Autograph

During the American Revolution (1776-1783) both Oliver Wolcott (Sr.) and his son, Oliver Wolcott Jr., signed various government documents. By the same token, many cheaper types of generally mediocre quality but basically sound design may have a few exceptionally good units. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's signature has been forged on authentic documents actually signed by King Emanuel—this helps to make the phony Mussolini signature appear to be real, as it is on an otherwise sound document. Binoculars of the same make and model may vary from unit to unit, although hopefully less so for the more highly priced models from quality manufacturers, so the experienced user may benefit from trying several samples. German Fieldmarshall Erwin Rommel has had many bogus signatures penned in his characteristic green pencil that he used (ink dried too quickly in the hot North African climate). Such models would have been called "fixed-focus" in more honest times: they have a depth of field from a relatively large closest distance, to infinity, and perform exactly the same as a focussing model of the same optical quality (or lack of it) focussed on the middle distance. Many were written on blank Nazi stationery that had been purloined by Allied soldiers ransacking the desks inside of the Fuhrer's shambled bunker in Berlin. This is an example of marketing departments making a virtue of necessity.

Many spurious documents and postcards claiming to be signed by Adolf Hitler are existential. Some binoculars (and cameras) claim to be "focus-free". Many of the autographed documents allegedly signed by the German leaders of the Nazi government have been forged. Zoom binoculars, while in principle a good idea, do not perform very well. The miscreant has changed the value of a lower-priced signed book quite easily to a much more lucrative item; changing a mere signature into a signed manuscript. The trade-off is that compared to unstabilised binoculars of the same parameters, stabilised binoculars are more expensive, larger and heavier, less reliable due to their complexity, more subject to obsolescence, and consume batteries. Some deceivers cut pages from books that American President Richard Nixon (c.1970) signed on the blank flyleaf, typed his letter of resignation from the presidency on that signed page, and then sold the doctored item as if Nixon had personally signed a scarce copy of the historical document. Image stabilisation much improves image steadiness and allows the use of higher magnification in hand-held applications.

It quoted one of his secretaries as claiming that she used to sign the eccentric artist's signature to postcards depicting his paintings. If more compact binoculars are required, smaller objectives may be used at some loss of performance and increase in price. An article in Smithsonian Magazine explored the "melting timepieces" artwork of the Spanish painter Salvador Dali. Larger objective diameters have better light-gathering power, and can view fainter objects for astronomical use. Texan currency were signed in ink by Sam Houston, though not handwritten by Houston himself. 7x50 is brighter for night use. When liberators freed their country from foreign control they soon issued new paper currency. For general-purpose use, 8x40 is a good combination.

"Mickey Mouse" creator, Walt Disney (1955), had several of his cartoonists duplicate his artistic signature on replies to children seeking his autograph. The magnification and objective diameter must be chosen to suit the requirement, remembering that higher magnification exaggerates shake when hand-held, and that larger objective lenses increase the weight and size. False signatures of the aviator Charles Lindbergh were clandestinely signed onto real 1930-era airmail envelopes bought at stamp shops and then re-sold to unwary buyers; the same with Amelia Earhart and the Wright brothers. For roof-prism models, phase coating is better. All of famous scientists, space astronauts, arctic explorers, musicians, poets, and literary authors have had forgeries produced of their epistols and signatures. Fully multi-coated (FMC) models should be better in this respect than others. Many forgeries of France's Napoleon (c.1800) war orders exist; he was so busy fighting that he barely had enough time to sign promotion orders for generals only, while his scribes counterfeited his name to lesser documents. All binoculars should be reasonably free from reflections.

The French nobles had their secretaires de main sign their documents. Completely waterproof (submersible) binoculars are available. Quality forgeries have been made for all of Europe's past rulers. Hermetically sealed binoculars filled with dry gas (usually nitrogen) will not be susceptible to clouding due to condensation at low temperatures; this will also help to prevent mildew, although air may leak in over a period of years if the binoculars are not overhauled. Even England's King Henry VIII and Pennsylvania-colony founder William Penn used the deceiving hand stamp. Roof-prism models will be lighter and more compact for a given size, but more expensive than equivalent Porro models. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt used them, along with President Woodrow Wilson (c.1916). All binoculars should be accurately aligned and collimated, comfortable to use, and robust.

President Warren Harding frequently used a rubber stamp while he was a senator. Real binoculars depart to a greater or lesser extent from the ideal. This explains why his autograph as President differs from previous autographs signed when he was a senator. The two images will be identical (apart from the slightly different viewpoint), with no differences in size, orientation, aberrations, etc. American President Andrew Johnson (c.1866) did so after his right hand was damaged in a train accident when he was a senator before becoming president. Ideally a pair of binoculars will produce two uniformly sharp images, each of perfect quality, with no errors of geometry or colour-correction and no internal reflections. Some personalities have used a rubber or steel hand-stamp to "sign" their documents. The cinematic convention to represent a view through binoculars as two circles partially overlapping in a figure-of-eight shape is not true to life.

Shortly thereafter, Rumsfeld announced that he would start to personally sign such letters. Departure from the ideal causes, at best, vague discomfort and visual fatigue, but the perceived field of view will be close to circular anyway. In December 2004 a controversy arose when it was revealed that the United Stats' Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, was using an autopen to sign letters-of-condolence to families of American military members who had died during Gulf War II. A well-collimated pair of binoculars should produce, when viewed through human eyes and processed by a human brain, a single circular, apparently three-dimensional, image, with no visible indication that we are actually viewing two distinct images from slightly different viewpoints. After reading about these professional fakes, one must be leery of buying any presidential or astronaut signature from unknown sellers. Instructions for checking binoculars for collimation errors, and for collimating them, can be found on the Internet (search for collimation binoculars and the model). However, even autopen signatures will eventually change as the signature drum becomes worn and thereby alters the signature. While it is inadvisable for the non-expert to try to repair quality instruments, collimation by the owner may be justified for maladjusted binoculars which are not good enough to merit the expense of professional attention.

One might think that autopen signatures would constantly match one another. If the binoculars are basically sound, this can be remedied by small movements to the prisms, often by turning screws accessible without opening the binoculars. Many large corporations also use these machines for signing business letters. This may be due to poor manufacturing quality control (more likely with cheaper binoculars) or to a shock (being dropped) or drift over time. Astronaut Alan Shepard acknowledged that NASA uses the autopen machine to sign the astronauts' voluminous correspondence. If the binoculars are not collimated properly, i.e., if the images from the two tubes are not properly aligned, then they will give poor results and can be uncomfortable and tiring to use. A photo signed by astronaut Neil Armstrong (c.1972) is an autopen signature; Armstrong declined to sign most of these items since 1980. Stabilisation is not suitable when tracking moving objects.

Kennedy (1961-1963) is The Robot That Helped to Make a President." Forgers have faked the signatures of all American presidents. They are also more expensive, heavier, and battery life tends to be short. One book detailing the use of this machine by President John F. There are some disadvantages: the image may not be quite as good as the best unstabilised binoculars when tripod-mounted, and stabilised binoculars contain more advanced technology to go wrong, and to become obsolete. The Signa-Signer can even write out in ink an authentically looking handwritten message that has been typed into the machine. These techniques allow binoculars up to 20× to be hand-held, and much improve the image stability of lower-power instruments. Since the early 1950s almost all American presidents, Cabinet members, Senators and Representatives have had an autopen or robot signature-signing machine sign their letters, photographs and books that collectors have mailed to them for autographing. Stabilisation may be enabled or disabled by the user as required.

Some steel engravings may have reprinted the autograph of the portrayed subject; this is known as a facsimile autograph, and to an uninformed buyer it may appear to be real. Parts of the instrument which change the position of the image may be held steady by powered gyroscopes or by powered mechanisms driven by gyroscopic or inertial detectors, or may be mounted in such a way as to oppose and dampen sudden movement. The bogus autograph is glued onto an authentic steel-engraved portrait of the subject. Shake can be much reduced, and higher magnifications used, with binoculars using image stabilisation technology. Autograph collectors should be cautious of clipped signatures. When buying binoculars of lower price, Porro prism binoculars can be expected to give more image quality for money. Most deceptions were of mere signatures on a small piece of paper, but extensively written letters were forged as well. The major European optical manufacturers (Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski) have discontinued their Porro lines; Japanese manufacturers (Nikon, Fujinon, etc.) may follow suit.

Many were faked during the 1880s, a period that included a fad of aging soldiers in collecting Civil War autographs. However, as of 2005, the optical quality of the best roof-prism binoculars with up-to-date coating processes as used in Schmidt-Pechan models is comparable with the best Porro glasses, and it appears that roof prisms will dominate the market for high-quality portable binoculars in spite of their higher price. All of the Union and Confederate generals from the American Civil War have been forged. A Porro prism binocular will inherently produce an intrinsically brighter image than a roof prism binocular of the same magnification, objective size, and optical quality, as less light is absorbed along the optical path. As she duplicated his signature so well, she usually placed a "dot" or "period" after the signature so that he could tell her signatures of his name from his own!. Different optical construction affects reflections and brightness. Due to his extensive correspondence, Davis' wife frequently signed his name to his dictated letters. (The advanced naval binocular rangefinders of the mid-twentieth century had perhaps 150 glass elements; absorption of light would have been significant.).

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the president of the Confederate States of America was Jefferson Davis. This reduces brightness, and is also undesirable, although less of a problem than reflections in most cases. When President Ronald Reagan was an actor during the 1940s, he had his mother sign his name to much of his fan mail. When light traverses an optically transmissive material, some light is absorbed. Virtually all movie stars have their secretaries sign their letters and photographs for them. Phase-corrected prism coating and dielectric prism coating are recent (in 2005) effective techniques for reducing reflections. Since then secretaries of the president have mimicked their master's signatures on these documents (known as "proxy" signatures). Light can also be reflected from the interior of the instrument, but it is simple to minimise this to negligible proportions.

American presidents previously signed "land grants" until President Andrew Jackson (c.1836) grew accustomed to the time-consuming task. Reflection can be reduced, but not eliminated, by applying optical coatings to interfaces; this is of great importance for any optical instrument with multiple interfaces. One must know the era in which American presidents signed their documents. In any sort of image-forming optical instrument (telescope, camera, microscope, etc.), ideally no light should be reflected; instead of forming an image, light which reaches the viewer after being reflected is distributed in the field of view, and reduces the contrast between the true image and the background. One book that explores the production of impressive fake manuscripts pertaining to Mormons is: A Gathering of Saints by Robert Lindsey. When light strikes an interface between two materials of different refractive index (e.g., at an air-glass interface), some of the light is transmitted, some reflected. They researched the formulas about how to recreate inks of the era that they want to make their fake writings appear to be from. For daytime use an exit pupil of 3mm—matching the eye's contracted pupil—is sufficient.

They use blank end papers from old books upon which to write their fake signatures in their attempt to "match" their autograph with papers of the era that the personality lived. The current trend favours models with 5mm exit pupil, such as 10x50, or 8x40; 7x50 is falling out of favour. Forgers go to great lengths in making their forgeries appear authentic. A large exit pupil facilitates viewing larger objects such as nearby galaxies, though. Sadly, there are many forged autographs being sold through various internet auction firms, used book stores, and other secondhand markets; the neophyte collector must cast a jaundiced eye at the many popular items being offered. However, for viewing stars and small astronomical objects, a large exit pupil will mostly image the night sky background, effectively decreasing contrast, making the detection of faint objects more difficult except perhaps in remote locations with negligible light pollution. Differentiating the forged from the authentic of these is almost impossible to the amateur collector. Light gathered by a larger exit pupil is wasted.

Fake or forged autographs abound for nearly all famous personalities. For maximum effective light-gathering and brightest image, the exit pupil should equal the diameter of the fully dilated human eye—about 7mm, reducing with age. Sometimes it is just the signature that has been forged, other times the entire document has been unscrupulously doctored. Binoculars concentrate the light gathered by the objective into a beam, the exit pupil whose diameter is the objective diameter divided by the magnifying power. The hobby is extensively fraught with documents, photographs and sports items that were signed by forgers seeking to profit handsomely by selling either a fake or forged item purportedly signed by the real individual to an unwitting buyer. Of particular relevance for low-light and astronomical viewing, as against astrophotography, is the ratio between magnifying power and objective lens diameter. Some collectors collect in a specialized field: such as gathering documents autographed by just American presidents, Nobel Prize winners, or baseball players who have hit over 500 home-runs during their career. Much larger binoculars have been made by dedicated amateur astronomers, essentially using two refracting or reflecting astronomical telescopes, with results claimed to be impressive.

Autograph collecting is an enthralling hobby to collectors, who enjoy assembling a series of historical documents, letters or objects that have been signed or autographed by a notable person as a way of capturing a piece of history. Larger models with objectives of up to about 150mm are used on supports, typically for amateur astronomy. In autograph-auction catalogues the following abbreviations are used to help describe the type of letter or document that is being offered for sale. Hand-held binoculars range from small 3x10 Galilean opera glasses used in theaters, to glasses with 7 to 12 diameters magnification and 30 to 50mm objectives for typical outdoor use. Constitution; signers of the Israeli Declaration of Independence; signers of the Charter of the European Common Union; signers of the WWII German or Japanese Surrender documents). For general night use, a 50mm objective gives maximum brightness for 7 diameters magnification; objective diameter must be increased for higher magnifications at night. Other collectors may specialize in specific fields (Nobel Prize winners) or general topics (military leaders participating in World War I) or specific documents (i.e., signers of the Charter of the United Nations; signers of the U.S. 7×30 is good for daytime use.

Some of the most popular categories of persons to collect autographs from are: sports and movie stars, teen idols, singers and music groups, political, social and religious leaders, scientists, astronauts and authors. For general hand-held use, subject to shake, 7 diameters is a good compromise between power and image steadiness for most people. Boxer George Foreman, for instance, records the names and addresses in his personal computer of every person that writes him asking for an autograph, so that whenever he receives a letter, he will know if the person is a fan who admires him or just a dealer who wants to sell his autographs and wants more of them. Simple Galilean binoculars have the disadvantage of a narrower field of view—this is the reason for the prevalence of the more complex optical arrangements used. Because of the high volume of autographs a celebrity might sign over time, keeping track usually involves keeping a record of who has asked previously. The field of view depends upon the optical construction of the binoculars. The celebrities, of course, would grow tired of that and make it a point to sign only one autograph per person. The objective lens needs to be large enough to give acceptable resolution in all circumstances, but must be larger for low-light and night use.

Other dealers would locate the celebrity's home address and write to them asking for autographs multiple times. The magnification required depends upon the application, but with the major proviso that large magnifications give an image much more susceptible to shake when hand-held. Many dealers also would wait for hours for a celebrity to come out of the place where they were, put 25 photos in front of them for the celebrity to sign and then sell 24 of them. 7×50. This enraged some celebrities, who would just stop signing autographs for everyone or sign exclusive deals for companies to distribute their autographs, to make sure everyone who got an autograph by paying for it was getting a real autograph and not a fake one. It is customary to categorise binoculars by the magnification × the objective diameter in mm; e.g. During the 1990s, many people started forging celebrity autographs and selling them as real, necessitating the involvement of the FBI. The ratio of the focal lengths of the objective and the ocular lenses gives the linear magnifying power (expressed in "diameters").

A typical scenario is hundreds of fans in a crush waiting by Jackson's hotel, and Jackson signing five or ten autographs in the midst of rushing to his vehicle. The diameter of the objective lenses determines the light-gathering power and the ultimate resolving power of the binoculars. It is also a scramble to get Michael Jackson's autograph. The distance between the eyepieces on most binoculars can be adjusted to accommodate viewers with different eye separation. Jordan however, has frequently signed at the more peaceful environments, such as golf tournaments. Once this adjustment has been made for a given viewer, the binoculars can be refocussed on an object at a different distance by using the focusing wheel to move both tubes together without eyepiece readjustment. The legendary Michael Jordan, would not and could not sign for most of his career because people were putting each other's safety at risk by scrambling to get the icon's autograph that is worth at least hundreds of dollars. It is more convenient for the viewer to focus both tubes with one action (usually rotation of a central focussing wheel), and for one of the two eyepieces to be adjustable to compensate for differences between the viewer's eyes (usually by rotating the eyepiece in its mount).

Other sports stars that try to avoid signing whenever possible are Bill Russell, who does not sign at all, and most NBA stars with huge contracts. In some cases the two telescopes are focused independently by changing the distance between ocular and objective lenses. Sports personalities include most baseball players, such as the majority of the New York Yankees, the late Joe Dimaggio, and most notoriously, Barry Bonds. Binoculars to be used to view objects which are not at a fixed distance must have a focussing arrangement. Many people however, are not willing to distribute their signature—at least not for free. They have objective lenses which are approximately in line with the eyepieces. Art Carney was another person who enjoyed signing autographs, until his passing in November of 2003. Binoculars which use roof prisms (either the Abbe-Koenig or Schmidt-Pechan designs) are narrower, more compact, lighter, and more expensive than those which use Porro prisms.

Hilary Duff has gone as far as publicly lashing out at some of her fellow teen idol stars who avoid autograph collectors. This results in a set of binoculars which is wide, with objective lenses which are well-separated but offset from the eyepieces. It should be noted that many celebrities still enjoy signing autographs for free for the fans, keeping it a very interesting hobby to this day. Binoculars with prisms to shorten the optical path and erect the image may have double Porro prism design which gives a Z-shaped optical path. The boom of collecting autographs as a hobby came during the 1980s, and, as a consequence, many memorabilia dealers took notice, and what used to be an innocent hobby lost that innocence as both dealers and celebrities began to charge money for their signatures (especially on personal checks). . In Europe and North America, asking for a celebrity's autograph used to be seen as a child's activity up to only a few decades ago. While not intended to be held to the eyes of a viewer (!), the use of two telescopes to view the same object gives additional information due to the larger field of view that results from the separation of the objective mirrors.

In imperial China, an autograph from an emperor was priceless but selling an item bearing it could be an criminal offense. The LBT comprises two 8-meter reflector telescopes. The value of an item bearing a high official's autograph could rise incredibly. An extreme example, although not one would that normally be called binoculars, is the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, USA, which produced its "First Light" image on 26 October 2005. In East Asia, an autograph from famous gentry is regarded as an honour. Very large binoculars with a very wide separation (up to 15 meters, weight 10 tonnes, for ranging Second World War naval gun targets 25km away) have been used for accurate rangefinding, although late twentieth century technology made this application redundant. . Larger binoculars become uncomfortable and difficult to hold steady, and are mounted on tripods or other supports.

This term is used in particular for the practice of collecting autographs of celebrities. All practical binoculars display an erect image, obtained either by using simple Galilean optics ("field glasses", "opera glasses"), or by using optical prisms both to erect the image and to fold the optical path. As the word is used by non-historians, it has come to mean a person's signature. The folding of the optical path allows the separation between the objective lenses to be increased, allowing larger lenses to be used and giving a better sensation of depth. An autograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one transcribed by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph. The most commonly seen binoculars are of a size to be held by hand, and contain optical elements to fold the optical path so that the physical length of the binoculars is less than the focal length of the lenses. Provides the biographies of thousands of American notables, and dozens of steel engravings with facsimile autographs. The advantages of a binocular over a monocular telescope are:.

By James Wilson, 6 vols., 1888. By contrast, relatively small single-tube telescopes are often called "monoculars". "Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography" ed. Binocular telescopes, or binoculars, are two identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, one to be viewed through each of the user's eyes. Provides mailing addresses for thousands of individuals involved in: science, music, space, sports, military, politics, world leaders, etc. Yunnan State optics (MS series: Porro). "Who's Who" series; "Who's Who in America," etc. WDtian (from Yunnan State optics, all Porro).

Italian language. Navigator series: Roof; Ares series: Porro). High glossy photo book of many items relating to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini; including 24-page analysis of his autographs. Sicong (from Xian Stateoptics. Ermanno Alberti. (Specialized in over-sized Porro binocualars). "Ieri Ho Visto Il Duce: Trilogia dell'iconografic mussonliniana" ed. Miyauchi Co.

Provides wonderful autograph facsimiles and biographies for some 250 literary, medical, political and music notables from the land of the Taj Mahal: India. (Apex/Apex Pro: Roof; Ultima: Porro). Hitkari, Phulkari Pub., 1999, 112 pages. Vixen Co. "Autographs of Indian Personalities" by S.S. (Activa, some are Roof, some are Porro). You shouldn't be a buyer of modern presidents without having these tomes at hand for reference. Minolta Co.

It is simply superlative with its autopen minutiae and facsimiles. (EXWPI series: Roof). Perhaps this should really be the second book listed, but listed low here only because of its cost. OLympus Co. Eisenhower use of the autopen even before his presidency; presents dozens of secretarial proxy signatures for the modern presidents; lists Watergate participants; displays First Lady items; and shows facsimiles of assassins or would-be assassins from John Booth to John Hinckley. (DCFSP/XP series; Roof, UCF series: Inverted Porro; PCFV/WP/XCF series: Porro). The second volume: contains copious samples of all presidents; reveals Pres. Pentax Co.

For the specialist who needs almost 2,000 facsimile documents of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary War Leaders (including British and French) and other patriots. (BD series: Roof). of Oklahoma Press, 1983, 634 pages. Kowa Co. "American Autographs" by Charles Hamilton, 2 vols., Univ. (FMTSX, MTSX series: Porro). Civil War (1861-1865). Fujinon Co.

Your guide to the hundreds of autographs of both Union and Confederate personalities from the U.S. (High Grade series, Monarch series,RAII, Spotter series: Roof; Prostar series, Superior E series, E series, Action EX series: Porro). "War Between the States: Autographs and Biographical Sketches" by Jim Hayes, Palmetto Pub., 1989, 464 pages. Nikon Co. John Kennedy. series, Porro variants?). Reveals the different proxy signatures produced by the autopen machines used by Pres. (I.S.

"The Robot that Helped to Make a President" by Charles Hamilton, 1965. Canon Co. The title pretty much says it all: hundreds of worldwide facsimile autographs and identifications. Russian Military Binoculars (BPOc 10x42 7x30, BKFC series). "The Guinness Book of World Autographs" by Ray Rawlins, 1997, 244 pages. Steiner (Commander, Nighthunter: Porro; Predator, Wildlife: Roof). Two volumes of almost 1,000 glossy pages providing biographies and the reproduction of hundreds of facsimile letters and autographs of Germans (military, political, religious, spies, etc.) involved with the short-lived "Thousand Year Reich.". Optolyth (Royal: Roof; Alpin: Porro).

2). Docter Optik (Nobilem: Porro). 1) and 1996 (Vol. Zeiss GmbH (FL,Victory, Conquest: all are Roof; 7x50 BGAT/T, 15x60 BGA/T:Porro, but to be discontinued). "Leaders and Personalities of the Third Reich" by Charles Hamilton, 2 vols., Bender Pub., 1984 (Vol. Swarovski Optik (SLC, EL: all are Roof; Habicht: Porro, but to be discontinued). The author wrote to each of these notables and asked each to give their thoughts about the convening of war-criminal trials for military personnel, specifically for the German GrossAdmiral Donitz; many very illuminate opinions. Leica GmbH (Ultravid, Duovid, Geovid: all are Roof).

Contains the facsimile signatures and biographies of some 350 worldwide military personalities of World War II. it is easier and more comfortable to steadily hand-hold and move a pair of binoculars than a single tube—the two hands and the head form a steady 3-point platform. Thompson, Amber Pub., 1976, 198 pages. it is more comfortable to use both eyes for viewing, without the need to close or obstruct one eye to avoid confusion. "Dönitz at Nuremberg: A Re-Appraisal" by H.K. it gives a 3-dimensional image with depth: the two distinct views presented from slightly different viewpoints to each of the viewer's eyes merge to produce a single perceived view with a sensation of depth, allowing distances to be estimated. It reveals the criminal forging techniques of one of the greatest forgers of historical holograms, and why he killed two people to hide his fakes.

"A Gathering of Saints" by Robert Lindsey, Simon & Schuster, 1988, 397 pages. Discusses the spry efforts of "autograph hounds" in stalking sports and movie autographs, but also reviews the standard political and historical items that teenagers really can't afford. I almost didn't list this book, but I have because it is another one of those "fun" books for beginning collectors. "The Complete Book of Autograph Collecting" by George Sullivan, 1971, 154 pages.

A nice book of autograph trivia. Constitutional Convention, Revolutionary War generals, signers of the United Nations Charter, Napoleon's marshalls, and Napoleon's immediate family and relatives by marriage. Interesting name lists of : attendees at the U.S. For its time, a nice display of autograph facsimiles, with interest to youngsters in starting an autograph collection.

"The Autograph Collector" by Robert Notlep, Crown Pub., 1968, 240 pages. Many nuggets of tidbit factoids about most of these people, and dates of their service or work. While unfairly low on this book list, it is THE reference book of seldom-seen lists of those in the collectible fields of: the Stamp Act Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, the War of 1812, Unionists & Confederates, First Ladies, financiers, cabinet members, composers, scientists, unsuccessful presidential candidates, military participants, and a few other fields. "Autograph Collector's Checklist" edited by John Taylor, The Manuscript Society, 1990, 172 pages.

presidents and discusses rubber-stamp and proxy signatures used by presidential secretaries. Presents many facsimile letters from U.S. "From the White House Inkwell" by John Taylor, Tuttle Co., 1968, 147 pages. Explains what factors influence the price of an autograph.

Many facsimiles of sports autographs, but also shows 12 different variations as to how Napoleon signed his name. A fun, breezy book about autograph collecting. "Collecting Autographs For Fun and Profit" by Robert Pelton, Betterway Pub., 1987, 160 pages. One of the early books discussing the excitement of autograph collecting, and presents nice facsimiles of old European autographs.

"Word Shadows of the Great: The Lure of Autograph Collecting" by Thomas Madigan, Frederick Stokes Co., 1930, 300 pages. A book for those who specialize in American autographs: the Old West, authors, presidents, women, artists, criminals, musicians, entertainers, and many others. "The Signature of America" by Charles Hamilton, Harper & Row, 1979, 279 pages. Concise, but still choice!.

How to identify lithographs and steel-stamp signatures. Good revelations about the copycat signatures by presidential secretaries. But with some helpful knowledge about identifying autopen signatures and other tidbits about collecting that are useful even to the professional collector. A short, enjoyable book advising teenagers how to start their collections.

"Big Name Hunting: A Beginners Guide to Autograph Collecting" by Charles Hamilton, Simon & Schuster Pub., 1973, 95 pages. Provides a historical summary of: collecting, terminology, evaluation in pricing a document, famous forgers, how to detect forgeries, confused identities, care and preservation, and two nice tables detailing the names of Napoleon's marshals and family members. Written by the great female autograph dealer. "Autographs: A Key to Collecting" by Mary Benjamin, 1963, 345 pages.

It slightly discusses the art of detecting forgeries. It primarily details how to assemble autograph collections by different topics: medical notables, literary authors, scientists, etc. A compilation of over 50 articles reprinted from publications of The Manuscript Society. "Manuscripts: The First Twenty Years" edited by Priscilla Taylor, Greenwood Press, 1984, 429 pages.

A lively and entertaining book discussing the forgers and their techniques that the author encountered when they attempted to sell their forgeries to him at his manuscript shop. "Scribblers & Scoundrels" by Charles Hamilton, Eriksson Pub., 1968, 282 pages. Contains some 40 articles by famous autograph dealers and collectors who discuss how to detect fake autographs; how to care for your collection; and details different ways of how to collect autographs by different topics: science, religion, literature, politics, etc. "Autographs and Manuscripts: A Collector's Manual" edited by Ed Berkeley, Charles Scribner's Sons Pub., 1978, 565 pages.

It is illustrated with more than 800 facsimiles and other reproductions of historical documents signed by nobility, political leaders, American "Wild West" sheriffs and badmen, military, and worldwide literature fields. of Oklahoma Press, 1961, 269 pages. "Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts" by Charles Hamilton, Univ. presidents, wives of the presidents, vice presidents, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and early manned space flights.

Nice lists and dates of: U.S. He confirms that most astronaut materials have passed through the autopen. Shows presidential proxy and autopen samples. presidents and many other prominent personalities.

A wonderful analysis of the scarcity and resale appealability of the holographic material of all U.S. As the title suggests, this book presents strategies as to how one can maximize the value of one's collection by investing in prime autograph documents in various collectible fields. "Making Money in Autographs" by George Sullivan, 1977, 223 pages. He discusses the manuscript forgers and how they duped the experts.

A legendary autograph expert provides hundreds of illustrations of fake versus real signatures. "Great Forgers and Famous Fakes" by Charles Hamilton, Crown Publishers, 1980, 278 pages. It discusses the materials (paper and ink) used by forgers; shows comparisons between fake and real signatures; discusses famous forgers; provides an analysis of major forgeries; details the equipment used in examining questionable documents; and provides a bibliography of almost 100 books written on the subject of either autograph collecting or documenting forgeries. This book was written by one of America's most-respected autograph dealers.

of Oklahoma Press, 1994, 173 pages. "Forging History: The Detection of Fake Letters and Documents" by Kenneth Rendell, Univ. (Originally determined by folding a printer's sheet of paper twice to form two leaves.). quarto(4to): A manuscript page of about nine and one-half by twelve inches.

(Originally determined by folding a printer's sheet of paper to form eighty leaves.). octavo(8vo): A manuscript page about six-by-nine inches. folio: A printer's sheet of paper folded once to make two leaves, double quarto size or larger. TNS: Typed Note Signed.

TLS: Typed Letter Signed. SP: Signed Photograph. PS: Photograph Signed or Postcard Signed. LS: Letter Signed (hand-written by someone else, but signed by the individual sought to be collected).

DS: Document signed (printed, or while hand-written by another, is signed by individual sought to be collected). AQS: Autograph Quote Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual; poem verse, sentence, or bar-of-music). ANS: Autograph Note Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual). AN: Autograph Note (much shorter than a letter).

AMusQs: Autograph Musical Quotation Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual). AMsS: Autograph Manuscript Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual). AMs: Autograph Manuscript (hand-written; such as the draft of a play, research paper or music sheet). ALS: Autograph Letter Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual).

AL: Autograph Letter (hand-written by the person to be collected, but not signed). ADS: Autograph Document Signed (written and signed by same individual). AD: Autograph Document (hand-written by the person to be collected, but not signed).