This is a little bit concerning - Michelle Obama Becoming Deluxe Edition possible autopen worries
JMS1223
Posts: 1,105 ✭✭✭✭✭
I saw a cut signature from Michelle Obama’s signed Deluxe Edition up for bid. Interestingly this one has been authenticated by a third party (sticker is on back of cut). I noticed NONE of these books or cuts from them have been authenticated by any of the major authenticators yet ones from Barack Obama have dozens authenticated and slabbed by the various major authenticators.
So when I saw this one I decided to watch it. Bidding stayed at $30 for a while then finally ended for under $100. Shockingly cheap if authentic. The books usually bring $200ish give or take. Their issue price was $150. Barack’s in comparison brings much more. A Promised Land signed Deluxe edition usually brings about $600. When I see the regular edition of that book with autopen I see those fake ones bring $200ish.
So that begs the question - could all these Michelle Obama signatures be fake? Some kind of advanced autopen? Seems awfully strange they don’t bring a lot considering there appear to be very few other sources for her autograph. Barack on the other hand can be obtained easily outside his books - he exists on letters and in person signed photos and whatnot. Not so much Michelle. Some here and there but very few. And with this authenticated example not even bringing $200 it makes me very concerned.
I noticed the signatures look kind of flat like autopens tend to and certain parts of the signature seem the same throughout all the Becoming books, but when I see in person examples they look like they have a lot more flow and are quickly signed. These look slow and neat.
What do you think?
Comments
None of the signatures match exactly but they sure do look similar. Her very few in person examples vary quite a bit and are not as neatly signed as the book examples.
I really hope I am not out the $200 I paid for mine. I cut the signature from the book so I could put it with my Barack Obama signature so no way to return it for refund.
Might want to get more examples of signatures from Becoming books to compare now that we know high priced “signed” books have been sold which turned out to be autopen (see “Autopens” thread about the Bob Dylan fiasco that just happened). I will work on this later and see if I find any matches.
Only found one other example for sale right now. There are several non-Deluxe edition books being sold but I am focusing on this specific “Deluxe Signed Edition” right now. In ended auctions I found four.
Can’t seem to get the image to copy as an image so I am posting a link and hoping someone else can figure out how to get the link to post as image. For some odd reason it won’t “copy” image. Not sure if eBay changed something and is now restricting copying/saving images from eBay.
https://ebay.com/itm/185342839439?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Ur1S9aO8T-G&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=da4IlHDuTvG&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Here are the four auctions in past listings where signature is pictured (many are sold sealed)
https://ebay.com/itm/285036851304?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=3KQ5q6rBRYm&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=da4IlHDuTvG&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
https://ebay.com/itm/155196348758?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=tpb4bclrt4c&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=da4IlHDuTvG&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
https://ebay.com/itm/374277675950?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=lRWoOGb3Tnq&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=da4IlHDuTvG&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
https://ebay.com/itm/275471730264?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=GHrnjSDsR_a&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=da4IlHDuTvG&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Sorry for all the links but it seems eBay disabled the ability to copy and paste images. It pretends it copied but when you go to paste it just pastes the second to last thing you copied that wasn’t on eBay.
I strongly suspect there is a person or company who is instigating a lot of these music autopen editions.
There have been non-music autopens, if course, but I would not assume all signed editions are autopen. Besides, wasn't the MO a different edition? The Bob Dylan and others seem to be regular editions with signatures added.
There is also a regular edition that was also signed by Michelle Obama. No idea if these were pre-signed and given at events or signed in person at events. I couldn’t find much information on them. They look like the regular edition books but sometimes have the “autographed copy” sticker on the cover which doesn’t mean much since that varies and not all have it.
I only suspected it on Michelle Obama because of the way the signatures look. Also suspicious that I never see any Michelle Obama signed books authenticated by the typical third parties but see plenty of Barack Obama books, including his deluxe editions, authenticated and stickered by the usual third parties. Just waited some suspicion is all.
I can't, since I am at work, but just screencap the portion of the image with the signature, save the cap, then upload on here. Works fine, doing it that way.
And if you don't know how, google is your friend.
Let’s try this
There are a ton of these so I will stop here.
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Here’s an example of the regular edition book signed
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This one is a actually signed on the title page instead of being a tip in
So yeah, maybe these are all good. Just seems odd the third parties haven’t authenticated any of these deluxe or regular editions I see on eBay. I see plenty of Barack Obama deluxe editions (and regular editions for that matter authenticated.
I was doing some research on Barack Obama’s autograph last night and happened to learn that Beckett, JSA and PSA/DNA have all failed Michelle Obama’s Deluxe Signed “Becoming” editions on numerous occasions. There have all been deemed NOT authentic between 2018-2020 when they were submitted. Interestingly Barack Obama’s Deluxe Signed “A Promised Land” editions have all passed authentication from Beckett, JSA and PSA/DNA when submitted in 2020 (upon first month of their release in December of 2020). I found this to be very interesting and wish I could find out more about why the major authentication companies failed Michelle Obama’s book but not Barack Obama’s book.
That's wild, but shouldn't surprise me.