Page 27 - May 2020

documents. Raab Collection specialists suggest that our
founding fathers would not have written on paper smaller than
8” x 10”, using instead 9” x 12” or 14”, or folded from an 18”
x 12”. During the Jefferson administration they preferred
smaller sizes, so you will see documents that look more like our
standard sheets. Small notepads only gained popularity from
the mid-19th century onward. Envelopes did not come into
general use until the mid-19th century as well. Previously,
letters were folded into squares of about 4” x 5” and then
addressed on the back. Look for folds of approximately this size
if you are hoping your document is earlier than 1840.
Moving from paper to analyzing your ink is the next option,
but this is a step usually reserved for special pieces, as you
would need to call in an expert. There are great authentication
clues in ink and pen styles, but they lend themselves to
specialist evaluation until you can read pen styles in each
particular stroke. A basic timeline of pen technology is as
follows: Quills transitioned to metal-tipped pens around 1840,
but the pens did not have the same reservoir that you get with
feathers, resulting in more dipping, and usually, more dripping.
The fountain pen did not come on the scene until the late 19th
century. Ballpoints were introduced in 1945 and the felt tip in
1962, but both took a few years to gain traction. Fine markers
appeared in the 1970s and extra-fine permanent markers
Reference books are an invaluable tool for analyzing autographs, particularly autopens in the 1990s. As for ink colors, before the mid-19th century,
and facsimiles. These pages, from Presidents of the United States, Autopen Guide by inks were typically made with iron, so they took on a brownish
Stephen Koschal and Andreas Wiemer, 2011, illustrate the variety of autopen signatures that cast. Blue was rarely used before 1850, and pencil
certain public figures could employ. photo: Autograph Planet autographs were unlikely before 1850 as well and should be
treated with suspicion.

Overall, always suspect forgery until enough pieces of
Visual Comparison evidence come together in your favor, but approach each
If the provenance is in your favor, move on to the visual comparison test. signature or document with common sense. If it looks too good
Several high-dollar autographs or letters have published examples that you can to be true, it usually is, but you can always call in an expert to
use for reference. Always look for unique flourishes in a person’s writing that do a little digging on your behalf. Collectors also need to be
may set them apart from the “perfect penmanship” of the time, particularly with cautious of signatures and documents that were not created to
older penmanship. When learning to write, students were trained much more scam but could result in financial losses all the same. Autopens,
meticulously than children today and they worked off facsimiles, and computer-generated
of a small number of penmanship books, making signatures saved many celebrities’
similarities the rule rather than the exception. hands, but will also be much less
Instead, check for what makes this person’s script valuable than the real thing. Luckily,
unique in the published examples (consistency is there are a few tricks that collectors
key!), and compare your signature through this lens. have to spot this type of false signature.

Mechanics Machine-Generated
Your next clue lies in the mechanics of your piece. Signatures
When someone writes naturally, they may be hurried, When Jacqueline Kennedy needed
or at least write with comfort and ease. Does the to sign thousands of condolence letters
writing look fluid, or is the ink heavy and can you in the wake of her husband’s passing,
see overly emphasized stops and starts that might she turned to an autopen, which is a
indicate someone was taking time to make each machine that incorporates a real pen
letter-perfect? Does it look like a drawing or like and ink to draw an exact replica of a
something automatic, as it should? signature. In use since the mid-20th
century, autopens are a savior to many
Materials Used public officials and celebrities who
have too many pieces of correspon-
Also, examine the paper and ink for period dence to sign personally. To use one, a
correctness. As discussed in more detail in the article staffer loads a template of the desired
“Papermaking, Preservation, and Conservation” in signature into the autopen machine,
the October 2019 issue of Journal of Antiques and which then signs every document fed
Collectibles, paper from the 17th and early 18th into it with a signature that precisely
century was “laid,” referencing a paper-making mimics the template. Thankfully,
process that utilized a mold and wire sieve, the later many famous autopen signatures are
which imparted the final sheets of paper with a ribbed If the placement is too perfect, it’s probably a clue, such as documented and can also be spotted
texture that you can see best when you hold a sheet of with this facsimile–signed photo of Annie Oakley. because they are exact replicas of
laid paper up to the light. Paper specialists can use the Sometimes, however, even false signatures are valuable if another signature, down to the length
pattern of these ribs to date paper fairly accurately, the subject matter is compelling. This photo brought and size, something that would never
and telling watermarks can take authentication one $2,629 at Heritage’s June 2012 Legends of the Wild happen naturally. If you have no access
step further. West Signature Auction. to reference materials, you can some-
Paper size is also important and can point to an photo: Heritage Auctions times spot an autopen by close viewing
anachronistic signature or letter, particularly in older

May / June 2020 25