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FDR Signature. Real or secretary?

**I would appreciate opinions on this piece. **

Comments

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Did the autopen exist at that time. I can't see FDR personally signing a letter like that unless it was someone he knew personally.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • JBKJBK Posts: 14,638 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @291fifth said:
    Did the autopen exist at that time. I can't see FDR personally signing a letter like that unless it was someone he knew personally.

    A valid assumption for more modern Presidents. but FDR did send a lot of those types of letters out (I assume if he was asked by someone to do it). I have a letter sent by FDR to my great-grandfather.

    Not autopen, and not sure on secretarial, but might be real. Do some googling to get examples of his sec. sigs.

  • BGERRISHBGERRISH Posts: 74 ✭✭✭

    Looks real after viewing his signature

  • Looks good to me. There are a lot of white house stationary letters out there signed by FDR.

  • genlougenlou Posts: 22 ✭✭

    Just as a side note Thomas Jefferson used an auto pen machine been around a long time, John Quincy Adams was last president to sign all his land grants after that most signed by secretary

  • JBKJBK Posts: 14,638 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @genlou said:
    Just as a side note Thomas Jefferson used an auto pen machine

    Technically correct (maybe) but his was different than today's version. The one he used had an arm attached to the pen he was writing with, and via the contraption, another pen was moved in the same way his pen was moved. He used it to make copies of his correspondence for himself.

    Interesting on land grants. Military appointments lasted much longer - I have some from the very early 20th century (McKinley and T. Roosevelt). I think even some postmaster certificates were authentically signed into the 20th century.

  • FDR did sign Postmaster certificates.. I have three that were issued to my grandfather, and I have had them expertised.

  • JBKJBK Posts: 14,638 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @stampguy67 said:
    FDR did sign Postmaster certificates.. I have three that were issued to my grandfather, and I have had them expertised.

    I don't doubt you at all, especially since FDR was a huge stamp collector.

    But now I am curious....

    You used the term "expertized" - that is a philatelic term. Autograph people would say "authenticated", so I am wondering who looked at them - a stamp person or an autograph person?

  • Bear48Bear48 Posts: 239 ✭✭✭

    Looks good!

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