Ser Sonovagun Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hi everyone.Need some help with authenticating a "GRRM" signature. I bought a 1996 signed copy of GoT on eBay. The seller was unsure of the signature as he had bought it second hand himself. My problem is the signature looks nothing like the signature GRRM uses today. Could it be faked? Well the signature is dated 96, so maybe GRRM has changed his signature over the years. I tweeted Elio & Linda and they suggested asking on here!I'm going to try attrach a photo for all of you to see.http://img839.images...42/photosqg.jpgCan't attach pic, so please use link.Thanking you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shnorge Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Never seen one like that at all, various signatures from various time periods I've seen have all had the same general form.I guess we can look at the letters of the inscription a little bit for a better comparison, though.Here's another inscription, much more recent of course:http://i.imgur.com/PXtGK.jpgI do have some books at home with inscriptions but from what I recall, they're all in capital letters like the one I linked here.Your best bet might be to ask the author himself, unless someone here has another piece signed way back then for comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evogeler Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 That looks nothing like his signature. At all. It doesn't even appear to be his handwriting. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I'd bet good money that it's forged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgc Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Whoa!!!!! That is way off. Obviously I'm not expert, but I have MANY signed books of his from the sub press book sets until literally a few weeks ago from the man himself. I'd also bet good money that it is absolutely not his signature. Even the penstrokes are completely off. Sorry, but I would get my money back if at all possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shnorge Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Surely a forgery attempt would have at least looked something like the signature that's all over the internet, though? :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Sonovagun Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 thanks for the replies guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormont Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Surely a forgery attempt would have at least looked something like the signature that's all over the internet, though? :-\If it was forged in 1996, not necessarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 A couple of thoughts:It's weird that it's signed in pencil. I mean, maybe that's all that was at hand, but if it was formally signed by GRRM -- as a gift, at a signing, what have you -- he'd almost certainly have done it in ink.I believe it's entirely possible that GRRM developed his "author's scrawl" when his signature started to get more and more demand and he had to spend less and less time on them to get on to the next book. So the fact that this alleged 1996 signature looks very different from ones later doesn't really shock me...But. Having looked at the G in GRRM's signature in some of my signed books, it looks to me that he writes G's quite differently as far as the shape goes -- I can buy he's more succinct in his signature, but I can't buy he'd completely change the shape of the letter.Plus, a Google search turns up George's 1986 signature in Night Visions 3 -- see here. Not radically different from his signature today.I'm afraid your signature is a fake. But now there's an upside to its being in pencil (just be really careful with the erasure so as not to tear the paper!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Sonovagun Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 A couple of thoughts:It's weird that it's signed in pencil. I mean, maybe that's all that was at hand, but if it was formally signed by GRRM -- as a gift, at a signing, what have you -- he'd almost certainly have done it in ink.I believe it's entirely possible that GRRM developed his "author's scrawl" when his signature started to get more and more demand and he had to spend less and less time on them to get on to the next book. So the fact that this alleged 1996 signature looks very different from ones later doesn't really shock me...But. Having looked at the G in GRRM's signature in some of my signed books, it looks to me that he writes G's quite differently as far as the shape goes -- I can buy he's more succinct in his signature, but I can't buy he'd completely change the shape of the letter.Plus, a Google search turns up George's 1986 signature in Night Visions 3 -- see here. Not radically different from his signature today.I'm afraid your signature is a fake. But now there's an upside to its being in pencil (just be really careful with the erasure so as not to tear the paper!)I think that clears it up. Thanks for your time and effort. I'm going to send it back.Just an after thought.As the book is a genuine 1996 edition, is it worth keeping? I paid 80 euro for it, and have seen them go for 100euro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgc Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Depends. If its the true first edition/printing with he foil dust jacket then 80 euros is a steal. If its anything after, especially the book club edition, cover the same but not foil and overall smaller, then not worth much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkemikk Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 The signature is fake. Here is his signature from '76. It looks far more similar to his current ones.http://shrani.si/f/3...grrm-sig-76.jpg (sorry I forgot to rotate the picture)But, as already suggested, I would keep the book if it's the true first edition.EDIT: And one more thing about your signature: It's strange it's not signed on the title page (one more reason it's fake, if you ask me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sword of the Morning Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 As a former hard-core GRRM collector, I have owned signed work spanning many years and different mediums and seen him in person sign on 3 or 4 occasions.There is absolutely no doubt in my mind you have a forgery and not even a particularly good one at that.Send it back, that thing is an embarrassment. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The BackDoor Hodor Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 His signature is embossed on the 1996 hard cover under the dust jacket... so it's not something he's changed since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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