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The next course is now penciled in for the Friday 12th October at the Autographica show in London. Bookings now being accepted. Although this has not been fully confirmed with the show organizers, it is expected that a Part One course will be held on the Friday for no more than 18 people. It sis important that if you want to attend the course, you put you name on the waiting list now, as all previous courses have been sold out.
A new course for auction houses has also just been announced (see below). Some of our dealers have found that many of the provincial auction houses are now offering signed memorabilia, and some of this has been found to be less than authentic! So a special shorter course has been put together specifically for auction houses, whereby they will be shown how to differentiate between all the various kinds of printed signatures and autopens, and bring them right up to date with the latest techniques that forgers are now using to try and fool us all.
Both of these one day course’s have been written and designed by Garry King of Autografica and are backed by AFTAL. They are designed to give both dealers and customers a good basic understanding of autographs.
The Part One course for dealers and collectors provides a good basic grounding in identifying both fake and authentic signatures, identifying autopens and all kinds of printed signatures, as well as consumer and criminal law, so that all participants will leave with a much better understanding of how to sort the good from the bad, and the real from the fake, enabling them to not just pass that knowledge onto their customers, but to also be able to buy items with a much greater degree of confidence.
Depending on the day’s timings, the course will cover the following….
- How to spot Autopen signatures.
- Printed signatures inc stamped etc.
- Secretarial signatures.
- The History of pens.
- Tell tale signs of forgery.
- Civil and criminal law for dealers.
- Mounting and framing, the do’s and don’ts.
- The meaning of provenance
- Buying on eBay.
- Autograph valuation and appraisal.
- Copyright and violation.
This course was created because of the rise of the internet and all the fakes that it has given us, including the recent spate of high quality printed signatures (and if you are not aware of these, then you must seriously consider this course, as you may have already purchased some!) These printed signatures and many fakes are now being seen at auctions and via other dealers as well. The time is now right for all dealers and collectors to ensure that they are able to spot the fake and the forger, before these items are passed on to others as genuine.
Each one day course is all inclusive and includes lunch, tea/coffee breaks and course notes plus completion certificate. Upon completion AFTAL dealers will become ‘Verified’ and this will be added to their AFTAL listing.
The day includes a good deal of hands on work with autopens and fakes etc, giving you the chance to see and discuss exactly what you need to be avoiding! Question and answer periods will give everyone the chance to both listen and learn from each other as well as the tutor.
There will also be an opportunity for everyone to discuss and learn from the ‘surgery’ whereby everyone will be able to show items which they are not sure about. The surgery is held at the end of the day, and will show just how much has been learned, and should enable everyone to be able to finally decide to either throw the items in the bin, or put them in the for sale folder!
The number of places on each course is limited to 18 per day and all previous courses have sold out, so please don’t delay when you see a date that suits you! A small deposit is required to confirm your place, with balance payable 14 days before the event.
All participants are also encouraged to bring along a folder of stock they may have for sale, so that everyone has a chance to check out the kind of stock each other sells and perhaps even make a few purchases or sales. This will give everyone the chance to get to know each other a little better, and who knows, it may just pay for the day’s course too!
The cost of this one day course is just £99 which includes the very comprehensive course notes, lunch and tea/coffee/biscuits/fruit all day. If you want to stay overnight either before or after, then the hotel normally offers discounted rates.
The Auction House course is a little shorter at about 4 hours, and only covers the autographs side rather than mounting etc, but concentrates more on the techniques used to spot the fakes, facsimiles and Autopens. This course would be held on the auctions own premises and is normally limited to two or three people. Cost of this course is £195 plus travel dependant on auction location.
Bookings should be made directly with Garry on 01634 813873 and any questions regarding the course should also be directed at him.
Dates for other Part One and Part Two courses, will be confirmed as soon as possible.
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