The King and The Fab Four British rockers, who topped the list two years ago when it was last released, joined notable figures such as former U.S. president John F. Kennedy and late pop star Michael Jackson on the list of most-forged celebrity signatures.
Late American astronaut Neil Armstrong landed at No. 3 on the list, after fake Armstrong signatures rose significantly after his death in July.
One reason forgeries of Armstrong鈥檚 autograph soared was that he rarely signed for fans during his life, Joe Orlando, president of Newport Beach-based PSA/DNA, told Reuters.
鈥淎rmstrong is someone who is very conscious of the value of his own autograph,鈥� Orlando said. 鈥淓ven before he passed away he was very tough to get. It really heightens the level of his market.鈥�
Secretaries and assistants responding to huge volumes of fan mail are one reason for fake signatures floating through the marketplace, said Margaret Barrett, director of entertainment and music memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles.
鈥淏ack in the day, the kids would write to the movie studios,鈥� Barrett said.
鈥淭here was absolutely no financial gain 50 years ago and secretaries and assistants just wanted to make them happy. A lot of times people stumble upon an old box of signed photographs in grandma鈥檚 attic and don鈥檛 know they鈥檙e forged.鈥�
Barrett, whose specialty is late Hollywood actor Marilyn Monroe鈥檚 autographs, said that official documents such as contracts and cheques are reliable sources to verify whether or not a signature is forged.
鈥淎 good rule of thumb is to compare it a signed contract,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey couldn鈥檛 have a contract signed by a proxy.鈥�
