What's the best way to tell if autographs are fake or not?
Get them checked over by an expert such as our own Dr.Winston who has posted above, or one of these ....
http://beatlesautographs.com/http://www.tracks.co.uk/acatalog/__Autographs.htmlSometimes it is fairly easy to spot fakes as the forger makes an obvious error, like trying to pass off a copy of Ringo's modern signature (where he draws a star shape rather than write "Starr") as a 1960s autograph. Or there was a famous one that had John's signature on an album that was released after he died
But, for the most part you have to know what you are talking about as the differences between real autographs and fakes, or those done by Neil or Mal or even other Beatles, can be hard to spot.
Personally, I would have no idea how to spot good forgeries from the real thing, which is why I would buy from someone like Frank Caiazzo rather than a seller on eBay or wherever (not that I have that sort of money anyway, of course
)
My mother-in-law has a set of autographs from Paris in January 1964 on a programme from their Olympia shows. She gave the programme to a waiter in The Beatles hotel and he returned it signed the next day. She has never had it checked out to see if the signatures are genuine, or indeed done by Neil or someone like that. She did see Paul outside the hotel and got his autograph herself on an airline sick bag ( unused!!!!
) so she at least has one genuine autograph.