinking Habits.'

Like Eddowes, Mary Ann Nichols was found with her throat cut, in Buck's Row, Whitechapel. On her last evening alive, she is reported as having said: 'I'll soon get my "doss" money; see what a jolly bonnet I've got now.'

The exhibition, which opens on 15 May, will also feature maps and recordings from people who grew up in the slums of Whitechapel. Donald Rumbelow, a leading expert on the Ripper and co-author of Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates, welcomed the exhibition. 'To see the documents out of the mounts will be quite something.'

The Ripper Casebook
The Ripper Casebook

Link To Original Post

Celebrities Signing For Fans

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones signs autographs for fans following a press conference in Sydney, Monday, March 10, 2008. Zeta-Jones is here for the premier of her latest movie 'Death Defying Acts'.



Movie star Jackie Chan (C) signs autographs as Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (R) and Judith Whitworth (3rd L), Director of John Curtin School of Medical Research, watch before he opened The Jackie Chan Science Centre in Canberra March 9, 2008.



American tennis player Serena Williams, foreground center, sign autographs after she won a semifinal match against sister Venus Williams at the Bangalore Open 2008 tournament in Bangalore, India, Saturday, March 8, 2008.



NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., right, signs autographs as he walks through the garage before a practice session for Sunday's Kobalt 500 auto race Saturday, March 8, 2008 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.



Jessica Simpson signs autographs at Dillard's Stonebriar Centre on March 8, 2008 in Frisco, Texas.



LL Cool J signs autographs for fans at the debut of his new clothing line "Todd Smith" at Macy's on March 8, 2008 in Culver City, California.



Astronaut Buzz Aldrin signs autographs and speaks to fans at AFI's Directors Screening of "The Wonder Of It All" at the ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, California on March 6, 2008



Actress/producer Charlize Theron signs autographs as she arrives at Overture Films' screening of "Sleepwalking" held at the Director's Guild of America on March 6, 2008 in Hollywood, California.



Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh signs autographs at the Miller Chill Presents Entertainment Weekly, People and Sports Illustrated's Winter Heat Party on March 6, 2008 at KREM in Chicago, Illinois

Photos courtesy of AP and WireImage

Click for Catherine eta Jones autographs
Click for Jessica Simpson autographs
Click for Charlize Theron autographs

Link To Original Post

March 2008 - Single Appearance Book and CD Signings

Robert Clary, star of “Hogan’s Heroes”, signing copies of From the Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes - 3/12/08 7:00 PM at Book Soup - Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA.


Mary Louise Parker, star of “Weeds” and “Fried Green Tomatoes”, signing copies of Dying Gaul - 3/14/08 5:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Lincoln Triangle. New York, NY.

Ashlee Simpson, pop star, performing & signing copies of Bittersweet World - 3/15/08 Noon in the Rotunda – Mall of America. Bloomington, MN.

Jeff Foxworthy, comedian and actor, signing copies of Dirt On My Shirt - 3/19/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Northpoint Parkway. Alpharetta, GA.


John Landis, director of “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers”, signing copies of John Landis - 3/20/08 7:00 PM at Borders Books – Third Street Promenade. Santa Monica, CA.

Martha Byrne, star of “As the World Turns”, signing copies of Life After Tomorrow - 3/20/08 5:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – Lincoln Triangle. New York, NY.

Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City, signing copies of The Koch Papers - 3/20/08 7:00 PM at Book Revue - New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.

Oscar Robertson, NBA Hall of Famer, signing copies of Big O - 3/21/08 5:30 PM at Borders Books – South Meridian Street. Indianapolis, IN.

Janine Turner, star of “Northern Exposure”, signing copies of Holding Her Head High - 3/22/08 2:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Plaza Place. Southlake, TX.


Thomas Jane, star of “The Mist” and “The Punisher”, signing copies of The Mist - 3/25/08 7:00 PM at Dark Delicacies - West Burbank Blvd. Burbank, CA.

Tom Colicchio & Padma Lakshmi, stars of “Top Chef”, signing copies of The Top Chef Cookbook - 3/27/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Union Square. New York, NY.


Helen Mirren, Oscar winning actress, signing copies of In The Frame - 3/28/08 12:30 PM at Barnes & Noble – Fifth Avenue. New York, NY.

Franco Zefirelli, Oscar nominated director of “Romeo & Juliet”, signing copies of Romeo & Juliet - 3/28/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Lincoln Triangle. New York, NY.

Courtesy of StillJohn.com

Link To Original Post

Autographs, Friendly Company Warm Crowd at Packers Fan Fest

With helmets, jerseys and souvenir books galore, this weekend's fourth annual Fan Fest event at Lambeau Field is all about the autographs.

"The autographs are the best part, and the camaraderie," Dave Wiltgen of Eau Claire said Friday evening while standing in the Mike McCarthy line with a suitcase and duffel bag full of items waiting for signatures from the head coach and others members of the Green Bay Packers.

Ricky Van Ert, of the Adams-Friendship area about 120 miles from Green Bay, was hoping for a Brett Favre autograph this year. But he didn't allow this week's announcement that Favre was leaving the game to get him down.

"I'm glad he did. He deserves it," he said.

For other fans, though, Favre's retirement cast more of a shadow on the weekend's festivities.

Becky Kern of Rice Lake, who purchased five Favre game day programs and two G-Force yard signs at the event's garage sale, said the news brought a dark cloud to her weekend.

"We were really sad, because this man here was 5 years old when he (Favre) started," she said, pointing to her 22-year-old son Jason. "I wish he would have waited" to announce his retirement, she said.

Kern considers herself a die-hard fan. She and her family once took a 30-hour trip to Kiln, Miss., Favre's hometown, to take a picture of the town's welcome sign. She said the family only stayed for 10 minutes.

"Everyone loves the Packers in my family," said Kern, whose goal Friday was to get cornerback Al Harris' autograph.

A section for fans hunting for tickets to meet specific players called the Trading Zone was located on the third floor of the stadium. Fans received four tickets to attend autograph sessions for specific players.

That's where Van Ert looked to trade his tickets for one to see former Packer LeRoy Butler.

"That would cap the weekend," he said.

More than 3,500 people are expected to attend the weekend event dedicated to thanking the fans for their loyalty. McCarthy and Packers President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy were among those who made appearances. And fans swarmed alumni players such as Edgar Bennett and walked around the Trading Zone with small signs advertising the tickets they needed.

Lucinda Radloff of Oshkosh walked around the room with her McCarthy ticket, trying to trade for a Harris or Donald Driver ticket.

Radloff, who obtained season tickets last season, has attended the Fan Fest event every year and carries around photos her husband takes at each game and a souvenir book to collect autographs. Radloff said she likes the room, because it's easier to get the Packers' autographs.

Link To Original Post

Updated Celebrity Addresses

Actors

Woody Allen-118 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10018
Catherine Bell-The Gersh Agency, 232 North Canon Dr. #201, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Billy Crystal-Face Productions, 335 North Maple Dr. #135, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Judi Dench-Parseghian Planco, 23 East 22nd Street 3rd Fl., New York, NY 10010
Jane Fonda-1050 Techwood Drive N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318
Harrison Ford-Patricia McQueeney, 10279 Century Woods Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90067
Jennifer Love Hewitt-P.O. Box 57593, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Samuel L. Jackson-ICM, 10250 Constellation Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90067
Kelly Preston-JTP Films, 15821 Ventura Blvd. #460, Encino, CA 91436
Kiefer Sutherland-Wolf & Kasteller, 335 N. Maple Dr. #351, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Wrestlers

Jeff Blatnick-156 Westside Dr., Ballston Lake, NY 12019
Chris Chavis-6176 5th Ave. So., St. Petersburg, FL 33707
Amy Dumas-P.O. Box 192, Scottdale, GA 30079
Jerry "The King" Lawler-5190 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis, TN 38117
Ben Peterson-205 Dewey Ave., Watertown, WI 53094
Mike Shaw-P.O. Box 200, Skandia, MI 49885

Musicians/Singers

Pat Boone-9200 Sunset Blvd. #1007, Los Angeles, CA 90069
John Mellencamp-John J. Mellencamp, P.O. Box 6777, Bloomington, IN 47408
Kelly Rowland-Music World Music, Matthew Knowles, 1505 Hadley St., Houston, TX 77002
Taylor Swift-Taylor Swift Ent., 242 West Main St. PMB #412, Hendersonville, TN 37075
Carrie Underwood-CAA, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Models

Alessandra Ambrosio-Elite Model Mgmt., 404 Park Ave. So. 9th Floor, New York, NY, 10016
Adrianne Curry-1601 N. Sepulveda #790, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Angie Dickinson-1715 Carla Ridge, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Karen Duffy-Rebel Ent. Partners, 5700 Wilshire Blvd. #456, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Marisa Miller-IMG Models, 304 Park Ave. S., Penthouse N., New York, NY 10010

Courtesy of Autograph Magazine

Click for Harrison Ford autographs
Click for Kiefer Sutherland autographs
Click for Jennifer Love Hewitt autographs

Link To Original Post

Sothebys to Auction Lincoln Letters Next Month

A letter written by late US president Abraham Lincoln in response to a children's petition to end slavery is expected to fetch up to five million dollars at auction in New York next month.

The letter, an emotional response to a "Children's Petition to the president asking him to free all the little slave children in this country," dates from 1864 and is the highlight of a sale of historical American manuscripts.

"Please tell these little people I am very glad their young hearts are so full of just and generous sympathy," Lincoln wrote in the letter.

"While I have not the power to grant all they ask, I trust they will remember that God has, and that, as it seems, He wills to do it."

Other lots in the Sotheby's sale on April 3 include Lincoln's signature, signed in an autograph album on the same day he gave his Gettysburg address -- considered perhaps the greatest speech in US history -- in 1863.

The autograph, signed at the dedication of a cemetery for those killed at the battle of Gettysburg in July that year, is expected to fetch up to one million dollars.

Other highlights of the sale include a letter written by founding father and the third US president, Thomas Jefferson, in which he reveals his concern over the health of then president George Washington.

"We have been very near losing the President," Jefferson wrote. "He was taken with peripneumony (pneumonia) and on the 5th day he was pronounced by two of the three physicians present to be in the act of death.

"A successful effort of nature however relieved him and us. You cannot conceive the public alarm on this occasion. It proves how much depends on his life," he added.

Interestingly, the ambidextrous Jefferson wrote most of the letter with his left hand but added a postscript with his right. The letter is expected to fetch up to 300,000 dollars.

Link To Original Post

Alton Brown Book Signings

Alton Brown, star of The Food Network's “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef America”, will be signing copies of Feasting on Asphalt at the following locations:

4/24/08 5:00 PM at Lemuria Books – I-55 North. Jackson, MS.
4/25/08 5:00 PM at Square Books – Courthouse Square. Oxford, MS.
4/27/08 1:00 PM at Sams Club – Manchester Road. Des Peres, MO.
4/27/08 4:00 PM at the Ethical Society of St. Louis – Clayton. St. Louis, MO.
4/28/08 6:00 PM in the Rotunda – Mall of America. Bloomington, MN.
4/29/08 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Valley View Mall. La Crosse, WI.

Alton Brown Book Signings
Alton Brown Book Signings

Link To Original Post

The Ultimate Autograph Hound

So what do these seven fine gents have in common: Mike Darr, Tom Gillies, Pedro Hernandez, Alex Infante, Anthony Johnson, Mike Maurer and Epy Guerrero?

Well, they're all baseball people, for starters. And all also happened to have worn a Blue Jay uniform at one time or another. Guerrero, once the Jays' top Latin scout, was a coach here in 1981; the rest, players of vague distinction.

But there's something else that connects this group of seven. Benno Rosinke wants these guys. Needs them. Or at least their autographs.

Yep, we've got a collector here – signed baseballs, photos, cards, the lot. But mostly, it's about the autographs – better than 1,300 in all, including some golden oldies like Johnny Vander Meer, Bobby Thomson and Whitey Ford.

But here's the neat bit: Of the 556 players, managers and coaches Rosinke reckons have ever worn a Blue Jay suit, he has autographs from 549 of them.

Until recently, Rosinke never realized he was headed in this direction ... hadn't really planned on any of this.

Despite a lifelong passion for baseball, his approach to autographs had been casual, mostly for the fun of it all. Like, 20 or so years back when he and his son, then only 9 or 10, started making semi-regular pilgrimages to spring training.

"We'd get autographs like crazy," said Rosinke. "You can do that with a 10-year-old. Now, he's 29 ... not nearly as cute."

But two summers back, as this Kitchener high school history teacher headed into retirement, wife Sharon wondered something like, "So, what are you gonna do with all this ... stuff?"

"She talked me into renovating a room in the basement ... make it into a baseball room," said Rosinke, 61 this summer. "But, when I started organizing the autographs, I was amazed how many Jays I had. At that point, I think it was about 300.

"Now, I didn't decide I was going to get 'em all, I just wondered how close I could get. I thought maybe I could get it to less than a hundred, then, when I got there, I thought, this is incredible, I could probably get, you know, within 25. I never thought I could get it down to single digits."

Well, there he is. At least for now.

Rosinke knows he has new targets on the near horizon – Jay newcomers Scott Rolen and David Eckstein, for instance – and he just scored with new hitting coach Gary Denbo sending him an autograph in the mail.

"Batting coaches are hard to get," said Rosinke.

How Rosinke displays his autographs is neat, too, maybe unique. With the help of his computer, he creates a page, scanning the signature, a photo or card, an array of logos for all the teams his man has played for and a line of career stats onto a single 8-by-11 piece of paper.

When he gets 200, he makes them into a book; his wife works for a bookbinding firm. He's now on volume 7 of what he calls his "Signature Club."

Another set of books, those with two pages per entry, he calls his "Stadium Club." These hold the 156 ballparks he has visited over the years, most of them on the annual baseball tours he and buddies Jim and Ed (and, more recently, Roger) have been making since 1991. This year, it'll be the Minneapolis area.

"Last year, we got to Babe Ruth's tomb, then stopped off at Hinchcliffe Stadium (in Patterson, N.J.), which is the last remaining ballpark from the old Negro Leagues," said Rosinke. "It's in really bad shape; no one plays there."

On that same trip, the boys also dropped in on the Class-A Brooklyn Cyclones for a game marking the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' sad departure for Los Angeles.

Rosinke's bonus score that day? Autographs from Danny McDevitt and Joe Pignatano, the 1957 battery for the Dodgers' last game in Brooklyn.

But, Benno, the chances of ever bagging those final seven Jays, then keeping the want list at zero?

"I would say fat and none," he said. "They'll always be bringing new guys in, I'll always have new targets, but as long as I stay close to 99 per cent, I'll be pretty pleased."

Would he call this an obsession?

"My wife might. My life doesn't revolve around it, but I once heard something described as a `lazy passion' and that's sort of how I am with it," said Rosinke. "The way I look at it is these things are either worthless or priceless. In reality, they're nothing more than pieces of cardboard, pieces of paper, with writing on them.

"But to me they're priceless because they mean something, right? I can look at an autograph, and a lot of them I have no idea how or when I got, but others I remember. I start thinking of the ballpark I was in, what happened at the game.

"It also beats having an affair. Cheaper, anyway."

A sampling of some of his more memorable "gets."

• His very first: "(Yankees reliever) Luis Arroyo, when I was 14 or 15. I had an uncle who lived in Brooklyn. By the time I was old enough to visit, the Dodgers were already gone, but we'd go sit in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. Arroyo would talk to you during the game."

• Joe Carter: "I got him when he was with Cleveland. I also got Mitch Williams (see historic Blue Jay home runs) when he was managing in Atlantic City. I never mentioned Carter's name to Mitch."

• Roger Clemens: "In spring training when he was with Boston. He wasn't a very nice man."

• Clete Boyer: "There's no rhyme or reason to why I have some of the older guys I have. I just heard Boyer had this restaurant in Cooperstown, so I dropped by hoping he was in. He was."

• Jose Canseco: "He was playing for the Charlotte Knights in Syracuse, trying to make a comeback with the White Sox. He was in a good mood because he'd homered that night. It was one of his last games."

• Ricardo Jordan, a reliever for the '95 Jays: "I found him at some Florida prison farm and I had to go through a few number of hoops. I had to talk to the warden. I had to talk to the chaplain. I had to convince them I was just a fan and wasn't trying to be some pen pal. They finally thought this would be acceptable and the guy just signed and sent it back. Of course, the letter came with big stamps all over it saying it was sent from some correctional facility, so my mailman, all my neighbours, could tell I was getting letters from jail."

• Dave Stieb: "I couldn't get his autograph, until he made his comeback (1998). I went down to Syracuse to get it 'cause I didn't think he was going to make it. He was a much more pleasant man his second time around."

• Ralph Branca, the Dodger who gave up the Bobby Thomson homer in 1951: "That was in some campground somewhere. He seemed kind of shy about being Ralph."

• Dennis DeBarr, a Jays pitcher that first year, 1977: "I got him through some weird inventor who lived in the mountains in California. He was using DeBarr's name in connection with some pitching machine that never worked out."

Link To Original Post

Movie Geeks United!

Three 'Movie Geeks' share their passion for films twice weekly. Film reviews, news and topics are discussed in-depth. More than a dozen special interviews a month and listener call-ins. Give it a try! Movie Geeks United!

Link To Original Post

The GOP Nominee For President

Since we had several of the Democratic candidates grace our blog previously, we now offer equal time to the GOP.

Here's our friend Kevin with John McCain, the Republican nominee for President of the United States. This photo was taken on April 13, 2007, at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois, during a Republican Day event.

Link To Original Post

Want to Trade? An Obama Will Cost You

While Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton duke it out in Texas and Ohio on Tuesday, Mr. Obama has trounced his Democratic rival in another arena: trading cards.

Presidential trading cards, released by the Topps Company on Feb. 6 and featuring the candidates’ likenesses and autographs, are fetching high prices on eBay this week. An Obama card, one of 15 made by Topps, sold for $3,122, and a Clinton card, one of 18, sold for $1,325.

Bids for a card featuring an embedded autograph by Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, were holding steady at $1,200 in an auction on Monday evening.

The cards are a bonus tucked into packs of Topps Baseball Series 1 for 2008, which retail for $1.99, said Clay Luraschi, the company’s baseball brand manager.

The cards are not actually signed by the candidates. Instead, they display signatures cut from items already autographed by the candidates, like baseballs by Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain, or books by Mrs. Clinton.

Unsigned cards, which are drawing bids of $1 to $13 on eBay, can be found in one out of every nine packs, Mr. Luraschi said.

Topps was surprised at the prices the signed cards had garnered, Mr. Luraschi said. “A lot of times when you have a card that’s the only one in existence, they don’t even get that high,” he said.

The campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Luraschi said the price on Mr. Obama’s card was particularly startling. “That’s like Babe Ruth,” he said.

Barack Obama Topps Signed Card
Barack Obama Topps Signed Card

Link To Original Post

Diane Keaton Book Signings

Diane Keaton, star of "Annie Hall", "Reds" and "The Godfather" trilogy, will be signing copies of her book California Romantica: Spanish Colonial and Mission-Style Houses at the following locations:

3/15/08 2:00 PM at the Taschen Store – North Beverly Avenue. Beverly Hills, CA.
5/8/08 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble – Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

Diane Keaton Book Signings
Diane Keaton Book Signings

Link To Original Post

Is eBay Padding User Counts?

eBay Bares Its Ugly New Face

John Donahoe, eBay's (EBAY) newly elected CEO and president, has yet to take his role, and yet has caused the largest rift between eBay and the eBay community ever.

eBay's position is strong, no arguing this point. But, the question is, has eBay peaked? Is there room for growth? Is it all downhill for eBay from here?

The answer to this question is being debated among investors. Personally, I cannot help but wonder how Donahoe's direction can strengthen its position with the choices they are making.

Donahoe has made it clear he wants to rid eBay of its "fleamarket" image, by eliminating those very people who made eBay the strongest online market place in the world. The idea is that by ridding itself of the low-priced items, they can concentrate on larger retailers, and boost revenues with higher end items.

Sounds great, right? On paper, yes. In reality, however, not a chance.

Donahoe has taken a huge risk here. By alienating your members, Donahoe loses those same people he needs to buy from his wealthier retailers.

Of course, that is the problem with any dictator. When you crush and defeat your community with iron fist dictatorship, your community falls apart. Unlike terrorized communities, however, eBay cannot force its community to stay. Therefore, defections are not only likely, but, a reality that will hurt eBay's image, and bottomline.

Let's look at the image of the new eBay, and ask yourself, is this the company and the image you want to invest your money into?

1. A man who's leadership has caused TWO planned boycotts within one year? (Feb. 18-25th, 2008, and an open-ended boycott slated for May 1st, coinciding with the new feedback policy changes).

2. A company who has people questioning eBay stock manipulation. (The question has been raised as to what is happening with eBay execs dumping stocks in huge numbers).

3. A man who's idea of great leadership is to hurt those people who have helped create the eBay corporation, by virtually pushing out families who depend on their main source of income. These include single parents (many with handicapped children), retirees, disabled persons who would rather not abuse the system, but, can still be productive members of society by working on a schedule that suits them, students and so many others.

4. A man who is willing to take unnecessary risks, with your money. Rather than pace and research the effects of his ideas, Donahoe is forcing ideas that could actually cripple the eBay name.

5. A man who spins and denies the truths. Donahoe had more spin in one week than eBay has had in all the previous years. Unfortunately for investors, his spin was based more in untruth than in reality.

He and his media consultants have said the week-long boycotta had little or no effect on its bottom-line.

Oh really? Is this why eBay's listings were by down 3-4 million listings, the week prior to the boycott? Let's understand the actual amounts of money we are talking here. The lowest insertion fee is .20 and is for items under $1.00. The typical user lists between 24.99-49.99 and $50.00-199.99 which was $1.20 and $2.40. Additionally, eBay has many "extras" that can be added to enhance the visibility of one's auctions. These include extra photos, at .15 per photo, and double category listings, which doubles all the fees including extras, which can double the highest listing fee of $4.80 to 9.60, and all the extra photos, gallery fees, highlight, or even bold lettering.

In other words, eBay can make more off all the extras than they do on just the listing fees. Based solely on a very conservative 3 million auctions, and the 1.20 listing fee as an average, NO extras, and not including their commission fees, starting at 5.25% eBay's losses are incredible: $3.6 million PER DAY! Now imagine all the extras and you can see how much damage Donahoe has caused eBay already. Oh, yeah, and let's not forget, he hasn't even taken office yet. Yet, his plans are already costing investors money!

And then comes round two.

Donahoe thinks that the worst has passed. Not according to www.myspace.com/boycottebay which announced this week that eBay will be faced with a boycott far worse than the young company has ever seen. According to said website, this past boycott has enabled eBay members to unite, and become a strong force, like never before. And while those involved with "spreading the word" none of the "leaders" of that boycott planned it. Yet, they have become the loudest and most vocal boycott chapters. And, their sister site on DelphiForums is boasting message views of over 10,000 a day for the last week, and 10 of the last 13 days.

Together, these two sites are saying they are taking the time between now and May 1st to organize the largest strike, and they will not back down until either eBay agrees to their terms, or, Donahoe is replaced, and the changes be re-evaluated for the better of the entire community. Team leaders say they are willing to discuss negotiations with ebay executives; but, such requests have fallen on deaf ears.

The new face of eBay. Is this a company you can afford to invest in?

eBay Padding User Counts
eBay Padding User Counts

Link To Original Post

Salman Rushdie, Tom DeLonge Sign For Kevin

Time for a little catch-up tonight after enjoying a beautiful, sunny 70 degree day here in Jackson- ville.

Last week in St. Louis, it was a two-for-two night, highlighted by author Salman Rushdie. Rushdie was making an appearance at Maryville University's St. Louis Speaker Series. Salman Rushdie was condemned to death by the former Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on February 14, 1989, after publishing Satanic Verses. He was late in arriving and took time to only sign before entering the Powell Symphony Hall venue. Following his presentation and a reception, he emerged two and a half hours later. Rushdie was surprised to see me still there and gladly took a minute to exchange greetings and pose for this photograph.

Earlier in the evening, I visited Vintage Vinyl for an in-store signing by the band, Angels and Airwaves. Here a photograph with the elusive Tom Delonge, former front man for the band Blink182. And, here's a shot with Atom and Matt, and if you look closely, you'll notice the rabbit ears Atom is applying to Matt. They all got a kick from seeing my friend, Mark's, photographs he had taken at the David Letterman show in 2006.

In-store signings are a great way to meet a band/ celebrity, but lots of times obtaining that great shot is next to impossible because you have to lean in, lean over, bend backwards, etc. (see above) to get yourself into position.

Link To Original Post

Will Ferrell Not Pleased With Reputation Among Autograph Seekers

Funnyman WILL FERRELL is stunned to find himself named the scourge of celebrity autograph-hunters - because he never makes the effort to greet fans.

The star recently topped a list of the worst signers - the same poll that heralded Johnny Depp as Hollywood's best.

But Ferrell feels he has been unfairly branded fan unfriendly and is disappointed the only list he has ever appeared on is a negative one.

He says, "I've never been on any list, positive or negative.

"I'm not perfect. I am happy to sign autographs, but if I'm with my family or I am in a hurry, then I don't."

I was quoted by the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS in an article printed 12/15/2007:

Funnyman on screen, Will Ferrell, apparently doesn’t have much of a sense of humor when approached by his devoted fans. The ex-SNL alumnus turned movie star was voted the rudest celebrity when it comes to signing autographs.

The Emmy and Golden Globe nominated American comedian, actor and writer is reluctant to stop for fans and is impolite when he does, according to Autograph magazine’s 2007 list of “10 Best and 10 Worst Hollywood Signers.” The list is based on rankings from autograph collectors in New York, California and Europe.

Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire, who seems mild-mannered and helpful in the movies, is not necessarily so when cornered by fans, according to the publication, coming in a close second. “Tobey has a bit of an attitude, but he will sign,” said Lon Strickler, 49, a Baltimore autograph dealer and collector.

“But Will Ferrell, I don’t know what his problem is. He just tries to ignore people.”

Meanwhile, for the third year in a row, Johnny Depp was voted the most gracious and approachable celebrity when fans ask for autographs.

New York autograph dealer Anthony Risi told Autograph the soft-spoken Depp “likes to talk to fans and get to know them while signing.”

“He’ll sign more than one item when he has time, too,” he said.

Russell Crowe, ranked among the nastiest signers last year, jumped onto the the nicest list this year. “At one time he was terrible, but I saw him a couple of months ago and he was taking pictures with fans and everything,” Strickler said. “Someone must have said something.”

Link To Original Post