Are these autographs legit?

[gvox]

They absolutely all look fake. All of them, the "Larry" one included.

Not to be rude, but Ive never understood paying for autographed anythings. They may have some sort of market value, I suppose, but to me unless its an autograph I (or someone I'm close to) obtained in person from the band, its pretty much worthless to me. Theres no sentimental value and theres no story behind it. Id never buy an autographed anything.

Fwiw, a sellers feedback in matters such as this only goes so far. He/she may have indeed sold other authentic items and may have come into possession of a fake that they sincerely believe is real. What are the chances that they actually got duped into carrying a fake item supposedly signed by the biggest band in the world, you say? I'd say: pretty darn high.

Also fwiw Ive met both Bono and Edge chatted to them a few times and have seen them sign my albums and many others (such as U2brothrs). That by no means makes anyone expert but listen to what he and others are telling you we have no reason to be jealous or pessimistic.

 

[Pop Artist]

i have no idea what all the band's signatures are like, but just from looking at that cd, i would say the Edge, Adam and Bono signatures have been done by the same hand - same thickness, spacing, size and weird loopy style... plus they're way too neat and orderly... bad luck!

I agree that they all looked signed by the same hand (Larry's included). I have also had things through the years signed by various band members, and the ones in TheRealThing89's scan look a bit off to me too...sorry. Here's another sample of their autographs, I got these myself all in one evening outside Irving Plaza in 2000...

Bono I got in 1996:

Edge I got in 1997:

 

[I Move in Mysterious Ways]

Sorry you had a bad experience trying to buy one of these. All four signatures are absolutely, undeniably fake. These bear no resemblance at all to authentic examples and are clearly signed in the same hand by the forger.

A huge red flag is the price you paid - that's an unfathomably low price for the band's autographs. Getting just one of those autographs for £54 is actually somewhat of a deal, unless you're purchasing a less than desirable example. To put it in perspective, I had a friend who earlier this week paid a little under $800 for an authentic full band signed Best Of Promotional poster from 1998. Authentic U2 by U2 signed books from the 2006 Barnes and Noble signings go from $700 to $1000 (sometimes more).

If you need help getting your money back, I know at least one rock n roll autograph dealer who might be able to back you up should you need a written "expert" opinion.

In addition to the Eastlink autograph database that was posted, here' a fantastic Facebook page. Authentic, fan-obtained examples are posted regularly, and there are several subject matter experts on the site if you ever need a quick opinion: http://www.facebook.com/groups/175579025807080/

 

[U2BROTHR]

http://www.facebook.com/groups/175579025807080

We both posted the same link

 

[I Move in Mysterious Ways]

We both posted the same link

Sorry, Mark - I missed that you posted it!

 

[TheRealThing89]

Sorry you had a bad experience trying to buy one of these. All four signatures are absolutely, undeniably fake. These bear no resemblance at all to authentic examples and are clearly signed in the same hand by the forger.

A huge red flag is the price you paid - that's an unfathomably low price for the band's autographs. Getting just one of those autographs for £54 is actually somewhat of a deal, unless you're purchasing a less than desirable example. To put it in perspective, I had a friend who earlier this week paid a little under $800 for an authentic full band signed Best Of Promotional poster from 1998. Authentic U2 by U2 signed books from the 2006 Barnes and Noble signings go from $700 to $1000 (sometimes more).

If you need help getting your money back, I know at least one rock n roll autograph dealer who might be able to back you up should you need a written "expert" opinion.

In addition to the Eastlink autograph database that was posted, here' a fantastic Facebook page. Authentic, fan-obtained examples are posted regularly, and there are several subject matter experts on the site if you ever need a quick opinion: Log In | Facebook

I think I will need help getting my Money back as some evidence to back up my statement that there fake would be extremely handy

 

[gvox]

Not really. If the listing outright stated that they are authentic, the ownice will be on the seller to prove it if you open a ticket against them. Negative feedback is also a powerful tool.

But before you go that far do what Mark suggests contact the seller and ask to return it, just say it wasnt what you expected.

However, if that doesnt work, hit em hard. I recrntly had to with a pair of sunglasses. They finally relented, and I got my $ back. They then promptly relisted the item but this time without the word authentic

 

[TheRealThing89]

What should I say in my message to the seller in regards to returning the item and claiming a refund?

 

[gvox]

I read the listing over and it says no returns accepted. The other thing it does not say "authentic" nor does it specifically say that the four band members of U2 actually signed it. The wording may be because the person is just not all that clever, or it may in fact be very clever so as to cover his/her butt.

"I would like to return it as it's not what I expected" is probably the least offensive way to put it. Don't ask for your shipping refunded, I guess.

I think you're going to have a hard time approaching this person nicely. Here's a thought: if they were that lucky - and the luck in getting all four members to sign at once at the same location is indeed out of this world - they surely must've gotten a picture with the band, right? I mean that's alot of time to get all four to sign...

You're probably going to have to file a complaint with eBay but again the way it's worded...I dunno...you might end up having to use Feedback as a tool.

Most sellers regard a Neutral feedback (with a comment questioning the authenticity) a blight on their record. The thing about Neutral feedback is you can later go back and modify it based upon whatever resolution the seller offers (and comes through with) you. That's what I did with the glasses. When they took them back and refunded my $, I modified accordingly. Like I said, though, that listing explicitly stated "authentic".

 

[mama cass]

The other thing it does not say "authentic" nor does it specifically say that the four band members of U2 actually signed it.

it does though - in the description it says:

"It features bold and sharp signatures from the all four band members - Bono, the Edge, Adam and Larry.
It was signed outside the SECC in Glasgow in August 2001."

 

[gvox]

Granted...if it were my listing, I would say it more unequivocally:

"It was signed by all four band members outside the SECC in Glasgow August 2001"

I just mean that there seems to be a little bit of wiggle room in the way it was originally worded. That may not be deliberate, though.

 

[I Move in Mysterious Ways]

it does though - in the description it says:

"It features bold and sharp signatures from the all four band members - Bono, the Edge, Adam and Larry.
It was signed outside the SECC in Glasgow in August 2001."

Maybe it's true - maybe the forger was outside the SECC when he signed it

 

[mama cass]

Maybe it's true - maybe the forger was outside the SECC when he signed it

 

[Galeongirl]

I'm trying to find meetup stories of people meeting the band before the show in Glasgow, no luck sofar.

Then again, it's from Elevation tour, so not many people had internet back then.

 

[gvox]

then again, it's from elevation tour, so not many people had internet back then.

lolwut

 

[WalkOn21]

lolwut

While broadband Internet access wasn't as widespread amongst Europeans as it is nowadays, I would say by 2001 most people at least had a dial-up connection. Seeing as Interference has been around since 1996, they didn't really have an excuse not to put their meeting-the-band stories online.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

The days of dialup and propaganda mail ordered tickets.
That's the way it was and that's the way we liked it (grumpy old man voice).

 

[Galeongirl]

lolwut

I don't have any stats, but I do know in around 2000 we got our first computer. That was a Windows 3.1 thing without internet. I blew it up with a Floppydisk with Pokemon Blue on it that had a major virus. I don't recall any of my friends having internet at that time, nor did we have it at school. That all started at highschool a year later, it started to become interesting. Then later google happened and wikipedia and it all evolved super fast.
So I don't find it a strange idea that people didn't have that much internet back then, even if they had it it'd have been dial-up and photos wouldn't have been uploaded. They might be now, but I can't find any of a meeting with the band members in Glasgow, august 2001.

 

[arw]

Then again, it's from Elevation tour, so not many people had internet back then.

Huh? I've had internet access since I was in college, so at least since 1994. Maybe you're talking about Europe but I followed the Elevation tour on Interference, U2log, and also on a bunch of other sites that no longer exist....like youtwo.net or something like that. I used to love that site. But anyways, lots of people had internet access way back during the Elevation tour.


anyways as far as the original post goes, there's no way those are real. I have 3 out of 4 of those signatures that I personally got and my stuff doesn't look like that. Plus as others have mentioned, it's too neat and clean. They write all over the place and would never each pick a corner and sign perfectly like that.

 

[arw]

I don't have any stats, but I do know in around 2000 we got our first computer. That was a Windows 3.1 thing without internet. I blew it up with a Floppydisk with Pokemon Blue on it that had a major virus. I don't recall any of my friends having internet at that time, nor did we have it at school. That all started at highschool a year later, it started to become interesting. Then later google happened and wikipedia and it all evolved super fast.
So I don't find it a strange idea that people didn't have that much internet back then, even if they had it it'd have been dial-up and photos wouldn't have been uploaded. They might be now, but I can't find any of a meeting with the band members in Glasgow, august 2001.

sorry but I think you're way off on your comments about the internet, dial up, etc. There was a ton of action going on here during the Elevation tour, dial up or not. Dial up was a way of life before broadband so of course pics were uploaded. You just waited. I just don't think everyone put every single detail of their lives on the internet as they do now, mainly thanks to websites like facebook and twitter. There's a ton of U2 websites that simply no longer exist anymore where this info might have been posted.

 

[I Move in Mysterious Ways]

I suppose it depends on where you live and what the trends were there, but by the time I started college in 99, the internet was in every dorm room. In 2001, I remember buying the tickets for my first U2 show online and excitedly looking though even U2 fansite (including this on) I could find for info, mp3 downloads, etc.

 

[Galeongirl]

I guess there was a major difference between where I lived and the US back then. We didn't have internet at school until something 2001.

 

[doctorwho]

My personal opinion is that they are fake.

I have several Bono autographs and have been fortunate enough to view other autographs that belong to friends.

Here is a legit Edge autograph.

Here are legit ones of all band members.

Here's another of all the band.

If I were you, I would ask for a refund from the seller of the cd and mention nothing of it being fake to the seller so as to make sure you get your money back.

The other thing to think about is that the band would never make their signature that small on a CD. It would be sprawled across and messy. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

There is a facebook group who also post and discuss legit and fake autographs.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/175579025807080/

I have several U2 signed items. I met the Edge in 1997 where he signed his "face" on the "POP" CD liner notes. Comparing that signature to the other items strongly suggests the others I own are legit. I also have Certificates of Authenticity for the others. Furthermore, I obtained these items from a company that specializes in selling officially signed items - if they were fake, their business would collapse.

Based on that, Edge's signature on your CD seems fair at best. The neatness, especially for Larry, seems fake. Bono does have a loop, but it's usually not in that spot. Adam's signature, as noted from U2Brother's examples, is usually quite messy.

Hence, I too am leaning toward fake. However, I am not signature expert. And as I know my own personal signature can take on MANY variations, there is a chance these are legit.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[mama cass]

I guess there was a major difference between where I lived and the US back then. We didn't have internet at school until something 2001.

i'm in Europe and i was a regular Internet user from around 1996, originally via Compuserve (mostly for my work though as it was still quite expensive), then with a broadband ISP from 1997/98... i remember the old Zootopia was active in 2001, and i'd been using the Internet for absolutely ages and ages by then...

 

[Popmartijn]

I guess there was a major difference between where I lived and the US back then. We didn't have internet at school until something 2001.

I don't think it was just a US thing. I got Internet access at my university in 1995 (maybe even the year before, but in 1995 everyone got their email accounts) and my parents got it at home in the late '90s. Yes, it was dial-up at home, but still enough to browse forums and look/download pictures. It was streaming video that was a bitch.

 

[doctorwho]

sorry but I think you're way off on your comments about the internet, dial up, etc. There was a ton of action going on here during the Elevation tour, dial up or not. Dial up was a way of life before broadband so of course pics were uploaded. You just waited. I just don't think everyone put every single detail of their lives on the internet as they do now, mainly thanks to websites like facebook and twitter. There's a ton of U2 websites that simply no longer exist anymore where this info might have been posted.

I fully agree.

I created a U2 based website back in 1995 or so. I focused on some bootleg or rare CD's. Back then, the world was different and there was no way to get some of U2's live recordings without buying a bootleg CD from a concert.

Pictures were not the issue - larger sound files were. In 1995, there were no mp3's. In fact, Interference - this site - shot to fame in late 1996 because of an early release of "Discotheque". Joel - the original owner - can tell the story. Their goal wasn't to scoop U2 - he was under the impression that it was released. In any event, we downloaded that song as a wav file. As most of us had dial-up, it was time-consuming.

By 2000, most companies had internet. In fact, rules about what was acceptable to view online at a company were forming. Some companies used DSL (especially a small company), but eventually they all converted to T3 and then more powerful systems.

In 2000, I was posting weekly updates for the sales of ATYCLB in the "Peeling Off Those Dollar Bills" forum (I came up with the name - my one contribution to Interference! LOL!).

People were sharing photos of their concert experiences in 2001. So the internet was quite alive and active in 2000 and 2001.

Now, was it as popular as it is now? Of course not. 10 years later and most people have cable modems at home and smartphones with 3G access. More and more is wireless with routers. And the past decade has allowed a new generation to grow up with the internet. Better technology also means far faster downloads. In 2000, the RIAA was able to "catch" people downloading songs as it took a while - even with mp3's - to download thanks to dial-up. Now, a 3 MB file downloads so fast, it would be difficult for anyone to "catch" that. This is probably one reason the RIAA has stopped suing (or suing as much - that, and their sue threats generated a backlash and caused people to download even more).

 

[gvox]

I guess there was a major difference between where I lived and the US back then. We didn't have internet at school until something 2001.

Yeah that must be it. I've been on dialup since the early-mid 90s at home. I forget what service we used for pics but it was done sparingly. And yeah no social networking really unless you count "dating" sites

 

[arw]

In 2001, I remember buying the tickets for my first U2 show online and excitedly looking though even U2 fansite (including this on) I could find for info, mp3 downloads, etc.

U2.com had presales for the Elevation tour but that was so impossible to get a code to work! Worse than the Vertigo tour. People think U2.com sucks now but it was so, sooo bad back then. I used to download U2 boots from that tour from winmx on dial up overnight when everyone in my house was sleeping....and I'd wake up to see that only a few songs were finished after like 8 hours of being connected to the site

 

[Galeongirl]

I don't think it was just a US thing. I got Internet access at my university in 1995 (maybe even the year before, but in 1995 everyone got their email accounts) and my parents got it at home in the late '90s. Yes, it was dial-up at home, but still enough to browse forums and look/download pictures. It was streaming video that was a bitch.

Okay I guess my parents were late to the party then. I grew up completely sheltered from the internet until early 2000.

 

[gvox]

I grew up completely sheltered from the internet until early 2000.

In all seriousness tho, I just realized something...the internet played a huge role in me getting to my first U2 show, and in getting so wrapped up in the band again...I went thru a period of 5 or so years in the 90s where I wasn't so into them - by that I mean being in tuned to everything band related on a daily basis..it was the pre Elevation internet hype and then the announcement (again, on the internet) of the extra 8 shows at the end of Elevation that got me really fired up again.