Signatures of a Superstar: Collecting Michael J ackson

By Nelson Deedle

Believe it or not, but Michael J ackson was just
like you and me. He was an autograph collector!

Besides being fascinated by pop culture icons,
Michael collected autographs of his favorite stars
even the ones he knew personally! I was fortunate
enough to call Michael one of my customers. He was
certainly a mega star and the most recognizable face
on earth, but I tried my best to treat him like everyone
else. Of course, that didnt stop me from getting his
autograph numerous times.

Michael would show up at memorabilia shows in
Southern California in disguise and buy what
interested him. He would walk around the show with
very little fanfare. I think he appreciated that. Fellow
dealer J oe Kraus and I reminisced over it recently.
He gave me his phone number and I just put it in my pocket and never thought to call
him, said J oe.

Michael would periodically contact me through a mutual friend to ask about certain
names he wanted to add to his collection. He mainly collected Disney material and was
astonished to discover he could own the signature of Disney voices from his favorite
cartoons. He also collected child stars such as Bobby Driscoll, J udy Garland, Elizabeth
Taylor, Shirley Temple, and the Our Gang cast. Its ironic that the names he collected
had the same tragic childhood as he did. Maybe he felt a kinship with them, in a certain
way.

Since his death last year, the marketplace has been overrun with Michael J ackson
material; good and bad. Dealers were shocked to discover that their once hard-to-sell
Michael J ackson autographs were worth a fortune overnight. Since becoming famous at
the age of 8, Michaels signature changed as the years passed by. For the purpose of this
signature analysis, I will concentrate on the last two decades of Michaels life; when
getting an autograph from him was easier than you might have thought.

After obtaining countless autographs from him over my collecting career and
watching him sign hundreds more for fans, I have noted some consistencies. Michaels
signature was as varied as his career. The way Michael signed credit card receipts and
contracts was completely different than how he signed photos and letters at home. Here
are some rules when looking for an authentic J ackson.

Although sometimes it was tough to get him, once you did you were in luck! He
would routinely sign 25, 40, 50 items for one person at a time. J ackson knew they
were all for one person and would sometimes say, Is that enough for you sir?
Signed 8x10s and 11x14s are the most prevalent authentic examples on the
market today. Most of these were signed in-person and if you in the market; do
your homework. A collector or dealer should be able to give you the exact
location and circumstances behind the autograph.

In all of Michaels signatures his distinct M in Michael is almost always the
same. In many cases, the M is the largest and most pronounced letter in his
signature. Also, pay close attention to the second hump in the M. It is almost
always the same height or slightly higher than the N in J ackson. The
flamboyant loop of the L in Michael is normally lower than both of these
humps.












Authentic Signature Forgery

Michaels in-person autograph was always fluid and never hesitant. He was one
of the fastest signers Ive ever seen. It was frankly hard to keep up and this
amused J ackson. He once laughed and said to me, You had better blow on them
or theyll smear! You dont want them to smear! Also in public he would rarely
add and never added 1998 --- > or dashes at the end of the N in J ackson.
These inscriptions would be saved for publicity photos given to charities.


Forgery


Michael would not always complete the J in J ackson, instead drawing a straight
line down. Michaels signature was also quite large and flamboyant. Most of the
non-authentic examples that Ive seen are the wrong size for the item; normally
too small. Another item to look for is where the signature is placed. Michael had
a great sense of where something should be signed, how it will look, and which
pen would be the best option. If there was a light area of a photo and you handed
him a blue pen, he would fit the signature perfectly into the lightest area. All of
the authentically signed black and white publicity photos Ive seen were signed
down the lightest area; the right side of his image.



Authentic Signature Forgery

In addition to having great signing sense, Michael would normally walk into a
calmer area or sit in his car and sign. He would rarely sign in a hectic situation.
One of the tricks of the trade was to immediately reassure Michael that there was
only a small group waiting for him and that it wouldnt take too much of his time.
Hence, finding a smudged or quick signature that is irregular or inconsistent is
unlikely. He would also hold the pen up high enough to avoid getting ink on his
hands or shirt. This would also minimize smears to his signature.


Authentic Signature Forgery


If you would like to add a signed Fedora to your collection, look for Michael
J ackson embroidered in silver or gold inside the brim of that hat. Michael
routinely gave these away to charity auctions over the years. Most of these come
with a Letter of Authenticity from MJ J Productions. I have never seen a
secretarial signed fedora from MJ J Productions. It is possible that Michael signed
Fedoras on the street for fans but, for the same price, why risk it?



Authentic Signature Forgery


Credit card slips are an easy way to assure that you have an authentic J ackson
signature. Michael charged everything he bought and always signed his own
credit card receipts. We have seen dozens of these reach the market in the last
year.



Authentic Signature Authentic Signature