David Hawkins Posted September 2, 2015 Report Share Posted September 2, 2015 When getting a signature Checked.............what information does the person need to know? I have many many items signed by CS and many of the Sigs look different then others. 85% of my items were signed in person in front of me at Car Shows over the Years starting in 1999 and ending at the 45th Mustang Anniversary Show, so there is no COA's for most of my items. Some of the Items were signed when we were chatting one on one about my business and some were signed at the Show after standing in Line for a couple of Hours. The bad part is, with all the items I have signed, many of the Shows are starting to blend together especially since several of the Shows were at the same locations........It's hell getting old......LOL. Would they be able to tell if one item was one of the first ones signed and another item was closer to number 100 signed with in an Hour? Should I tell them where and how they were signed, like at a Car Show and it was about the 90th item signed in a row? That Items Signed at the Show ranged from Books, Magazines, Posters, Car Parts, different size Die-Cast, etc? The reason I am asking is, a guy I was talking with at a Show a couple of years ago took an item in that was signed in person and he took Photos of it being signed. The person verifying the Sig did not know Photos were taken (the guy was testing him), said it was a fake and that was when the guy show him the Photos of it actually being signed. Needless to say the person quickly changed his mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry T Posted September 2, 2015 Report Share Posted September 2, 2015 With Carroll Shelby signatures now being worth more with his passing I only purchase items that have a COA from the foundation or with pictures of the signing, but no COA even with pictures is only worth 60-70% of those same items with a COA, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b17drvr Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 COA's can be forged too. Also, a forger could take a picture of an object being signed by the celebrity and then use that same photo with forged autographs. In the autograph community COA's are not what they used to be. PSA, heritage Auctions, Christies have all been scammed. I collect Movie, aviation, and auto posters and autographs (I have over 8000 in my collection) and I've been burned several times. The best thing to go with an autograph is provenance - where it came from and the story behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Johnston Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I have a the same issue as I visited with CS a lot and have numerous items given to me from him since the 1980s. Also he didn't provide a COA for items in the early years of the Foundation, when it was the children's Heart Fund. Most people who know me personally do not have an issue with the items that I have from CS being authentic. But it would be impossible to put them out to the eBay or CL world, so I do not plan to do so. Many have been given away as gifts to others when I need to clean out some closets. Others will go with the vehicles with which they are associated when I get to the point of not wanting to deal with speeding tickets and get rid of the cars! CS fake signatures are all over the internet now. Some are blatant fraud with misspellings, while others just show how poor some people are at doing imitations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shel-b001 Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I have a the same issue as I visited with CS a lot and have numerous items given to me from him since the 1980s. Also he didn't provide a COA for items in the early years of the Foundation, when it was the children's Heart Fund. Most people who know me personally do not have an issue with the items that I have from CS being authentic. But it would be impossible to put them out to the eBay or CL world, so I do not plan to do so. Many have been given away as gifts to others when I need to clean out some closets. Others will go with the vehicles with which they are associated when I get to the point of not wanting to deal with speeding tickets and get rid of the cars! CS fake signatures are all over the internet now. Some are blatant fraud with misspellings, while others just show how poor some people are at doing imitations. I`am like you have many things signed by Shelby in the 80` s at SAAC conventions ,that's when Carroll would walk around & talk to car owners & sign anything you wanted. When he started the childrens Heart Foundation we would line up at the convention to get items signed & make a donation . I know all my signatures are authentic . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_GT350 Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Unfortunately for me I never got to meet the man and I therefore have no autographed items. That being said, if I had gotten the chance to meet him I probably would have just shaken his hand, that would have meant more to me. I did get to meet Gary Patterson and John Luft several times, shook their hands and drank a beer with them, but I have no autographs. Please don't take this the wrong way. Back in the 80's when NASCAR was the "big thing" I went to several races and met several drivers and owners. I have several items signed by people like Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Bobby Allison, Neil Bonnet, Richard Petty, Bill Elliott.... and so on. These items are stuck on my garage wall fading away.... the memories and personal time spent with some of these people mean more to me than their signature, but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hawkins Posted September 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I was very lucky to have a Contract with him and every time I came up with a cool product I would meet up with him at one of the SAAC or MCA Events and give him one for approval. It was always a blast to see his face light up with approval and he always asked if I had brought any more and if he could have a few. Of course I did and of course I would give him a few.......... in a trade off I would get him to sign a few for me. every thing from 1:18 Scale Die Cast Cars to Tee Shirts to Banners that I produced. He was a very cool man and easy to talk to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denstang65 Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 I only have 2 items that have his signature. One is on a 1;18 die cast Children's Foundation red/white Cobra I bought from Vernon Estes. The sig is faded a little but still legible. The other is a sig on the glove of my 65 Stang. I always tell people that I have no proof of there authenticity, but have a very good feeling they are. I feel his spirit in them! I just want to carry on the CS legacy and to share the Shelby gospel to others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobjshelbys Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 The foundation wasn't giving certificates when I had my dash panels signed in 2008. There are no COAs for items signed at events. My BJ model was signed at the Shelby American Collection party, but I do have a pic of him doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07shelbygt/sc1904 Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 The foundation most certainly WAS doing certificates in 2008 I had multiple times gotten certificates with signed items in 2008. The only times I had issues was say I sent multiple car parts or multiple collectibles (the certs. signified the difference) I didn't always get the right number of certificates all though I would always get at least one of each if al I sent one of each. I have seen certificates dated as old as 1999. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07shelbygt/sc1904 Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 It is important to realize you can make a donation and get a certificate for "fakes" once Carroll passed away his foundation started selling "tribute" signatures with certificates so pay close attention to the coa and the underline of the signature as it has 3 vertical lines opposed to 2. Also if the top of the 2 vertical lines meet like the top of the triangle this is a computer print or laser etching "autograph" opposed to a Hand signed "signature" Mr Shelby was always years ahead with these things. I have seen items with no underline and I am not sure what the story is on these. I would say if you are searching for only one very pure signature be patient and picky. Find the item you want that has a signature of provenance and a coa (such as Shelby foundation COA which is dated and serial numbered which will also state if it is a car "part" or collectible and is logged with a general description) and is underlined with 2 separated vertical lines roughly centered. Or you could always go to fordimages.com and get a nicely framed/matted picture shockingly they still have some at a relatively ridiculous low price that has a serial number and plaque with provenance since fomoco had these signed and it comes with a matching cao that has another bonus signature on it (though you really could never separate the 2 Shelby signatures) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Canfield Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 It's easy to pick apart the whole 'real' vs 'fake' signature thing, but the real surprise in my collection is that the one thign I actually did sit and watch him sign...looks nothing like any of my other signatures bought through the foundation. This was done in '98, and I no COA, or photo or anything, just the memory of knowing I actually got to meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for all he has done for so many. I got my picture signed and I left knowing full well that I probably came off as a blathering idiot fanboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hawkins Posted September 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 The reason I asked the question was: I have about 300 items sign by CS, most Car Parts, Posters, Shirts, Die Casts, Magazines, Books were signed in Person, a few with a COA and I have about 40 Certificates for the "Tribute Edition Shelby's" that I produced that were Pre-Signed. Looking at the Signatures, you can see some major differences between them. Watching Pawn Stars when they bring in that Autograph Pro to tell if it is a REAL Signature or a Fake or an Auto-Pen, he looks at the Letters talking about the person loops this letter that way and swoops this letter this way and how they write their T's that way, etc etc etc...............Just about every letter in all the signatures I have can be found signed a bit differently. yes, a lot of them does look a lot like others but not totally. On the Certificates, he would sign twenty at a time for me and the First Sig looks nothing like the last sig. At the Car Shows, my friends and I would compare the Sigs that we got and they were usually 10 to 30 Sigs apart because we got in the line at different times and all of the Sigs were slightly different. How can a Signature Pro know that your Sig is a REAL Sig and not a Fake if they don't know that you were there watching him sign it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Johnston Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 A few signatures that I have from Cs were quite late in his life and near the time he went into the hospital. They show a very shaky, unsteady hand. He was determined to get a batch of signatures done while he still felt that he could. It would be difficult for some "pros" to authenticate the signature. But it means as much as to me as some his personal notes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Canfield Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 I guess a lot of it depends on how much you want to put your trust in the 'pros'. Unless they were there they wouldn't know. Who is it to say how often they get it wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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