Tips About Collecting Presidential Autographs (Part Two)

Presidential autographs can be exciting and fun to collect. A serious collector of presidential autographs should plan a minimum budget of $50,000. An ideal figure would be $85,000+ for a complete collection.

With regards to collecting presidential autographs on a small budget, the main disadvantage is that quality, in the end, will usually be poor and the collection will be unsatisfying.

I would suggest that a collector save a few hundred dollars over time and buy a quality piece. Of course, the key presidents — Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln — will always be in the $4,000 to $10,000+ each if one is buying quality. Lesser price levels for the "Big 4" will result in poor quality in condition, weakness of signature, water or ink stains, or even the great possibility of getting stuck with forgeries.

A Lincoln Commission will run anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000. The $4,000 to $6,000 range will often have problems such as weakness in the text writing or in the Lincoln autograph. Other problems might include severe wrinkling, trimming, stains, especially water stains, and severe toning from improper framing or long term display. One is better off paying $7,000 to $8,000 for a choice example.

Additional advice can be furnished by phone. George H. LaBarre Galleries, Inc. 800 717-9529.