Autopen Autographs

Neal Armstrong Autographs by Autopen

Autopen autographs haven been aroudn for a long time, and can be difficult to spot with the naked eye.

An autopen is a machine that is used to simulate an authentic autograph. The machine was developed in the early 1800's and has been used extensively in politics and by some athletes and celebrities that generate high-volumes of fan mail.

I have received autopen signatures for Nolan Ryan, Wayne Gretzky, George H.W. Bush, and Muhammad Ali, to name a few.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld provided new controversy to the use of this machine in 2004 when it was revealed that letters of soldiers killed in action were not hand-signed by Rumsfeld.

Unfortunately, many politicians and celebrities continue to embrace the use of this machine, especially to respond to through the mail autograph requests.

A method you can use to discern a mechanical signature from an authentic autograph is the appearance of horizontal movement of the pen on a vertical line of the signature.

Wayne Gretzky

Nolan Ryan

George H. W. Bush

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