Political Autograph Collectors

[TheORKINMan]

Just to update I got two more returned with good sigs, both Prime Ministers of Canada, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin

[jrc26]

I am interested in starting to send to political figures and am looking for a little advice...

I like to have consistency with my autographs (all on the same format card or photo or something like that, i think they look better when displayed) I was just wondering what everyone else sends for signatures? also price and size are a big issue with me. what I send has to be cheap, and small enough so I can use standard enveloped. someone earlier mentioned that they use dollar bills for some people, and i loved that idea, but thought it may not be appropriate for everyone.

also, what do you say in your letters? I am used to sending to hockey/baseball players, and people involved with Star Wars, but just wondering what you say in letters to political figures.

thanks for any advice you can give me.

If you like photos and have a quality printer then try the Time Life photo archive. They have great high quality photos of just about everyone. They could easily be printed at 4x6. Or you could do custom index cards. Print off name, title, dates etc....

As far as what you write to them. If it is someone I know a lot about then I spend sometime talking about something they did in their career that I appreciate. I recommend using a professional business letter format and keeping it very formal.

[jrc26]

I just received my most unexpected success since I have been collecting.

I sent a letter and photo to former Secretary of State Alexander Haig over a year ago. He died a couple of months ago. A few days ago I received the photo back signed and personalized along with a letter from his personal secretary. She explained that she was going through his correspondence that was leftover and she found my photo signed and stuck in the pile.

Very interesting to think I may have been the last autograph he signed. Of course it could have been in the pile for a year so who knows? Either way a cool success.

[TheORKINMan]

My political list updated again:

Received Authentics From:

President George HW Bush
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin
Vice President Walter Mondale
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Senator Bob Dole
Senator John Glenn
Senator George McGovern
Congressman Charlie Wilson
Governor Michael Dukakis
Lt. Col Oliver North
Egyptian Secretary General of Antiquities Zahi Hawass

Waiting on:
President George W. Bush
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbechev
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
South African President Nelson Mandela
South African President Thabo Mbeki
South African President F.W. de Klerk
Mexican President Vicente Fox
Chinese President Hu Jintao
French President Jacques Chirac
Japanese Emperor Akihito
Spanish King Juan Carlos I
Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu
Prince Albert II
Secretary General Kofi Annan
Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Vice President Dick Cheney
Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Chief Justice John Roberts
Secretary of State Colin Powell
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu
Governor Jesse Ventura
Governor Sarah Palin
Governor Mike Huckabee
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
Presidential Candidate Ross Perot
General David Petraeus
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan

Been doing some reasearch to try and send off to some heads of government and state in eastern countries. Been trying really hard to find an address for President Karzai of Afghanistan or Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq but I haven't been able to find one for either yet.

[Revolver]

Nelson Mandela doesn't sign TTM. You will very likely receive the standard Foundation photograph of him along with a letter of rejection.

[TheORKINMan]

Yeah but I had to give it a shot, never know when you might get an unexpected success.

[Revolver]

I even offered to donate money to his charity and they still rejected my request. Unfortunately he's just not obtainable these days - he's not in the best shape and his Foundation controls him like a puppet.

If you're looking for other Southern African leaders who respond, I've had (a really good) response from former Namibian president & liberator Sam Nujoma, and my father received a response from the King of Lesotho not too long ago.

[TheORKINMan]

Sweet I'd love the addresses to both of them. Always looking for heads of government and heads of state from any country.

[Revolver]

King Letsie III
The Royal Palace Secretariat
P. 0. Box 527
Maseru
Lesotho

I don't have record of the address I used for Nujoma as it was some time ago, but I imagine that either of the two listed on this page will work:
http://www.swapoparty.org/contact_us.html

[TheORKINMan]

Just out of curiosity what kind of successes did you get for the two?