Mr. Zipper

My initial reaction was that the Stan signed Wolverine 4 was likely authentic... very ugly but probably ok. Frankly, I think a forger would tend to do a neater job forming the "an." I believe there were a lot of backroom deals for bulk submissions, so it's probable the person did not pay the full retail signing fee for this. As odd as it may seem, a lot of people did bring him books to sign that he did not write or edit. I don't get it... especially when dollar bins are full of books or reprints of books he did write... but it is what it is. Of course, the so-called PGX authentication will cast doubt on this... and the sloppy sub-prime signature... not a desirable item IMO. If you gave it to me for free, the first thing I'd do would be to crack it out of the heinous slab.

The disgusting reality is that forgery sellers know how to target casual buyers, like those looking for holiday gifts. The worthless fraudulent COAs and shiny stickers are often all a casual buyer needs to see to think that they’re getting the real deal. Kitchen table forgers don’t make their money from experienced collectors falling for their fakes… their bread-and-butter are casual and impulse buyers.

$40 for a signature that bears almost no resemblance to an authentic example. Who says crime doesn't pay?

I believe the Kirby on FF 13 is good. Bear in mind, just a few years ago, Kirby was an inexpensive signature and generally not the target of forgers. It has only become so in the last few years as his signature skyrocketed. I believe this is partially due to the realization among many collectors that "KIrby" signatures previously thought to be authentic -- 1990s lithos, books, etc. -- are now suspected to be proxy signatures.

Thye guys doing Stan Lee on dollar bin books are kitchen table forgers -- ebay hack bottom feeders. The really skilled forgers are doing Beatles Albums, Babe Ruth baseballs, etc.

A forger has to learn a signature, and because it is learned and repeated exactly the same way every time, they have no natural variation. "Cookie cutter" fakes. This is how and why you are able to identify specific forgers. Could also be some sort of trace job as mentioned by someone else.

I hate to tell you, but the signed cast posters with "studio" holograms are all fake. The "movie premier cast signed poster" is a huge scam that has been going on for years. Marvel Avengers Cast Movie Poster with letter and holograms Fake Autographed Premiere Poster Crisis?

Another thumbs up.

In my opinion the Cap 102 signature is authentic.

BINGO. I always ask if I can take it out. If the answer is, "No," I politely hand the book back and walk away. Simple. Just happened to me at a show with a book priced at $80. How do I know there are not rusty staples, cut coupons or any variety of things that could make it a $5 book? #WalkAway

The J in the "Best Wishes" examples all appear to be one continuous stroke to me. One example loops over itself at the bottom, but does not appear to be a separate stroke where the pen actually lifts. A larger image would help. Another thing to look for is slant. Real Kirby signatures have a hard right leaning slant... the stem of the K will be at around 45 degrees. The questioned examples are typically more upright... around 70 degrees. There are other indicators I am not going to go into in a public forum.

I agree that the two signatures with the "Best Wishes" sentiment are authentic. I do not believe the other three are authentic. One thing to look for is in the J. I would avoid any Kirby signature in which the J is pieced together using two or three separate strokes. This is not a trait you find in authentic verified examples.

In my opinion, this is authentic. It has exactly the tremulous, scratchy look he had in the late 80s/90s. To a trained eye, there is a difference between "slow and shaky" because someone is copying a signature and "slow and tremulous" due to old age. In my view, this is certainly an old age signature. And one look at this signature will show you why the smoothly signed Dynamic Forces reprints and multitude of 90s signed limited edition books are to be questioned.

This x 1000 Never understood getting his sig on books he did not write, yet see it all the time. You need to know when to call it a day. Stan should spend his remaining time on this earth enjoying the fruits of his success... not grinding out signatures over stacks of comics, toys, statues, silly helmets, etc etc.

I believe this to be authentic and appears to be a later 1980s style signature -- tremulous with uneven pressure and a hard right leaning slant. I have a number of 1980s exemplars consistent with this style. And looking at these 1980s infirm signatures is exactly what makes the smooth flowing 1990s signatures look suspect.

Garbage fake "authenticated" by PGX. My opinion of course.

Yikes. Sad, but not surprising news.

After seeing videos of that recent debacle where Stan seemed barely conscious, I hope the cattle call signings days are over for him. Another signing or two like that one could kill him.

"DPX" has zero credibility when it comes to signature authentication. They have a track record of certifying obvious and laughable fakes. The other company has credible authentication that at one time was led by David Roman of CSA Comics, who is a UACC approved authenticator. The pin sets have not passed authentication with them. To submit an item, contact David through his website.

In this post I outline some of the concerns. In summary, they have failed credible professional authentication and there are substantive differences from verified authentic exemplars in my opinion. There is much discussion on this on the chat board for the distinguished competition and videos on youtube. Out of respect for CGC, I don't think it's appropriate to post direct links, but the info is out there if you look for it.

Back in the 90s, I purchased Captain America 50th anniversary signed prints. I also purchased the Dynamic Forces signed X-Men 1 and Fantastic Four 1 and spent hundreds of dollars adding Stan Lee through CGC SS. Like everyone else at the time, I believed these pieces to be authentic based upon the reputations of the companies that were distributing them and the claims of them being signed under supervision. But after doing the analysis, research and networking with others, regrettably, I’ve lost confidence in these pieces. I have to follow the evidence, not what I want to be. It has been a bitter pill to swallow.

In addition to comics, I have collected autographs for over 25 years. What I can tell you from experience is this: the family, the secretary, the business manager … whoever it is, they never admit it. I have yet to see a secretarial/proxy signer who has publicly stated so. Yet the reference books are full of secretarial examples of everything from presidents to movie stars to business executives, etc. This is not intended as disrespect to the family, it’s just the way it is. And, how would the grandson know one way or another? Was he with them to witness everything 24/7? Anyway, I’m providing an unbiased opinion based on my experience and observations in the hobby. It’s not like I’m trying to rain on your parade, but quite honestly, I hate to see people seeing the comments from the grandson and taking it to the bank and buying these things. I think there’s enough reasonable doubt that people should proceed with caution. There is a video on YouTube that discuss this matter in detail, particularly regarding the dynamic forces signed books. Because the video involves CGC’s competition, I didn’t think it appropriate to post a link. But if you want to search for it, it’s there.

By the late 1980s, a typical Kirby signature was very tremulous, halted and showed significant signs of infirmity and degradation. There was a hard right leaning slant. In the 1990s, thousands of smoothly signed "Jack KIrby" signatures began appearing in limited edition hardcover books, pin sets, trading cards, comics, 50th anniversary Captain America prints, etc. In addition to the miraculous rejuvenation of his signature, these new 1990s "Jack Kirby" signatures vary from verified exemplars in formation, proportion and slant. There are a number of well-versed people who believe someone else was signing for Jack Kirby during this period.

I believe authentic Jack Kirby signatures are much less common than most people realize.

This is a real one in my opinion. Nice.