Autograph collecting is an art as well as pastime with a large following. Autograph collectors come in as many shapes and sizes as do the autographs that are collected. A collector may be a small child who generally goes after television characters or television or movie stars that are marketed to children. They may also hunt for autographs of local celebrities.

One good thing about being a child....they are fairly easy to please, level of stardom does not come into play quite as much, when a child is judging the appeal or value of a particular autograph. Teens tend to want autographs of the musicians, band members or latest pop idols. It is far more often the adults that want things such as the historical autographs as well as autographed photos of most of the Hollywood stars. Some collectors specialize in one genre but others use a scatter-gun approach and collect each and every autograph that they can.

How does a collector happen to get these autographs? There are not any real secrets, unless you count the black-market selling of stars' addresses that are sometimes offered for sale at greatly inflated prices. Usually autographs are obtained in a few simple ways. The collector may try to get an autograph at an event where the star is. They may send a self addressed stamped envelope to the star or their agent. They may even buy an autograph at one of the many stores that specialize in this type of ephemera. Most collectors prefer to have the autograph obtained themselves as opposed to buying one someone else got. This is part of the thrill of the hunt.

People just consider it as a coup, a conquest....when they land that elusive signature. And for many people just landing one autograph is enough to keep them satisfied and happy with the fame that the autograph brings them. Autograph collecting is more than just a hobby.

Collectors love collecting for the excitement of the acquisition and none may be as passionate as an autograph hound. They take care of these fragile bits of paper and treat them well. We owe our thanks in fact to the collectors of years past, for it was they who saved so many bits of paper and other documents that otherwise, we may never have seen.

Collecting autographs is popular enough and lucrative enough that there is a lot of money that can be made buying, selling or trading these items. An even larger marker may be that which deals in fake autographs and forgeries. There are dealers that can help you ascertain if an autograph is real or not. If you take it to a dealer for this purpose you may have to pay a fee to have it authenticated. Autographs are judged on several criteria, rareness, whose signature it is , condition and how the autograph is presented.. An autograph may be on a paper, book, card or photo. Photos and books are generally deemed more valuable.