Star Trek Fakes

Star Trek Autographs.

With Star Trek's longevity, loyal fan base, and ongoing projects fans who collect memorabilia have to watch out for those trying to cash in on the franchise's popularity by selling Star Trek Fakes.

Star Trek Autographs.

Star Trek Rare Collectibles

Star Trek has become one of the most-recognized science-fiction legends in the world. For the true Trekkie rare collectibles make a great addition to any collection. Rare doesn't necessarily mean old, nor does it have to mean expensive. These collectibles are just hard to come by and can include anything from a $7.00 pattern for making your own Next Generation Star Trek Uniform to paying thousands of dollars for an item actually used in one of the TV series or movies. For example the Ressikan flute played by Jean Luc Picard in three episodes of TNG sold for $48,000 at the 40th Anniversary Star Trek auction.

Suit Filed States Items Were Star Trek Fakes

One collector who bought items at this action, Ted Moustakis, ended up filing a $7 million lawsuit alleging that items sold were Star Trek fakes. In all, Moustakis won three pieces through the auction:

• One of Data's uniforms (worn by actor Brent Spiner) – The Next Generation
• A poker table used on the ST: The Next Generation
• A poker visor worn by Data (Brent Spiner)

It seems that Moustakis had the opportunity to show the pieces to Spiner, who said the visor wasn't authentic because he had sold the original on eBay years before. According to Moustakis, Spiner also said that he had told Christie's the visor and poker table were not original pieces. If this is true, it means Moustakis paid $12,000 for copies.

Star Trek Autographs

Often autographs sold as genuine are not actually signed by the individual. These fakes come about in a number of ways and sometimes with the actor's blessing. Here are a few of the devices used to generate fake autographs:

• Autopen – This mechanical writing device signs a name based on a programmed pattern. The result is a realistic signature. Some Autopens are better than others and so are the resulting autographs. Good copies are not always easy to spot, but if two autographs match each other perfectly, you can know that they were signed by an Autopen. People known to use Autopens include many politicians, baseball players, and musicians.

• Preprints – Preprints are easier to spot because they are a copy of an original signed photograph. They can usually be detected with careful observation. Not only will the autograph look flat and beneath the surface of the photo, but all the photos will look exactly the same. Some of the famous people who have been known to send out preprints include;

• • Charles Bronson
  • Jimmy Carter
  • Calista Flockhart
  • Jerry Seinfeld
  • Most Star Trek actors
  • Most TV cast photos

When a Fake Autograph Becomes a Forgery

While the above autographs are not authentic, they are also not forgeries unless the signature is forged for the purpose of selling it as authentic. To be sure you're not buying a fake take the following precautions:

1. Compare the signature to authentic samples
2. Compare letters of the signature in relation to each other. Watch out for signatures where all of the letters are the same size.
3. Examine the tilt and size of the autograph. Most people's writing is consistent.
4. Don't be quick to buy an autograph that looks like it was written with slow deliberation or stops in the middle of a name. This can be the result of someone tracing an autograph.

Certificates of Authenticity

Unfortunately, a Certificate of Authenticity does not guarantee you have an authentic autograph. People willing to forge an autograph and sell it will think nothing of doing the same with a Certificate of Authenticity.

While imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery, when it comes to spending your hard earned money for a collectible, you don't want to be sold a fake. According to eBay's Is That Autograph Authentic, on average 80 percent of autographed memorabilia sold on their site is fraudulent. Check out eBay's guide for more tips on how to spot a fake.

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