Elvis and Beatles Are The Most Forged Celebrity Autographs

If you're like me and you're a fan of music, movies or sports, you want to own a few valuable keepsakes from some of your your favorite celebrities. The internet offers a multitude of places to buy memorabilia, but beware, there are a lot of forgeries out there.According to PSA/DNA, a group that bills itself as "the largest and most trusted third-party grading and authentication company in the world", Elvis Presley and The Beatles are the most forged celebrity autographs.

The organization notes that signatures from many popular entertainers and historical figures are more likely than not to be counterfeit. The Ten Most Dangerous Autographs also lists performers such as Michael Jackson, Doors singer Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix.

Other famous celebrity forgeries making the top ten include astronaut Neil Armstrong, President John F. Kennedy, Walt Disney, Judy Garland and Marilyn Munroe.

The PSA/DNA list of the most forged sports celebrity autographs include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali.

The organization warns, "there are a lot of so-called 'deals' that can be found on the Internet, at local flea markets and even at some collectibles conventions, but most of these 'deals' are too good to be true. Genuine autographs do not often come with a huge discount. As the saying goes, you usually get what you pay for."  PSA/DNA says the more rare the autograph, the more likely it is to be forged. If you want to ensure your purchase is legitimate, buy only from reputable sellers who use third party authentication.

In case you're wondering, the photograph of Elvis with his autograph and note to famous composer Irving Berlin is authentic. It is not, unfortunately, from my collection.