Kiss autographs- and how to spot fakes. By Nick Smith
Hi, this is a blog to give my humble opinion on Kiss (the US rock band) autographs, how they have changed over the years, what to look for and therefore helping you to develop an eye to spotting fakes.
Firstly I am NOT making any claims to be a Scotland Yard/ FBI forensics expert etc. I am NOT either of those things. What I am is a fan who has collected Kiss autographs on the occasions I have been lucky enough to meet the band. I am NOT and autograph dealer either. I am attempting to provide an impartial overview as a guide to those thinking about purchasing kiss related autographs and to reassure/ (horrify?) those why already own such items. I am a fan that cares when he sees laughably bad autographs being traded on EBay and other internet auction sites etc.
Why should you care? Good question, but in the same vein I ask why should you care about anything? Why care if someone cheats in a test at school? Why care if a politician is corrupt? Same reason...If you let the little things slide they eventually become bigger things (see ‘Malcolm Gladwells’s – Tipping point’ for further explanation), Why did a NYC Mayor decide to implement a Zero tolerance program? Because- if you take care of all the little problems the larger ones cease to have a foundation on which to build.
It is fraudulent behavior.
People make spurious claims such as ‘what harm does it do?’ and ‘no-one will know’ etc. Both these statements are invalid. The harm caused by someone buying what they presume to be a genuine autograph as an investment and finding out subsequently that it’s a fake is to render it worthless.
Certificates of Authenticity or ‘Certificates of Audacity’ as I refer to them. These are essentially worthless bits of paper. Why? Well they are issued by the same person who is selling the ‘autograph’.
Well if someone claims to be an autograph dealer and is in fact selling fakes then they are criminals. This is the same as somebody taking a cheque out of your cheque book, filling in the amount they want and faking your signature.
You would recognize IF somebody faked your signature wouldn’t you? Well why is a celebrity autograph any different? Well with a bit of research and ‘training of your eye’ you will be better equipped to do this as well.
No-one is infallible, I am NOT claiming to be infallible. I have been an artist for most of my adult life and have a good visual/aesthetic sense. This helps when looking at anything visual. Disciplines such as calligraphy train the eye to see very precise curves , loops and staccato patterns that occur
Just as words are ‘thoughts frozen in time’ so autographs are ‘identities frozen in ink.’
I at this point recommend a publication also by Malcolm Gladwell called ‘Blink’ – He talks at length about experts (such as Antique dealers and museum curators) WHO have an instantaneous ‘gut reaction’ upon seeing an artifact. You should have this when examing autographs..
It is fraudulent behavior.
People make spurious claims such as ‘what harm does it do?’ and ‘no-one will know’ etc. Both these statements are invalid. The harm caused by someone buying what they presume to be a genuine autograph as an investment and finding out subsequently that it’s a fake is to render it worthless.
Certificates of Authenticity or ‘Certificates of Audacity’ as I refer to them. These are essentially worthless bits of paper. Why? Well they are issued by the same person who is selling the ‘autograph’. This is like trusting a schoolboy who is taking an exam to mark his own paper and then issues himself with a result and certificate of achievement!
There is a reason society implements a body of experts to adjudicate in matters of importance. You need a qualified, trustworthy body to validate anything. They must be impartial, if they are not, their opinion become invalid.
If you went to a ‘Doctor’ and the only certificate he had was home-made which read ‘ this certifies that this man is the best doctor in the world’! Would you want him treating you?
That why the issuing body of anything has to be a separate entity to the dealer or recipient. Most autograph related certification is nothing of the sort.
The ‘Rhythm’ and ‘flow’ of an autograph
All writing has a rhythm to it, just as all speech patterns have a rhythm to them. This is why it’s possible for impressionist or vocal mimics exist. If you copy the patterns, you can replicate to a greater or lesser degree the voice of the originator.
Fakes always have a ‘stop/start’ quality to them, this is because they are not signing a name they are doing a ‘drawing of a name’ in somebody elses’ natural writing pattern. This is very hard to duplicate and is why a signature of a document for centuries has been the system of validation/ identifcation for governments and banks and any institution where trust and security are paramount.
