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I ask this question because it seems so many people get excited when they receive an AP, PP, Stamp or secretarial.
To me, all of the above would be classed as a failure. As a collector of autographs, the only thing I can call a success is hand signed by the artist that you wrote to. Anything less would really not be an autograph.
I look at it this way, why take the time, put your feelings into a letter, spend money on stamps knowing your letter was never read by the person you sent it too. Then getting back an AP, etc.... If you are a real autograph collector, wouldn't that be a failure? You could just as easy google for signed images of the same artist, find a nice autographed photo then print it for under a $1.00 or use Studio fan mail. Isn't that the same without wasting time and money?
I would love to hear your opinions, help me understand why you think getting PP,AP,Stamp or secretarial is a success in the hobby of autograph collecting

well, it matters what you are aiming for. Like others, i am doing the search to get all selena gomez SFM photos, so to me, that would be a success. SFM is a success and so is an AP, PP, secretarial, etc. They are because the person probobaly knows that they are getting it and are aiming for it. and printing one off the internet is not a SUCCESS because it is not sent to you.

jrott wrote:I ask this question because it seems so many people get excited when they receive an AP, PP, Stamp or secretarial.
To me, all of the above would be classed as a failure. As a collector of autographs, the only thing I can call a success is hand signed by the artist that you wrote to. Anything less would really not be an autograph.
I look at it this way, why take the time, put your feelings into a letter, spend money on stamps knowing your letter was never read by the person you sent it too. Then getting back an AP, etc.... If you are a real autograph collector, wouldn't that be a failure? You could just as easy google for signed images of the same artist, find a nice autographed photo then print it for under a $1.00 or use Studio fan mail. Isn't that the same without wasting time and money?
I would love to hear your opinions, help me understand why you think getting PP,AP,Stamp or secretarial is a success in the hobby of autograph collecting

Agreed 100%.

AP/PP/stamp/secs are failures, and are not autographs.

I dont want anything if its not authentic, and I try to avoid writing to someone if thats what they send.

Success = authentic autograph. Anything less is a waste of time, effort and money. I'd rather receive nothing than to receive a reproduction of someone's signature..

I think it depends on the person who I write to, if it was one of my favourite actors/actresses etc then I think I would be happy with whatever I got, obviously I would prefer a real one though, but I only really collect soap people and uk actors/actresses so none send pp really, so havent had to worry about it

Hi! ;)

I agree, a success to me is an authentic autograph (thus not secretarial, preprint, etc.). {thumb2} As Andy, I do thorough research of exactly what my favourite celebrities' signatures look like before I write so none of my autographs are printed or fake. I simply throw out all suspected secretarial autograph. :neutral: I used to think preprints was cool enough, but I got too spoiled with authentic autographs so now I only consider them as a success.

Thanks!
zanne

I just like to receive something back from the celebrity. I'd rather my stamps be wasted on them sending a PP back to me than to never receive anything. I do like PP pictures because it is just a copy of the celebrities autograph, I just think secretarials are totally pointless.

But yeah a success is only a success if it's an authentic autograph. But I just think it's nice to receive something back to show you haven't completely wasted your time.

I agree with Hayley, obviously I'd always prefer an authentic autograph, but I'd rather receive a PP than nothing at all. It just seems like a PP is a reproduction of an autograph, and not pretending to be real, like an AP or Sec autograph. There's no way I'd send off for something that I knew was a Sec though. I could just imitate the signature myself, and save the stamps! :o

Phoebe

I class all of them as part of my collection, although I separate them into different groups so that when I show someone my collection I only show them the authentics, which I have most of anyway.

i think everything is a success unless you are expecting a real autograph and you get a pp than that is a failure. but i think every autograph is a success