AN INTRODUCTION TO AUTOGRAPHS
Autographs -
does that word make one think of teenagers waiting for a rock singer
or an athlete to emerge from their place of employment? Does the
word manuscript carry a purely literary connotation? Actually
manuscript is in a broad sense anything that is handwritten, and the
collecting of manuscripts, or autographs, is a varied and serious
pursuit. It is sufficiently serious to be engaged in by great
museums and libraries that would seldom consider acquiring
comparable collectables like stamps or coins, yet varied enough to
allow a person of modest means to become a full-blooded collector.
Writing has been so very important to our history – it remains
important today when more sophisticated methods are being used to
record much of our activities and carry many of our messages.
Collecting autographs thus is collecting history, not only political
history, but the history of art, science, music, literature. There
is considerable enjoyment and fascination connected with owning an
actual part of this history.
SOME BASIC TRAINING
As in other
areas of collecting, a terminology must be learned. We will here
consider the more common of the several forms autographs take.
Because of their nature, because they carried most messages from the
time man began to write until the advent of the telephone and
telegraph, because of their possibilities for interesting content,
LETTERS are at the pinnacle of collecting. The longer and more
interesting, the better the letter. The letters of statesmen can
shed light and, on occasion, re-write history. The letters of
authors can be miniature literary works.
Messages lacking one or more of the components of
the formal letter (the salutation, the complimentary close, etc.)
are usually called NOTES, which might be considered a
sub-classification of letters.
The second major autograph category is DOCUMENTS.
This encompasses not only what are thought of as formal documents,
such as a military commission or legal agreement, but also such
things as bank checks, invoices; even a shopping list would qualify
as a document! Sometimes quite decorative, documents are popular
with collectors but almost invariably less likely to be so prized as
a good letter; but they outrank SIGNATURES, usually the most
inexpensive autographs. Signatures appear on album pages, cards,
(sometimes with dates, places, and sentiments) or cut from letters
or documents by misguided persons who by so doing sacrificed some
value even if it was only a routine item they mutilated. The
signatures of some noted persons, usually because their autographs
are unavailable in the other forms would sell for far more than the
few dollars most signatures bring.
SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHS have their followers. They
generally begin with the carte-de-visite type of the Civil War era,
ranging downward from the few signed by Lincoln that cost thousands
of dollars. Photographs signed on the front are better than those
signed on the back, and those without personal inscriptions naming
the recipient are somewhat more desirable. SIGNED BOOKS also fall
within the autograph collecting field. They can be signed, limited
editions with special bindings, they can have witty inscriptions by
the author, or be of value because of the signature of a previous
owner, as is the case with books from the libraries of notable
persons that come on the market from time to time.
The new collector will learn to
distinguish between handwritten items by the person being
considered, as opposed to things only signed, being otherwise in the
hand of a secretary, typewritten, or printed. The entirely
handwritten letter is termed an AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, abbreviated
ALS by dealers and collectors; if typed, or written by a secretary
as was the case before the typewriter came into use, and only signed
by the subject, it becomes a LETTER SIGNED, or LS. The same is true
for documents, their abbreviation of course being D. Usually, the
more handwriting the person has supplied in an item, the more it
will appeal to collectors.
A
cause of some confusion is the method used to indicate size. This
has its origin with the large sheets used by printers – folded twice
to make four pages they became QUARTO, about 8 by 12 inches, about
the size of most business letters today. Another fold to produce
eight pages and the size is OCTAVO – generally now about 6 by 8
inches (it can be seen that this is an imprecise way to measure),
the size of most current hard cover books. Abbreviated in dealer
catalogs to 4to and 8vo respectively, these are the most common
sizes for letters. Through the years the popularity of these and a
few other variant sizes has shifted – in the early 19th century, for
example, quartos were widely used, but octavos dominated letter
writing fashions in the Victorian period.
While a few other abbreviations turn up, this
fundamental knowledge will enable anyone to tackle a dealer's
catalog. Some dealers defiantly hold to these traditional
abbreviations but, like the entire subject of autographs, they are
not so esoteric as they seem at first glance!
CONTENT is the principal factor in determining the
value of autographs – the better the content, the greater the
desirability. What is stated in the autograph by whom, when, where,
why and how – this could all come under the general heading of
content. A President's letters will usually be more valuable if
dated while in office, other factors being equal. A President's
political letter will be worth more than a social one. A general's
war dated letter will fetch more than one written in peacetime,
other factors again being equal. This bears repeating because the
general's lengthy critique of strategy employed in a battle twenty
years earlier will be higher in price than the same general's letter
to his wife of war date merely asking how things are at home.
CONDITION is important, too – no collector wants something tattered
and battered. Many people are under the false impression that old
paper is ready to disintegrate at any moment. Actually, pristine
American papers of the 18th and even 17th centuries are normal. Old
paper was of excellent quality, much better, in fact, than that used
today.
Soon the beginning
collector will be able to put these terms into perspective as they
relate to value. An Autograph Letter Signed by any particular person
is the most valuable form of his autograph – but again we must add –
other factors being equal. A routine ALS will be surpassed by an LS
with good content, or even a DS if it were, say, an order written on
a battlefield or a significant appointment. Or, content being about
equal, the LS could be higher in price if the ALS were in poor
condition. How an item is signed also affects value. Items in pencil
(Florence Nightingale's habit) or signed with initials (she did
this, too) are less desirable. Samuel L. Clemens is not as popular
as Mark Twain. When W. F. Cody adds "Buffalo Bill," his autograph
stock goes up. But many, if not most, persons in earlier days
abbreviated their signatures in some way: Go. Washington, B.
Franklin, R. E. Lee, H. Clay. It is expected that their letters will
be signed with something less than a full signature, and they are
not penalized for this. With experience, the collector becomes
familiar with these ins and outs.
WHAT TO COLLECT?
Whatever appeals
to you? Yes, within reason, within the boundaries of availability
that a dealer in autographs can mark out.
The Presidents of the United States are
undoubtedly the most popular collecting area today. Presidential
game is abundant – almost all who held the office had long public
careers, their writing was recognized and preserved, and the nature
of the Presidency in earlier days added to the formidable pile of
paperwork they produced. Some autograph material of most Presidents
for this reason is still priced within the reach of the average
budget. Only Washington, John Adams, Jefferson and Lincoln can be
thought of as expensive; probably only Adams and Polk are more
likely to be out of stock at any dealer's office. Starting with
President Kennedy, the Presidential picture clouds. In fact, most
autographs since the late 1950s are suspect, as a wave of mechanical
and secretarial signings unburdened those who were (or thought they
were) too busy to sign their names to anything. The authentication
of this recent material is something very few persons seriously
interested in autograph collecting care to become involved
with.
The historical tides
generated by America's wars have attracted many collectors. The
Civil War has long had the most followers. Paperwork was very big
during the Civil War and except for top Confederate material, the
supply is excellent. Some collectors stick to one side or the other,
but most are fairly neutral. There are CSA enthusiasts around New
York City and Union buyers in Georgia!
For the American Revolution, being deeper in our
history with far fewer and less literate participants than the Civil
War, material is much scarcer and higher in price. Routine war
documents still abound, however, and autographs of some major
figures such as Robert Morris and Benjamin Lincoln are common.
Speaking of Morris, the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
remain collecting classics, though with several real rarities to
contend with, completing a set is not the aim of most of the Signer
collectors.
The French and
Indian, 1812, Mexican and Spanish American Wars all have their
partisans. Growing, too, is interest in the wars of the 20th
century. The conflicts in American history just naturally draw
greater interest than the more peaceable periods.
Another specialization is regional,
state or local history, and many localities are rich in
possibilities. Even some well endowed with history are comparatively
under-collected. Upstate New York comes to mind; no doubt there are
other and perhaps better opportunities. Many collections center on
one individual, most often an author or composer, though soldiers
and statesmen are also certainly collected in depth. Literary
collectors favor the same "content" letters as history specialists.
The complete original manuscript is on the highest level of literary
collecting, but signed quotations from a favorite author's work are
a substitute pleasure. Some authors wrote thousands of letters
annually (H. L. Mencken is reputed to have often produced in the
neighborhood of one hundred per day), while some seem to actually
have hated to write if the supply of their autographs is any
indication. Some lived almost forever, some died young, others
gained little or no recognition during their lifetimes, so that
recipients of their letters rarely saw any reason to preserve them.
These factors obviously affect availability.
While historical and literary collections
predominate, this may be the very cue to send a beginning collector
to other fields. The great painters and musicians have never been
ignored, of course, and their autographs when available are
expensive. But trying to spot an underrated name could be rewarding,
or entering a less-collected field.
Let us dispel the idea that all collectors gather
autographs of famous people. That is only half the game. Manuscripts
of historical significance, written by anyone, are a very important
part of collecting. They include manuscript journals, account books,
etc., often vital to historical research. Often they are letters by
Civil War soldiers, and much in demand if they describe battle
action. So are letters sent back home from pioneers pushing
westward, settling new territory, perhaps joining the gold rush.
Whaling and the sea, exploration, photography, life in colonial
America, early theatre and sports and other subjects, occasionally
strange, have all been the themes of autograph collections. Finally,
there is nothing wrong with collecting diverse things – a miscellany
following no firm path but that which one simply likes – a large
percentage of collectors start this way and some continue.
AND HOW TO COLLECT?
Once a decision
to collect autographs is made and the prospective collector has
perhaps chosen a subject or two about which he or she has already
gained some knowledge, what are the mechanics of
collecting?
A first step
would be to contact a dealer who should in theory be helpful with
advice on prices and availability. Dealers advertise in collector
publications, belong to collecting organizations, and can be located
on the internet. The most profound change in autograph collecting in
recent years has unfortunately been that the quantity of dealers has
escalated while the quality has plummeted. The "leveling" aspect of
the internet has enabled dealers with tattered traditional avenue
reputations to remain in business. Extravagant claims have become
normal and almost invariably these should be taken as a warning. The
same is generally true for other diversionary tactics such as large
"staffs" of dubious existence, elaborate websites, etc. These do not
necessarily signal dishonest intent but such is not uncommon, nor is
inexperience or, worse, a combination of the two. There are only a
few experienced general autograph dealers. Many gravitate to
specialization. Sorting through the dealers (a term that often can
be used interchangeably with auctions) is quite a challenge for
beginning collectors. Reliable dealers have several common
characteristics. Most guard their reputations for integrity
tenaciously. They unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of the
material they sell. Their experience has been gained, occasionally
at considerable personal financial expense, as they worked with
manuscripts every day. They stand between the collector and the
forgery, the facsimile and mistaken identity, using their knowledge
of paper, ink, writing habits and the like. Often when collectors
have been involved for a year or two, they begin to feel they can
operate in some instances without the dealer's protection, and
strike off on their own to flea markets, antique shops, stamp
auctions, used book stores and other possible autographic hideouts.
They should know that the persons they will meet at these places,
however honest and well-intentioned, cannot possibly have the full
time manuscript dealer's expertise in manuscripts, and their work
will likely have the same quality as the manuscript dealer's would
if he or she attempted to handle a stamp or a piece of furniture. A
guarantee is only as good as the guarantor. If knowledge gained
later draws an item into question, can the guarantor be located?
That's a good question to ask first! This is not to say that a
specializing collector's knowledge of a particular subject can't or
shouldn't overtake and pass the manuscript dealer's knowledge of
that subject. To become an expert on something is one of the
by-product rewards of autograph collecting.
Some dealers have extensive online catalogs but an
inquiry might produce a copy of a printed catalog (many still
produce several each year), or some offerings by e-mail, fax, phone
or postal service. The dealer will be increasingly observant to
detect signs of life in you the collector beyond the initial catalog
request. If you hear nothing from a dealer after some initial
offerings, it usually does not mean that the dealer has gone out of
business but that he thinks you have. If you inform one or more
dealers of your specific serious interests and the things you desire
are available from time to time, then direct quotations become an
important source. Collectors can get ahead of the competition,
working themselves to the point where they will most of the time
receive first notice of the availability of something they might
like.
What makes prices?
Supply and demand, of course. The dealer draws on experience,
knowledge of auction results, ideas of what is available or likely
to be, in addition to the inherent properties of the item being
considered, when deciding where to set the price – not so high that
no one will want it nor so low that he will not be repaid for an
investment of time and money – travel to corral it, books to
research it, postage, office expense, and so on. Though in adequate
supply, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Robert E. Lee are
relatively high in price because they are probably the four most
popular American autographs. In much demand, but not to the degree
of those names are T. J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe,
Daniel Boone, and Abigail Adams, for example. Here scarcity helps
buoy prices to the upper levels, caused by such things as an early
demise, a brief period of notoriety, a disinclination to write, or
perhaps institutional holdings. A collector diligently seeking an
autograph example of an obscure figure whose autograph is very
scarce might have a long wait mainly because few people preserved
the obscure one's letters. But on the great day when one is finally
found, the cost should be nominal because there is only one buyer
interested.
THE REWARDS OF COLLECTING
So obvious it
might be overlooked, collecting is a pleasant, relaxing diversion.
We have already mentioned that the collector will become an expert
in his field, however small. Certainly merely studying will enable
one to know a subject, let's say John Adams or Irish literature. But
owning a legal writ prepared by an ambitious young lawyer prior to
the Revolution, or a letter about writing by James Joyce – these are
undeniably things that keep the fires of interest burning!
Here is the challenge to
enter a somewhat more difficult avocation than most. Autographs are
not the lazy collector's hobby. With almost every item being
different, there can be no guide to mark the way as in stamps and
coins – the collector is left to find his or her own way, studying
dealer offerings or often misleading auction records in lieu of the
neat price guides of many fields of collecting. Taste is involved,
and the courage of conviction. There is great satisfaction in this
collecting by one's wits – and in joining an elite group that
includes a number of prominent and accomplished people.
Are autographs an investment vehicle?
They have been in the past. They have been praised by financial
columnists and acquired solely as an investment. And with ever
increasing demand and a supply that has definite limits, the
ingredients for a continued increase in value are
present.
Still, we prefer to
stress that the principal rewards to be derived from collecting are
the pleasures of gathering, preserving, and learning. Especially
learning – in few other collecting hobbies are the opportunities for
learning present to the extent that they are in autograph
collecting.
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