Signatures of the Stars: A Guide for Autograph Collectors, Dealers and Enthusiasts

By Kevin Martin

An alphabetical listing of Hollywood stars, collectible television casts and rock and roll stars with a sample autograph, very brief biography, range of prices and scarcity index. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0930625935
• ISBN13: 9780930625931
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Antique Trader Books
• Length: 207 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Welll written, beautiful autograph reproductions!

This book is a must for all autograph collectors. It describes the hottest stars and their signing habits as well as the value of their signature. If you are looking for a reference guide, this is a must

An Excellent resource for the collector and dealer

Did you know that Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip rarely signed his full name? He would sign just "Schulz" and would accompany it with a doodle of "Snoopy" or other Peanuts character. Did you know that a Rudolph Valentino died at a young 31 years of age and was averse to mob-scene crowds seeking autographs, making his signature very scarce? Kevin Martin's Signature Of The Stars, focuses on autographs of Hollywood, Television and Music figures, providing a brief celebrity biography, approximate value, facsimile signature, and a rating of the autograph's scarcity. Autographs have been getting into the press lately. USA Today and other national newspapers recently covered the JFK auction of signed ephemera as a cover story. Financial writer Andrew Tobias authored a feature cover story for Worth magazine on the merits of autograph collecting as a "fun" investment. The article featured Marilyn Monroe on the cover and went on and on about the merits of autograph collecting - even detailing Tobias' own collection. With all this, you know there's some new found interest in autographs. Apparently that's how Antique Trader Publications, a rising powerhouse publisher of collector books sees it. Their Signature of the Stars, a 208 page reference title, is chockfull of interesting anecdotes and facts on over 350 celebrity and entertainment signatures. If you're not interested in Hollywood, Television or Rock'N'Roll signatures, don't run away. The book provides insightful discussion on autograph scarcity, terminology, pen and ink technology, pricing, and how and where to get signatures. There's a difference between the way ink flows from a ball point, fountain and felt tip pen. Listen to the author, and even a neophyte collector can raise a flag of suspicion about the most highly acclaimed signature. If you'd like to know what the codes are next to the listings of autographs for sale in an auctioneer's or deal! er's catalog, you can find it in the book's section on terminology. Also mentioned in other sections are reputable dealers, auction houses, reference books and collecting organizations. It seems that Martin has taken up where the late autograph legend, Charles Hamilton left off. In a narrow field, where there aren't many experts to begin with, there are even fewer reference titles on the subject. Signature of the Stars is a much needed title for the beginning or intermediate collector to learn from and develop their hobby successfully. Kevin Martin is a full fledged dealer and collector of autographs and brings the reader street-smart information about value, scarcity and biographical facts about the stars whose autographs are highlighted in the book. He is an associate editor for the renowned Sanders Price Guide To Autographs - a bible in the field. He is also a columnist for Autograph Collector magazine, writing their Fakes and Forgeries column.