An early historical figure charging for his autograph...
Skinpinch
Posts: 1,531
We all see the modern baseball players charging people for their autograph, well there is an early precedent for such business, but it isn't in the sports world.
I just got finished reading a biography on Geronimo (not Cesar!). Of course during the early 1900's the name Geronimo evoked the fear of the white citizens. All they heard about him was how brutal a savage and warrior he was during the Indian battles of years before. Everybody knew who Geronimo was. Well when he was in prison there were times where people came to view the 'savage', or the 'savage' was brought on tour. Geronimo was known as having a good business sense, so when these people came to see him he would make bows and arrows and sell them to them, and for a little extra he would scribe his name on them. His autograph was in printed form. I found it interesting that he was selling his autograph way back then. Heck, fifty cents or a dollar extra that he charged in 1904 for an autograph was a lot of money back then.
I wonder if any of those autographs are still around and authenticated. Has anybody ever heard of one surfacing??
I just got finished reading a biography on Geronimo (not Cesar!). Of course during the early 1900's the name Geronimo evoked the fear of the white citizens. All they heard about him was how brutal a savage and warrior he was during the Indian battles of years before. Everybody knew who Geronimo was. Well when he was in prison there were times where people came to view the 'savage', or the 'savage' was brought on tour. Geronimo was known as having a good business sense, so when these people came to see him he would make bows and arrows and sell them to them, and for a little extra he would scribe his name on them. His autograph was in printed form. I found it interesting that he was selling his autograph way back then. Heck, fifty cents or a dollar extra that he charged in 1904 for an autograph was a lot of money back then.
I wonder if any of those autographs are still around and authenticated. Has anybody ever heard of one surfacing??
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but it is quite pathetic. Either he was too lazy to actually sign using what we like to call alphabetical letters, or he thought drawing a line with a hump in it was funny.