Either consciously or unconsciously, many people change their signature over the years. Knowing when a given autograph was produced will help you spot a fake. Compare another autograph from the same time period to the one you’re, Knowing the provenance of the autograph means tracing the line of ownership back to the moment when the autograph was created. Ask the current owner of the autograph how they came to acquire it. If they claim they are not the first owner of the autograph, follow up with the person who sold them the autograph to find out more about its origin. Continue down the chain of ownership as far as possible.If you have a video or a photo that depicts the creation of the autograph you’re trying to verify, your job will be much easier. Just compare the autographed item in the video or photo to the actual object. If the two are different, you’ve spotted a fake.
If you’ve nobody to talk to about an autograph’s provenance, look for corroborating documents. For instance, if someone autographs a particular item and then writes in their diary that they did so, you could use that information to establish that the autograph is authentic.
You could also, in some cases, ask the supposed author of the autograph directly if they recognize the autograph as their own.
 If you’re evaluating an autograph of historical significance, the paper or ink from that era should be identifiable as such. Ensure that the ink or paper from the era in which the autograph was supposedly created is historically accurate.Paper produced between 1900 and 1945, for instance, was far less absorbent than paper today. If the autograph you’re evaluating purportedly dates from that period but shows a “bleeding effect” (an uneven ink trim around each character), the autograph was likely produced by a newer pen pressed against older paper, which was less absorbent than modern paper.Like most efforts to spot a fake autograph, this is far from foolproof. Forgers often go to great lengths to produce fake autographs. They might use special inks or blank pages that really date from the historical period in which the autograph was allegedly produced. They might also artificially age photos or papers to create the appearance that they are older than they really are., Almost every industry that produces autographed collectibles – sports, film, TV, and so on – also has at least one independent autograph authentication service. For instance, if you’re interested in autographs of golfers, you should get authenticated through the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) or a similar organization., The only real way to identify whether a particular autograph is the product of an autopen or other machine signature device is to compare it to a known machine-produced signature. Lay the two signatures over each other on a light table or beneath a strong light source. If they align perfectly, both were machine-produced.Many people who use autopens or other mechanical signature machines to sign things have more than one signature loaded in the machine’s memory. In order to know for sure that a particular autograph was or was not produced by a machine, you need to know how many machine-produced versions of their autograph the individual in question used. Then, compare your autographed object or document against all known variations.
It is possible to have an authentic document that has been “signed” by autopen. In other words, a machine-signed letter from the president still qualifies as an example of presidential correspondence (though it will fetch far less than a document containing a hand-signed autograph).Machines that mechanically reproduce signatures are often used in business and government. Machine signatures are also found on books, sporting equipment, and photos.
Know the date when the autograph was produced.
Identify the provenance.
Evaluate the ink or paper.
Use an authenticator.
Beware of machine signatures.
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