Autographs From J.d. Salinger

Autographs from J.D. Salinger are among the most coveted by collectors.  The reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye has made an indelible mark on American literature and has generated generations of fans.  However, the famous writer shuns publicity and treasures his privacy.  Since the second printing of The Catcher in the Rye in 1953, Salinger has forbidden any publisher from showing his picture on any of his books.  As described in the book Money Secrets of the Rich and Famous, Salinger used the pseudonym “John Boletus” in business with his local bank and post office box.

J.D. Salinger autographs are few and far between, and when they come to market, scholars and fans avidly collect them.  As a result of its scarcity and popular demand, the price of J.D. Salinger’s signature on the autograph market has skyrocketed in value.  J.D. Salinger’s autograph rivals that of Neil Armstrong as the most valuable of any living person.

In 1998, love letters from J.D. Salinger to Joyce Maynard came up for auction.  Maynard was a college student when she had a nine-month romance with Salinger.  The auctioneer at Sotheby’s described the letters as providing an extraordinary window into the life of one of America’s most reclusive authors.  The description in Sotheby’s catalog noted that Salinger’s “deep troubling aspects was the fact that the couple was unable to consummate the relationship despite Salinger’s avid attempts to remedy the problem through homeopathic medicine…Despite her desperate attempts to rekindle the affair, Salinger closed the door on Maynard without explanation, just as he closed the door on the outside world.”  The letters from Salinger to Maynard sold for a tidy sum of $156,000.  The purchaser was software mogul Peter Norton who reportedly returned the letters to J.D. Salinger.

Autographs from J.D. Salinger on documents or letters make great items for showing friends, or family in a home or office.  Among the most interesting J.D. Salinger autographs are facsimiles of his checks that are available on the Internet for a fraction of the cost of the original document.  J.D. Salinger checks represent paper trail artifacts from one of the most illustrious literary figures of our time.  A display with a J.D. Salinger reprint check is certain to fascinate and generate interesting conversation.