Authentic Chaplin Collectibles

While we're on the subject of the cane, does anyone have any thoughts about the Chaplin items that come up on Ebay, particularly those that involve supposedly authentic signatures?

The appeal of a supposedly authentic cane is of course that it has *mana* because Chaplin actually touched it. The same is true of a signed item

I just recently got a Chaplin signature from an Ebay auction. It is very lovely, framed with a picture of him as himself and of the Little Fellow. It came with a letter of authenticity also.

I love it! He drew a hat, shoes and a cane, and wrote: 'Faithfully, Charlie Chaplin'......<swoon>

Lori

'I am not a communist.' Charles Chaplin

I think I recall that one. It looked convincingly authentic, and it had two good pictures. Some of the signatures on sale on Ebay look pretty dubious, though. And when they are authentic signed pictures, the price tends to be very high (but in line with the market).

Among the best items there are vintage photos. Whether they're worth the prices they go for or not, at least they're genuine old items.

Because I live in a place where Chaplin-related items are scarce, I can often pick up stuff on Ebay for less than I'd pay locally

Yes, that's the one. But now, after comparing it to some other signatures I've seen of his, I'm starting to ask myself if I got ripped off or not.

Lori

'I am not a communist.' Charles Chaplin

*If* I'm remembering right, that one looked pretty good. One of the best clues is the 'r' in Charlie. If it's an English r (shaped like the typed one) rather than an American r, which goes down and touches the baseline at the end, the signature is likely to be good.

There was some variability in the way he formed the p in Chaplin. In later sigs in particular, it sometimes looks more like an errant f.

I have an authentic early signed photograph, and have a color copy of another authentic signed photo. If you're worried about the sig, send me a copy and I'll compare it to mine.

Connie K.

I've seen several Chaplin autographs like this on eBay and it makes me wonder how often Chaplin signed his name like that, with the drawing of the hat, shoes, and cane. There seem to be a lot of them out there. Not to say that makes them 'common' by any means!

As to the authenticity, personally I'm way too wary of spending hundreds of dollars on such a thing without being able to research it to the nth degree, so I've never bid on one. Lori, I don't know what you paid, but I sure hope yours is a good one! So how do you go about authenticating a letter of authenticity?

What cracks me up (and bugs me at the same time) about 'Chaplin' items on eBay are the ones that are so NOT Chaplin

You investigate the reputation of the company/organization doing the authenticating, but it's a dicey matter. Better get friendly with a forensic handwriting specialist before you buy a signature that's not directly connected to some identifiable, datable object and/or has no known history. Forgery is a profitable business.

Those are a hoot. I was appalled by a 'vintage Chaplin doll' that was sold recently. It looked a lot more like Oliver Hardy than