Resources for Autograph & Memorabilia Collectors

You look out your window and see a glorious sight — the mail truck! No, I haven’t built a new found fondness of bills or junk mail, instead I’m hoping that an 8×10 manila envelope is waiting to be ripped open. I can barely get into the house without breaking the seal to the envelope and open it up to find a personalized autographed photo from Tom Hanks.

Not only did he sign my photograph, but he wrote a letter as well. Needless to say as an autograph collector by mail, I live for these moments. You might be saying to yourself, now how can I get an autographed photo from my favorite celebrity? Let me give you some suggestions to get you started.

The first step in collecting autographs by mail is finding an address to write to them. Unfortunately, the more popular a celebrity is, the harder it becomes to get an authentic autograph from them. It is still possible to have success with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, but you have to constantly stay informed on their signing habits. A great way to have success through the mail is writing to them via venue. If you know where Leonardo DiCaprio will be filming his latest film, try writing a letter to the production office. Of course these are the hardest addresses to find and can take a lot of personal research.

You should also catalogue in some fashion, whether on the computer or written in a journal, the requests you have sent out. When hundreds of requests have been sent out, it can be hard to remember which address you previously tried. Plus, you can see how many days it took certain celebrities to respond.

The most tricky part about collecting autographs by mail is writing the letter, because the reality is there is no guaranteed format that will ensure success. As a general rule, you should not make your letter longer than a page and if it is handwritten, make sure it is legible.

Be polite in your approach when requesting the autograph itself and perhaps express why granting this request would mean the world to you. The content of the letter should focus on why you admire them as an entertainer, this is where creativity could earn you some extra points. Something I wrote to Renee Zellweger inspired her to go the extra mile and write me a note. You just never know how far a little creativity will take you.

Now the hard part is out of the way. If you expect any type of response at all, then you should include with your request a self addressed stamped envelope or in short a SASE. While some celebrities will respond regardless of an SASE, it is out of common courtesy that you send one. Including an SASE will also increase the likelihood of getting a response. Also write “Do Not Bend” on both envelopes to help ensure that the contents aren’t damaged during handling.

The next thing that you must consider is including something to get signed whether it is a photograph of them or simply enclosing a double sided blank index card. The majority of celebrities tend to send you their own 8×10 photographs, but some will only sign if you send them something. Be careful what you send because you may never see it again. Sending your rare rookie football card would be an extremely risky move, so please don’t send your treasured mementos for autographs.

Make sure your envelope and SASE are stamped and then put it in the mailbox and cross your fingers. Now everything is out of your control and the wait is almost tortuous. Unlike in person collecting, you could wait months to years for a reply from a celebrity. It took me over five years to get a response from Jack Nicholson, but let me tell you it was worth the wait to get my picture back signed. Unfortunately many of the requests you send out will never be seen again.

When and if you get a response from the celebrity it is time to ask one of the biggest questions… is the autograph I just received real? This can be really tricky and shows just why communication is so important in by mail collecting. Finding a good autograph community will help in not only sharing addresses but tips on detecting those tricky fakes. You should become very familiar with the terms autopen, preprint, secretarials, forgeries, and stamped autographs.

So you’ve done the research and determined that your autograph is legit, now what? You must ensure that your autograph is properly protected and preserved. Whether they are framed or kept in a binder, they should only touch acid-free archival material.
Go to this site to learn more:

History in Ink

In the end the key to collecting autographs by mail is constantly educating yourself, whether it is learning about fakes or keeping up to date on who is signing through the mail. This hobby takes a lot of patience and there aren’t any guarantees, but when you get that first big success through the mail you’ll be instantly hooked and will wait patiently for your favorite person to come by everyday… the mailman.

Well, that?s it for now, good luck adding to your Collections and if you need any additional help, take a look at my blog/website where I list my personal favorite resources that I use regularly to enhance my own personal Collection
 

Steve Hill
 

http://meetsteve.net  –
 

Recommended Resources for Autographs/Memorabilia/Posters/Comics

The Golden Eagle Hybrid Hunting Knife

Almost every day, it seems, a new knife is introduced to the market. While many knives are produced for a certain use or method, many are simply designed for those who want to add another knife to their collections. Thus many knives are very interesting in their design or makeup, but for all practical purposes they serve no purpose other than to adorn a wall, shelf, case, or desk. Although they seemingly have no use, they do present an opportunity for a knife designer to show off his skills. One such knife is the Golden Eagle Hybrid Hunting Knife.

This hunting knife is an incredibly intriguing looking knife. Its hilt and pommel are richly cast in gold, and the hilt curves into a finger loop for extra gripping. Both the handle and the matching scabbard are painted with a black and gold-striped design that resembles a snakeskin. The pommel is connected to the hard scabbard with a tri-colored gold, red and black entwined chain. There are two tassels bound in gold that dangle from the hilt. A lightning bolt and three diamonds are cut into the blade giving it a look that closely resembles many fantasy knives.

The 8 inch long blade is adorned with a silkscreened image of an eagle, its wings expanded in flight, claws extended in a mode that suggests attack. The double-edged knife has a razor-sharp edge on one side, and dual-serrated edges on the other. The knife handle can be folded and locked into a push-blade position thus making for a more versatile knife than many others.

Sonic The Hedgehog In Other Forms

Sonic the Hedgehog, the famous video game character created by Sega has been very popular amongst both gamers and non-gamers. The collective liking of the Sonic character has a lot to do with Sonic’s appearance in other media. And such appearances have in turn inspired people to create things related to Sonic and these creators aren’t always gamers by nature. They may be artists, musicians or even clay model makers. They have loved and adored this spiky hair Hedgehog who can only be seen in blue.

Hence, Sonic as a character goes beyond the video games and has made an appearance everywhere, from mangas to cartoon shows, from t-shirts to lunch boxes, Sonic can be seen everywhere you go. There are just so many things that are built around Sonic that it is impossible to encapsulate within just one article. So let us look at the major forms in which Sonic has made appearance outside his usual world of Video games.

The first mention should be of the animated series that featured our beloved blue hero and his team of friends. He has in total, starred in three major animation series. Each one is based on the story from the video games and they are all centered on Robotnik trying to take over Mobius, Sonic’s home planet. The animated series keeps everything intact from the game, especially Sonic’s signature move – the spindash. It is shown as a way of getting things done for Sonic, who uses it for everything from digging holes and destroying things

The characters from the game really come to life in the animated series and fans get a view in to Sonic’s daily life (well, sort of) for the first time. The cartoons have been a great success and have had many reruns, for each season. Every character is flashed out and we get to see the nuances of major characters like Robotnik and Tails. The storylines revolve around yet another plan of Dr. Robotnik to take over the planet and sending his robots to do the dirty work for him. But each and every time, our hero foils his plans and things take a hilarious turn mainly due to the stupidity of Robotnik’s plans and robotic creations. The egg-shaped theme stays and Robotnik very much lives up to his nickname – Eggman.

There were also two animes made on Sonic and both met with huge success. Sonic then appeared in serialized mangas in Japan. Later, like any other popular character, Sonic was merchandised. As a result, the market was suddenly filled with Sonic stuff like t-shirts, action figures, stuffed toys and such things. Kids of course loved every bit of it and many adult fans also bought all the collectible items there were.

So Sonic’s success can not only be measured by the popularity of the video games he stars in but also by the amount of merchandise, collectible items and memorabilia that he has to his name and likeness.

Art Collecting: a Beginners Guide

Art collection is a very stimulating and inspiring hobby for all. It isn’t just for the rich and famous,
but even regular everyday people too. There are various forms of art that you can choose from,
especially since art’s definition can greatly vary from one person to another. However, it doesn’t really
matter whatever its form is, you’re the one to make the call on which is attractive and how much are you willing to spend for such piece.
To Go For Prints Or Originals?
In the art world, some people may look down on others due to their different tastes in picking out art. For instance, there are those people who only buy original works and would never even consider buying prints. However, you should take note that if you’re just starting to collect art and is doing this for enjoyment then originals are not really necessary to buy, especially if they’re way out of your budget.
There is really nothing wrong with buying prints. In fact, these are one superb way to have framed art that would look lovely on your wall, just like how an original would look, but at a way lower price.
Although here, you would not be having the same texture as to the original work; since originals
usually show dimension and texture, while prints won’t. However, well printed artworks are not settling of course.
In fact, a lot of art collectors have art prints by different artists, which were fairly bought inexpensively from the Internet, galleries and art fairs. Amazingly, such pieces still look tasteful and classy, instead of cheap looking like what most people expect.
All Framed Up
Once you spot an original or print that you like, you have the option to frame it by yourself or get
somebody else to do it for you. Generally, you can find frames in a vast price range, starting from
cheaper metal frames to ornate and hand carved wooden frames costing you a fortune.
With regard to using mats, which is another way of framing your picture inside its frame by the use of
papers or illustration boards, you should take note that such could detract your print. If you don’t know how to frame, then you should get your piece and get it framed first. While doing so, observe how they’d offer you different mats and frame styles.
You don’t have to hasten up when picking out the mat you want to use. In fact, you should take your time and deliberate on it carefully, since the mat and frame color combinations can have a great effect on how well or bad your artwork would look. You should also consider how the frame would fit-in in whatever place you’ll put it, like your home or your office.
If you want a clean and contemporary look, it’s recommended that you use the Nielsen brushed metal frames, which are not only cheap but are still elegant looking too. These usually come in different colors. Nevertheless, it’s safe to go for black or bronze.
If you’ll be placing them in a gallery, bronze would also do well, especially since it wouldn’t cost you
too much. After all, most people that buy art from galleries would have the art they bought re-framed in able for it to match their home decor.
If more of a wood type of person, you can also get wooden frames that are naturally stained. Cherry and mahogany are the most preferred styles when it comes to wooden frames, since their deep and reddish color bring an elegant look to any artwork.

Sun Bingo Reviewed

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The website is easy to navigate in bright eye-catching colours, and no downloads are necessary as the games are in Flash. The site has the added bonus of being safe and secure with an easy sign-up process.

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