Avoiding actors/actresses on the A list will greatly reduce the chances of receiving a secretarial. I just started sending out autograph requests in April and I have received 3 secretarials so far. It's basically my own fault for not putting in the time to read other posts about the celebrity. I believe where there's smoke there's fire. If there are multiple posts concerning the authenticity of a particular celebrity's signature it's best to focus your time and effort elsewhere.
The three secretarials I have received are all part of the A list. (Travolta, Pacino and P. Newman)

Hello girlbehindthereddoor! ;-)

Personally, I think most B, ect. list actors would most likely reply [b]authentically[/b]. {up} They don't receive as much mail as A-listers and they're more "excited" about their mail - they're not as used to it as the bigger stars. Of course, there might be those who don't like signing autographs but that very rare. {thumb2}

Also, not all A-listers send secretarials or preprints, there's still those who enjoy going through fan mail but don't expect something like that from Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts! :lol:

But, you can never say for sure that someone sends secretarials. Based on facts (handwriting, availability, etc.) you can figure that out and that's why we can only say "believed to be secretarial".

Good luck collecting,
Lizanne

I'm inclined to say yes!

Obviously, I don't know for sure whether the autographs you will recieve are authentic but in my experience, the volume of mail a celebrity recieves usually determines whether they use a secretary or not. Most of the autographs in my collection from lesser known celebrities are authentic. {thumb2}

Well, since I'm fairly new to this aswell I'm not exactly a expert lol. (I've had both authentics and PPs) but I think you're right.

The bigger the celeb is (A-listers as you said) the more fanmail they get and the more likely it is that they'll send out non -authentic autographs. It can be [i]secretarials [/i]but also PPs, Autopens, stamped sigs etc.
The issue with TTM collecting is that you can never be 100% sure the celeb signed the autograph because you don't see them signing it. However, if you want to check if the autograph you've gotten is authentic you can check the subforum over here or look at in-person successes and search the database. If the signature is nothing alike it is mostly secretarial. There are a few stickys @ "collecting help" for more info.
I also think you [i]might [/i]have a bigger shot at getting a authentic sig from big celebs by sending to venues. It's not a garantuee ofcourse but some bigger celebs sign on set.

Personally, I don't know any of the people you've mentioned but if they are fairly new to the industry or a little more unknown, I do think you have a bigger shot at getting a authentic signature :)
Good luck!

Secretarial Question

I am BRAND NEW at this and have yet to have an TTM successes. I've been reading sooo many posts in all the different threads trying to become more educated about the whole thing.

I hear a lot of people get secretarials but is that usually only for like... A List stars?

I send to A LOT of b/c/d lists (like tyler hilton, moira kelly, torrey devitto) People a little more unknown, am I less likely to get a secretarial since they're not huge stars?