Unfortunately, fraudulent behaviors and practices dont stop. This time, a Maya Angelou first edition of Wouldnt Take Nothing For My Journey Now.
Found at a Pennsylvania bookseller, Books Tell You Why inspector Christopher Koch identified this forgery: a traced signature. How is this being done? Usually, the forger (1) takes the silhouette of a signature, printed or real, and portraits it onto the target area, either with a projector on top or with a light table from underneath; (2) then, usually with a pencil first, traces the signature; (3) the pencil signature is then traced with the final pen/marker, most always a thicker marker is used to not make the signature appear jittery; (4) as a last step, the pencil signature is erased again.
When looking at this particular signature under a magnifying glass or a high-resolution scanner (1,200 dpi), a number of identifiers became apparent. Most obvious were the thick, non-fluid signature and the underlying impression of the pencil tracing:
The real signature of Maya Angelou looks quite different, it is fluid and elegant:
For a list of authors and signatures to assist in the authentication process of signed books, please refer to the Reference Autographs & Signatures at Books Tell You Why.
