The Autographs and Collectible Memorabilia Blog

University of Michigan Discovers Galileo Manuscript is a Forgery

The University of Michigan was devastated to find out that one of its most famous artifacts turned out to be a forgery. In their possession since 1938, the manuscript was supposed to have been authenticated many years before. The library’s curators were alerted after historian Nick Wilding reported his concerns about the artifact being a fake.

Damaged Photos: Guidelines to Types of Damage

While photos may not look alive, the environment impacts them significantly. Most photo damage occurs slowly over time and catches many people by surprise. For collectors, avoiding damage in their photos is crucial. Some photographs have an incalculable value, but they are only worth as much as their quality at...

Gustav Mahler Symphony 2 "Resurrection": The Gilbert Kaplan Story

Music has touched the hearts and lives of people since its beginnings. It's a way to explore the most profound feelings and mysteries of the human experience and bring people together. Almost everyone has a story or two regarding how a particular piece of music touched their soul at one...

The Schubertiade Music Festival Continues to Create Community

Over two centuries since the first Schubertiades were first held, the festivals continue to bring people together and create a community of like-minded people. From small, intimate gatherings to massive, world-famous celebrations, one thing all Schubertiades have in common is connecting lovers of chamber music and lieder-singing. "Schubertiade" (1868) by...

On the Hunt for The Sopranos Memorabilia: An Overview

More than 20 years ago, on Sunday, January 10, 1999, HBO broadcasted the pilot episode of ‘The Sopranos’. The series ran for two decades, and was centered around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, discussing with his psychiatrist the difficulties he faces trying to balance his family life with...

Autograph vs Signature — What’s the Difference & Where to Buy Authentic Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Autograph is a versatile word because it can be used as a noun, a verb, or even an adjective. An autograph is a person’s own handwriting (auto: self, graph: drawing or writing). It is a more general or broad term or concept than a hand-made signature, which is a person´s name handwritten in a particular style and calligraphy, in a distinctive way that can be used as identification.

The Conried Met, 1906-1908: Farrar, Caruso, and Salome

AN AMERICAN DIVA Geraldine Farrar was the only opera singer to rival Enrico Caruso’s popularity at the Met. Born in Melrose, Massachusetts in 1882, an authentic American diva, she studied in New York, came to the attention of soprano luminaries Nellie Melba and Lillian Nordica and, not yet twenty years...

Adelina Patti: 19th Century's Diva and Queen of Voice

Dubbed by many as “one of the greatest sopranos of all time”, the opera singer Adelina Patti took the mid-19th century by storm with her unmatched coloratura singing and exquisite tone of voice. A child prodigy at birth, she would then rise to fame and rank among some of the...

The Conried Met: 1903-1906

A NEW MANAGER From 1891 to 1903, Maurice Grau had been an urbane and knowledgeable steward for the Metropolitan’s transformation into an international opera house. The style of Heinrich Conried, his successor in the manager’s office, could not have been more different. Grau had made the Met a congenial home...

Autograph Books - A Record of Past and Present

Autographs are some of collectors' most prized possessions, often scribbled onto photographs, programs, memorabilia, or any odd piece of material. But what is better than one famous signature? An entire collection, of course! Some of the most impressive collections of autographs are stored in autograph books from throughout history. ...

Star Wars Autograph Values - A Complete Guide

Star Wars is an American film franchise, originally created by director and producer George Lucas. The story is set in a distant galaxy, where the ultimate battle between good and evil is being fought. The Star Wars autograph universe can be described as something of a modern space fairy tale, as a mysterious power...

Giuseppina Strepponi - The Real Traviata

Giuseppina Strepponi (1815–1897) was a famous nineteenth-century Italian operatic soprano. The eldest daughter of the famous Italian composer and conductor, Feliciano Strepponi and the second wife of Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) . Giuseppina’s performances in a number of Verdi’s early such as Oberto (1839) and Nabucco (1842) helped launch the composer in Italy...

Autograph Collecting 101: A Beginner’s Guide

Collecting autographs: You might have thought about it or even done it over the years. Every time you go to a concert, you see a gaggle of autograph collectors lining up to get their music memorabilia signed by their favorite artist. Sometimes, you wonder if you’re bold enough to join...

Ole Bull:The Norwegian Violin Virtuoso

Born Ole Bornemann Bull (1810-1880), the violinist has been overshadowed by contemporaries of his time as Paganini (1782-1840), Wieniawski (1835-1880) and subsequently Ysaÿe (1858-1931). Be that as it may, Bull was still one of the most celebrated artists of his time, often being hailed as the “Norwegian Paganini” for...

Teresa Berganza: The Legacy of a Spanish Opera Star

A dramatic figure with flashing dark eyes, Teresa Berganza passed away last May 13th, 2022, at 89, and was acclaimed as a coloratura mezzo-soprano, with a vocal register that was warm at its lower range and supple at its higher end. Her repertoire included mostly the operas of Mozart and Rossini and...

Live at the Met, 1900-1903: the Mapleson Cylinders

Miracle of miracles, we are obliged not only to imagine the sound of some of the starry evenings in the last years of Maurice Grau’s regime--we can actually hear their dim echo in recordings made “live at the Met” from 1900 until 1903. For this boon we are grateful to...

Autograph Collectors of the Past: Louis Koch

Autograph collectors are what keeps the hobby alive, and sometimes their collections become so vast and important, that they can make a mark in history as keepers of valuable historical documents and photos. Louis Koch (1862-1932) was a true Renaissance man with a profound appreciation for beauty in any form....

Gone With the Wind Collectibles Price Guide — What’s Valuable & Why

Gone With the Wind remains one of the most beloved and collectible films in history. This complete Gone With the Wind collectibles price guide helps you understand which memorabilia are worth collecting, what they commonly sell for, and what makes them valuable. If the inflation correction is taken into account,...

Radu Lupu, A Romanian Pianist, Has Died At Age 76

On Sunday, April 17, 2022, Lupu passed away in Lausanne, Switzerland, after a protracted illness. Lupu served as a role model and a source of motivation for musicians worldwide. Among the many composers whose works he has recorded are Schubert, Mozart, Bartok, Beethoven, and Brahms. Pianist Radu Lupu was born...

The 2022 New York international Antiquarian Book Fair!

After a 2-year absence due to the pandemic, the largest fair in the antiquarian book world is now open With nearly 200 dealers from the US and Europe, the fair at the Park Avenue Armory attracts over 25,000 visitors in every edition. There is, as always, lots of...

Bronislaw Huberman and the Orchestra of Exiles

A SON IS BORN On December 19, 1882, in the small city of Czestochowa, Silesia, Poland, Alexandra Huberman births her first child, Bronislaw. Jacob barely showed any interest in his child but was content to know that he had long, strong fingers with which he can play the violin with...

The Met’s Golden Age in the Gilded Age: 1891-1903

Each generation of music-lovers tends to look back longingly at the recent past and reminisce about what seemed to them a “Golden Age.” But commentators of opera in New York tend to agree that the true ”Golden Age” corresponds to what has been called “the Gilded Age,” the late 19th...

How to Protect your Autographs from Fading

Welcome to this guide on the steps you can take to take care of your autograph collection. Over time, autographs will fade if they're not taken care of appropriately and there's nothing worse than a beloved autograph fading and becoming unrecognizable. By storing them properly, you can rest assured that...

The Rimsky-Korsakov Museum in St Petersburg, Russia - A Visit

For classical music fans visiting St. Petersburg, a visit to the Rimsky-Korsakov Museum is a must. This preserved apartment honors the legacy of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of Russia’s most famous composers. The lovingly reconstructed apartment is St. Petersburg’s only museum dedicated exclusively to one composer, making it a unique find...

THE AUTOGRAPH BLOG

University of Michigan Discovers Galileo Manuscript is a Forgery

Damaged Photos: Guidelines to Types of Damage

Gustav Mahler Symphony 2 "Resurrection": The Gilbert Kaplan Story

The Schubertiade Music Festival Continues to Create Community

On the Hunt for The Sopranos Memorabilia: An Overview

Autograph vs Signature — What’s the Difference & Where to Buy Authentic Autographed Sports Memorabilia

The Conried Met, 1906-1908: Farrar, Caruso, and Salome

Adelina Patti: 19th Century's Diva and Queen of Voice

The Conried Met: 1903-1906

Autograph Books - A Record of Past and Present

Star Wars Autograph Values - A Complete Guide

Giuseppina Strepponi - The Real Traviata

Autograph Collecting 101: A Beginner’s Guide

Ole Bull:The Norwegian Violin Virtuoso

Teresa Berganza: The Legacy of a Spanish Opera Star

Live at the Met, 1900-1903: the Mapleson Cylinders

Autograph Collectors of the Past: Louis Koch

Gone With the Wind Collectibles Price Guide — What’s Valuable & Why

Radu Lupu, A Romanian Pianist, Has Died At Age 76

The 2022 New York international Antiquarian Book Fair!

Bronislaw Huberman and the Orchestra of Exiles

The Met’s Golden Age in the Gilded Age: 1891-1903

How to Protect your Autographs from Fading

The Rimsky-Korsakov Museum in St Petersburg, Russia - A Visit

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Autograph Collecting Guide

Framing and Storing Autographs