On Saturday 6th January 2007 Liverpool clashed with Arsenal in an FA Cup third round game. To the delight of the autograph fraternity in the area Match of the Day covered the game and in turn expert analysis from Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Alan Hansen......an autographers dream!

Now when you collect in person (means you dont buy from third parties as to guarantee authenticity!) outside football stadia it can be chaos trying to get graphs as you can imagine. The quality of the signature can differ greatly depending on many things. Is the star in question walking? does he want to sign? Is it raining? Is he being mobbed? Do you have a flat hard base for the pic to rest on whilst signing? many factors. As you can see by the Shearer's below they do differ in quality but are priced accordingly! Just wanted to explain why they look differant to anyone who is new to the autograph game!

In addition to all the above the public expect photo proof of footballers signing so be prepared to juggle a camera whilst doing battle, make sure you know what doors and entrances etc they went in so you might want to be there 2 hours before kick off to check, a lot of players wont sign unless you give them a name (personalise or dedication) and dont forget the stewarding, police and security that often chaparone footballers about to make an autographers job even harder!

This is why authenticating autographs is so difficult, the six Shearer's below were all signed in the space of about 90 seconds yet they differ based on differant circumstances, as a buyer you have to follow a few tips, always insist on photo proof, talk to people in the trade, visit memorabilia shows, learn about the industry, go out and collect in person & remember if the price is too good to be true, it probably is! 

Good Luck!

If you want to learn more about spotting fake autographs........CLICK HERE