 
Ninety-nine out of every hundred autographs which find their way into collectors' albums are said to be those of actresses, who are popular favourites to-day but not to-morrow. As a consequence, autograph collecting is seldom considered a serious hobby worthy of the attention of serious-minded people. This seems a great pity, for if letters and documents written and signed by real celebrities are collected, not only may much pleasure be gained from the pastime, but a great deal of instruction as well. The wise collector will find that his best plan is to specialize in one definite direction, and if he follows our advice he will limit his interests to autographs of great soldiers. Perhaps he will argue that military signatures are so seldom met with, and so expensive to obtain when they are offered for sale, that his treasures will not accumulate fast enough. This, however, is a matter on which he The value of an autograph naturally depends on a number of factors. The eminence of the writer is, of course, the first consideration, but the price will also depend on whether the signature is normally written, whether it was written before notoriety came to the writer, and the state of preservation of both paper and ink. Can the celebrity be considered a prolific letter-writer? This is another question which influences the value of an autograph, for according to the rarity of an individual's signatures, so will the price be affected. We say, above, that the eminence of a writer is the first consideration in deciding the value of his signature. We should be very diffident, however, at explaining just what factors make for eminence. It certainly is not rank alone, nor even ability; perhaps we may best describe it as being in the "public eye." The autograph-hunter does not seek for signatures alone: he casts around for entire letters, documents, and signed papers of every description; it is thus clear that the importance of the communication plus the autograph should be taken into account when pricing treasures. For the sake of convenience, we may classify the specimens in our collections under the following heads:—
Of the above four classes, the specimens coming within the first are obviously the least valuable, for they are the most frequently met. Copies may be found on the fly-leaves of books, on photographs of celebrities, etc. The second class, unfortunately, is gradually ousting the third class, since the typewriter is speedily becoming universally used for all but private letters. Specimens in the second class are worth a trifle more than those in the first, and a great deal less than those of the third. Specimens in class 3 are those which the average collector should aim most at securing; those in class 4 are a trifle too unwieldy for all but the advanced collector. FACSIMILE OF A PORTION OF THE LETTER WRITTEN BY CROMWELL TO LENTHALL, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, ANNOUNCING THE VICTORY OF NASEBY. From the original in the British Museum. A BATTLEFIELD SOUVENIR. The mug bears two verses of poetry which are somewhat significant, as they reveal the character of the Tyrolese peasant and soldier. Translated, they run as follows:— Eagle, Tyrolese eagle, Why are you so red? Is it from the sunshine? Is it from the red sparkling wine? It is from the red blood of my enemies That I am so red. There are, of course, many ways of arranging an autograph collection, but on no account should the specimens be fixed to the album without adding comments on both the subject-matter of the MS. and the identity of the author. The following letter is given as a specimen. The original is to be found in the Royal United Service Museum:—
The letter, we must add, is written in a splendidly clear hand by a clerk, and signed by Schomberg. It therefore belongs to class 2 above. Under such a document, we might comment as follows: Note the quaint grammatical forms, also the spelling which clearly shows that As to the identity of Schomberg, we might write: "Marshall Schomberg was one of William III's generals who took part in the Irish campaign against James II. He captured Carrickfergus, Belfast, Newry, and Dundalk, although his troops consisted of raw levies. During the Battle of the Boyne he assisted William in gaining a brilliant victory, but was unfortunately slain towards the end of the encounter." Translation. My Dear Brother, AUTOGRAPH LETTER WRITTEN BY NAPOLEON III TO WILLIAM I OF GERMANY AFTER THE BATTLE OF SEDAN. As one would expect, the subject-matter of a letter greatly affects its value. The following epistle, written by Lord Dorchester, is therefore of more than ordinary consideration.
Of still greater value are the following priceless notes, scribbled in pencil during action, by Major-
Before concluding these notes we may give some general hints. Preserve all facsimile signatures which are to be found; they are useful for purposes of comparison when doubtful originals come along. The signature should never be cut from a document; the whole sheets should be preserved. An original letter ought not to be pasted on to To restore a faded signature, dab it carefully with a solution of hot tincture of gall containing a trace of dissolved potassium chlorate. When dry, dab it with a pad moistened in ordinary lime water. The process is simple, but it is well to experiment on a useless specimen before treating valuable ones. Valuable documents which are torn and perhaps crumbling may be prevented from deteriorating further by sandwiching between two sheets of glass, and binding with passe-partout edging. In deciding whether a document is genuine or not, the composition of the ink and the texture of the paper should be taken into consideration. Forgers find great difficulty in matching papers made more than fifty years ago. Great care should be used to discriminate between the autographs of people possessing similar names (e.g. Kitchener, the writer on cookery matters, must not be confounded with Kitchener, the soldier). William of Orange. Duke of Wellington. General Wolfe. Earl Roberts. King Albert of Belgium. General Sir Ralph Abercromby. George Washington. SOME AUTOGRAPHS OF NOTED SOLDIERS. Lastly, it may be useful to give a list of some of the prices realized by military and allied autographs at public sales, etc., in order that the collector may gain some rough idea of the value of his treasures. (A.L.S. means Autograph letter, signed; D.S. means Document, signed; L.S. means Letter, the signature only of which is in the handwriting of the celebrity.)
AN OLD MUG BEARING THE FAMOUS PICTURE DEPICTING "THE DEATH OF WOLFE." |
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