# Autographed items?



## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

I often look an Ebay for opera CDs and such, and I've noticed an abundance of items for sale that are supposedly signed by some famous opera singer. Usually these are postcards or promotional photos, but there are other things too. Once I saw a vinyl for sale that was supposedly signed by Astrid Varnay on the sleeve. Has anyone else noticed these signed items? Why are there so many of them? Are there actually people who have loads of items signed by opera singers? If these are scams, why opera singers and not movie actors or athletes or politicians as those would seem to be more popular? So many questions...


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I would be surprised if E bay or the Metropolitan Gift Shop would dare to scam anyone with a phony signature. They are likely researched first.
As to more opera star signings, my guess is it's because opera stars are much more open and prone to signing autographs and speaking with fans than are movie stars.
For years I communicated with Magda Olivero and she would send me letters, postcards and photos of herself which helped me design a wall with opera singers' pictures.


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## Revitalized Classics (Oct 31, 2018)

adriesba said:


> I often look an Ebay for opera CDs and such, and I've noticed an abundance of items for sale that are supposedly signed by some famous opera singer. Usually these are postcards or promotional photos, but there are other things too. Once I saw a vinyl for sale that was supposedly signed by Astrid Varnay on the sleeve. Has anyone else noticed these signed items? Why are there so many of them? Are there actually people who have loads of items signed by opera singers? If these are scams, why opera singers and not movie actors or athletes or politicians as those would seem to be more popular? So many questions...


About fifteen years ago I had a brainwave, wrote down a list of my favourite singers and got organised enough to find out which agencies represented them. I sent off some emails/letters saying I was a fan and enjoyed their work and to my pleasant surprise I received some replies through the post with signed photos.

I'm pleased I did now since I received personalised autographs from Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge, Nicolai Gedda, Giacomo Aragall and some other favourites.

Other times I received nice signed photos that were not personalised. Those were Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, Freni... which were still nice to have.

I don't suppose with a signature you can be 100% sure unless the artists signed them for you after a performance: I've not bought any off the internet as I would be a bit doubtful, like you, of their origin.


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## Revitalized Classics (Oct 31, 2018)

nina foresti said:


> I would be surprised if E bay or the Metropolitan Gift Shop would dare to scam anyone with a phony signature. They are likely researched first.
> As to more opera star signings, my guess is it's because opera stars are much more open and prone to signing autographs and speaking with fans than are movie stars.
> *For years I communicated with Magda Olivero and she would send me letters, postcards and photos of herself which helped me design a wall with opera singers' pictures.*


That's terrific: It's nice to hear she was so personable.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

nina foresti said:


> I would be surprised if E bay or the Metropolitan Gift Shop would dare to scam anyone with a phony signature. They are likely researched first.
> As to more opera star signings, my guess is it's because opera stars are much more open and prone to signing autographs and speaking with fans than are movie stars.
> For years I communicated with Magda Olivero and she would send me letters, postcards and photos of herself which helped me design a wall with opera singers' pictures.





Revitalized Classics said:


> About fifteen years ago I had a brainwave, wrote down a list of my favourite singers and got organised enough to find out which agencies represented them. I sent off some emails/letters saying I was a fan and enjoyed their work and to my pleasant surprise I received some replies through the post with signed photos.
> 
> I'm pleased I did now since I received personalised autographs from Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge, Nicolai Gedda, Giacomo Aragall and some other favourites.
> 
> ...


I didn't think the Met Opera Shop had autographed items. If there is a legit source to get these, I would be interested. The ones on Ebay seem dubious to me.

This isn't the first time I've seen people on this forum say that they were able to communicate with singers. I'm just wondering how they do it. I would like to somehow communicate with the few of my favorite singers who are still alive before they are gone, even if they dismiss me as a silly fanboy. I've looked online but have had trouble finding any way to contact people. Anyone have tips?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I am not certain that the Met still has that special little alcove of years ago where all kinds of memoranda and autographed pictures were on sale (for a PRICE!)
A friend of mine used to run the little alcove but I believe it is gone now.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

nina foresti said:


> I am not certain that the Met still has that special little alcove of years ago where all kinds of memoranda and autographed pictures were on sale (for a PRICE!)
> A friend of mine used to run the little alcove but I believe it is gone now.


The search bar on the Met Opera Shop site isn't working for me at the moment, but I did find the autographs on the site. Some are expensive, such a supposed letter written by Richard Wagner for $13,000. Some are cheaper such as a photo apparently signed by Waltraud Meier for $60. I don't know. A Waltraud Meier autograph for $60 sounds too good to be true, but of course, I don't have any experience with this sort of thing. Do they have any kind of authentication for these?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I'd be pretty surprised if they didn't have a form of authenticity. At those prices and being the Metropolitan Opera, they'd have too much to lose.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I bought one of the framed signed items from the Metropolitan Shop. They come with a certificate that guarantees authenticity. (My understanding is that they are provided by a dealer who knows his stuff and can check that the signatures look the same as others that they know belonged to the star in question.) There's also a site called Tamino autographs that has various items and they are legit as far as I know.

Like any item, buying from Ebay on the other hand is a gamble.

N.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

A recital Dame Joan and Huguette Tourangeau gave in the early 1970 ties, Richard on the piano, the pink paper is the program.
Got loads of this


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

One thing to bear in mind is that plenty of people wait at the stage door for singers' autographs after a performance and many take along CDs and albums to be signed.

I had a nice bit of luck a couple of years ago when I ordered a used Magda Olivero CD on Amazon, only to find that the booklet had been signed by the diva herself!

I'm not surprised there are a lot of these about, but I also wouldn't be surprised if not all the ones on Ebay are authentic.

N.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

I did some cursory reading on autograph authentification yesterday. There is an interesting article on Linkedin. Type "Ten Warning Signs a Dealer is Selling Autograph Forgeries" "Linkedin" to find it.
(am I allowed to put in a URL for Linkedin since it involves businesses?)

Apparently there are two companies, the JSA and PSA, that can verify autographs for you, and many places that offer autographs for sale will gaurantee their items to pass the tests of JSA and PSA or you will get your money back. There is also the UACC which is an organization that companies selling legit items can join. The UACC website lists autograph dealers that are found to be reputable.

So apparently there are ways to make sure you don't get scammed even though, as I understand, there is usaually at least some uncertainty when buying such items.

I may start looking into buying opera singer autographs.


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## DeGustibus (Aug 7, 2020)

adriesba said:


> The search bar on the Met Opera Shop site isn't working for me at the moment, but I did find the autographs on the site. Some are expensive, such a supposed letter written by Richard Wagner for $13,000. Some are cheaper such as a photo apparently signed by Waltraud Meier for $60. I don't know. A Waltraud Meier autograph for $60 sounds too good to be true, but of course, I don't have any experience with this sort of thing. Do they have any kind of authentication for these?


Simple signatures on photos etc. are usually surprinngly cheap, as they are not much valued by most serious collectors. Content is everything, so that a letter from Wagner (say) discussing his composing process would be much, much more valuable than a letter from him about something mundane.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

I'm not all that certain that I would trust Ebay or Amazon to buy an expensive signed photo. I'd really have to check statistics. But I wouldn't hesitate to use the Met because they have a reputation to maintain. They cannot afford to play tricks.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

DeGustibus said:


> Simple signatures on photos etc. are usually surprinngly cheap, as they are not much valued by most serious collectors. Content is everything, so that a letter from Wagner (say) discussing his composing process would be much, much more valuable than a letter from him about something mundane.


This is very true.
Years ago when we were traveling to Italy we asked Magda if we could be honored with a visit to her. She sent back a letter telling us how sorry she was but in the summers she always goes to Lausanne and would not be around when we are there but to please try again.
When we returned from our vacation, lo and behold, there was a postcard dated from Lausanne waiting for us, again apologizing that she could not have met us and again requesting that we try again sometime.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

When I was much younger I did hear a concert featuring the pianist Stephen Bishop Kovacevich (as he was then) And archery and played the Emperor Concerto during the interval I met him and asked him to sign my program which he graciously did. I found it the other day


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

Once when I was younger and security was less oppressive I used to try and get autographs at stage doors, and so forth. I was also on a (youth) subscribers committee and we held receptions for artists, where I got them (if I could) to sign their programs. So I have a fair collection of autographed CD and programs, all signed in my presence. Don't know how they'd pass muster at an official shop, but I know they're real. Lots of now-dead people too: Marriner, Mackerras, Fremaux, Bolet, Hurford; and some still with us: Nigel Kennedy, Wolfram Christ, Gidon Kremer, Arvo Pärt...


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

nina foresti said:


> This is very true.
> Years ago when we were traveling to Italy we asked Magda if we could be honored with a visit to her. She sent back a letter telling us how sorry she was but in the summers she always goes to Lausanne and would not be around when we are there but to please try again.
> When we returned from our vacation, lo and behold, there was a postcard dated from Lausanne waiting for us, again apologizing that she could not have met us and again requesting that we try again sometime.


I read and I can but imagine how special it must have felt to get to know the person behind the famous name (and voice). A wonderful story!


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Speaking first as a professional numismatist, I can tell you all that there are tons of fake coins on eBay, most of them Chinese counterfeits. eBay does not police such things, although there is a mechanism to report them, and they will usually take them down one by one.

Regarding opera photos, I think my experience in the Dallas Opera Chorus many years ago is likely typical of many companies. The DO had a professional photographer, nice man named Phil Schexnyder, and he would take in-costume original glossy 8x10s of the stars in their costumes and in performance. He sold them for a few bucks apiece, and many of us choristers would take them backstage and get the stars to sign them. I have autographed photos of Marilyn Horne, Paolo Montarsolo, Frederika von Stade, Claudio Desderii, Ruth Welting, Alfredo Kraus, many others. I especially remember Horne, who had a wicked sense of humor, thought the Amneris photo made her look too fat. So she had Phil turn the shot sideways and crop it below the waist! And told me all about as she laughed and signed it.


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