Buying Celebrity Autographs
If you love movies and tv shows, then you probably have a few actors that you love and admire. And perhaps you may want an autograph from them one day. As I age there are a few movies that I've grown very fond of as time goes on. In such that I decided to want to collect actors autographs to build a small space in my home to dedicate to them. Also I wanted to support the actors that worked on the movies I love so much.
So I did my research on finding reputable places to obtain them. Other than conventions, there are companies that specialize in obtaining and selling autographs, including private signings.
Private signings are great for those who can't meet the talent in person. Its a great way for getting rare talent who don't do conventions! They have options to send the item you want signed or choose one of their already available options. Pricing differs on items and size and per talent.
There's also authentications. The top used ones are Beckett authentication and James Spence authentication aka JSA. Any other should give you red flags but there are exceptions! Be sure to do your own research so you don't end up with a fake autograph especially on sites like ebay. These are usually small stickers with a QR code that will take you the a page to describe the item in detail. What these authentication means is that someone from that company witness the talent signing the item. They don't have photographic proof to show it as that would be time consuming but these are companies that also go to conventions so you can get authenticated for the items you get signed.
The biggest name is SWAU. They have a decent inventory of celebrity autographs and they have their own authentication seal. I've heard they are on the expensive side and it seems to be true. They also have their own auction and often puts up a variety of items to bid. I've only ever bought a pre-signed autograph from them. They do have a first order discount so be sure to use it! My autograph was shipped and safely. They use a very sturdy box and sandwich the photo in two cardboard pieces. Pretty decent quality photo paper too.
Official Pix is one I've bought a few preorder signings. They go to events I can't afford to go to get talent autographs. Since they do a lot of talent, they are a bit slow. But for the most part they will ship your autographs. There was one talent that they had to do later and I did have to email them a couple times on status updates. It was a couple months later so it seemed they forgot. But I quickly got a shipping notification once I reminded them I was still waiting. I was able to get quit a bit of the LOTR cast through them. I find their pricing to be very reasonable. They also have their own authentication service and sticker. They use matte paper and their photo quality is passable.
Twin Cities Comics is one that has done private signings with the legend Harrison Ford who is the most expensive talent for obvious reasons. But if you're a fan that wants his autograph, please save up at least $1k and don't wait too long if he does another private signing. It'll be a lot cheaper to wait for a private signing then spend a lot more from resellers. TCC use glossy paper and probably the most clarity in their photo quality. I have bought a pre-signed John Rhys Davies photo from them and the photo looked high resolution. Pricing is also not too bad.
Everest Autographs I only used once for their private signing with legend Sir Ian Mckellen. They did a great job keeping people updated and posted photos of him signing items. Gave people plenty of time to put in their orders and they shipped promptly.
Dark Parlor Originals is another I used once for their private signing with Sean Bean. Their a small autograph company and do their best to answer people's questions and accommodate requests. JSA authentication is included in their price as well. The signing hasn't happened yet so I will update this once I get it.
As far as I can tell, most of these companies uses Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper to print their photos. I'm using a Itoya portfolio to keep all the autographs in. Each sleeve is archival safe so it shouldn't degrade the photos over time plus it keeps it out of the sunlight.
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