ALERT

FAKE LEWIS HAMILTON AUTOGRAPHS ARE CURRENTLY BEING SOLD ON EBAY

Jenson Button signing for someone else at the RIAT, Fairford.

(I got mine 10 mins later!)

The purpose behind this short guide is make people aware of some of the tricks some ebayers might employ to fool you out of your hard earned money with one of their dodgy fake or copied autographs.

Over the last year McLaren phenomenon Lewis Hamilton has risen to the top of the pack and has been a must have autograph for any Formula One fan like myself. However how do you REALLY know if it is genuine? Just because there appears to be a signature on a shirt or picture that reads his name does not make it real! There are many devices that are used to make you think an autograph is real when it is not!

1. "Hand Signed" does NOT mean Autographed - it just means it has been hand signed - potentially by anyone! Eg: "Hand Signed Lewis Hamilton Photograph"

2. "Personally Hand Signed" is even worse because it means the ebayer has signed it himself (even if it is somebody elses name he has written) and is admitting it!

3. "C.O.A" or Certificate of Authenticity means nothing unless you know who has verified the autograph! I even came across one ebayer who offered a "C.O.A" with his "autographs" but when checking the website of the "authenticator" it came back to the very same ebayer that was selling the autograph! Can you really trust someone who authenticates their own autographs? !!!

4. Even when an item claims to have been autographed by XYZ can you really be sure it is he/she that has signed it? Sadly the answer is NO. Some offer photographs as proof - that might just be the one he got for himself - not the one he is offering you!

5. In one sense of the word "Autograph" only means "to write someones name" which opens up a get-out /escape if they don't specify clearly that this is "the personal autograph of XYZ". It is in these meanings (and misunderstanding by people) that fraudsters get away with fakes. Don't be a victim!

6. The only true way is to get the autograph yourself, keep it and hang it on your wall! Then YOU know it is real. There are various options to getting a real autograph. One is to go to the venue/event yourself with a Sharpie pen and a nice photo/shirt/hat  and get it signed personally or ask the stars agent or management company by doing some homework on the internet and writing to them.

Sadly ebay is NOT the best place to buy autographs. I have personally collected autographs for myself over the last 30 years or so from Prime Ministers to Movie Stars but I would never sell a single one because it is personal to me and reminds me of the day I met so and so. I would advise you to do the same and avoid autographs on ebay - it is a minefield!

I hope this  short guide gives you enough confidence not to buy an autograph on ebay and do it yourself. Yes you can buy anything on ebay but some things are just better if you do it yourself!

Happy autograph hunting!