Potential Fdr Signature... Your thoughts?

[blacksheep4289]

I haven't purchased this yet. I've been contacted by someone who wants to sell it. They started at $500, and after I told them I wasn't interested in it without a coa they dropped to $200 and are staying firm. They found it at goodwill for $1 and are convinced that it's real. So now I come to you I hopes of helping me to decide if I should buy it or pass. What do you think? I'm a gambling man, however if you saw my last thread about the auction you'll know that I lose from time to time ha ha.

 

[billn1956]

being able to read the subject matter would help. And you are going to need a close up of the signature. Then I bet some will give a opion.

 

[GibH]

Your best bet is to find legitimate signatures of his from that time period to compare it against. The letter is probably legit, but may well have been signed in his name by a secretary.

You can also ask on this forum:
http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum

 

[austin]

For $200, you need a COA...

 

[pong12211]

Find a place to get it verified and a coa and go from there. Best of luck.

 

[diggummup]

GibH makes a good point about a possible secretary or even a stamped signature. FDR used both. It is probably a real signature but the question is by whom? Although I can't make out any details of the actual letter as to the content, I see it is an early signature before he became the POTUS. I think that would have an effect on value too. An actual true signature while in office is worth the most, especially if accompanied with a letter of historical content. I wouldn't shell out $200 on it, $50 maybe but not $200. Or I would offer to split the proceeds, if you were wanting it for resale purposes. Chances are good that is was signed by a secretary, but it would take an expert to determine that.

I found this here- Franklin Roosevelt Autograph | FDR Signature | Signed Letters

Franklin D. Roosevelt Signed Photographs and Signatures

Franklin D. Roosevelt signed photographs and signatures usually were given to admirers and saved by everyone. Early letters as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and letters signed as Governor of New York with routine content were frequently signed for Roosevelt by secretaries. Examples of these, and genuine signatures of the period, are illustrated in my book, Forging History, The Detection of Fake Letters and Documents, the standard reference book. It is available from Amazon.

 

[Tallone]

A Certificate of Authenticity is only as good as the organization that issues it. I could whip you up an impressive looking COA in about 10 minutes on a word processor. If you are going to get a COA, make sure the outfit that issues it has a VERY solid and widely recognized reputation.

 

[JimDon]

The framing is worth $200. Go for it if you are keeping it. Just my two cents.

 

[dejapooh]

OK, Without knowing the content of the letter or anything else, Based on Ebay says, I am guessing it is worth about $500 to $900. It costs $75 to authenticate a Roosevelt Signature with JSA, so you cost would be about $300 to $350 with shipping. It seems to be the discount is too low. If they are SURE it is real, offer to put the $200 in escrow, you pay the $100 to $150 with shipping to get it authenticated. If it is real, they get their $200 and you are in. If it is not real, they get their item back and you get a $150 hit instead of a $350 hit. You could also offer to pay $400 if he gets it authenticated by JSA... Then its on him. You would still get a good deal.

For me, the risk is too high to even do that. At best you will double your money with your $350 tied up for months in the mean time. Risk to reward is just too low.

It would help to know the content of the letter. As secretary of the Navy, if he mentions a threat from Japan or instability in Europe, that could increase the value... He was the assistant to the Secretary of the Navy from 1913 to 1920. If there was interesting war information that could really increase the price.

 

[Paleo_joe]

I bought a really nice framed and signed letter like that once. Turned out to be a good digital copy, on fake embossed letterhead even. I'll never buy another signed anything without taking it out of the frame and checking the sig with a loupe.

I've COA-ed lots of things in order to get top dollar when I sell. Any seller who knows they have something valuable and who doesn't get a COA is suspect, IMHO. They are leaving money on the table. Unless they don't want to know whether the piece is real or not....

 

[diggummup]

So what is the content of the letter and the date? Looks like maybe 1918, but your photos are really bad.

 

[gino22]

The framing is worth $200. Go for it if you are keeping it. Just my two cents.

Not with cracked glass it isn't... possibly a total do-over if mold infiltrated the backing. The glass will have to be replaced no matter what. Wouldn't go near $200.

 

[blacksheep4289]

I offered $50 and was turned down. That's alright, you win some and you lose some! Thanks for the info everyone, much appreciated.

 

[silverdollarbill]

If its not real...you just won one.