Collectors Corner is a free, public resource from The Manuscript Society for collectors (of all types.) This section of the website will include resources, tips, quips and information in the world of manuscripts.
Our first offering is a list of known facsimiles—items which look like real autographs and manuscripts, but which are in fact realistic (and sometimes not so realistic) copies. To the right is one of the most famous, a letter from England’s George V welcoming American troops during World War I in April 1918. Courtesy of Catherine Barnes. If you’d like to submit a facsimile, please click on the link below.
Check back often to find out what’s new in the Collector’s Corner!
Recent Collectors Corner Posts
Americana is a Creed & Celluloid Paper Trail, reviews
As Bill Butts says, “It is all about education." The educated collector is the savvy collector. Each year reference works, how-tos, exhibition catalogs, bibliographies, and memoirs useful to collectors are published. Unfortunately, they receive little attention in the media. Bill takes the time to review 3 to 6 books in [...]
Declaration of Independence: A Free Webinar
The Declaration of Independence – So many Versions, So many Fakes - A Free Webinar Did you know so many versions and facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence exist? Dunlap, Stone, Tyler, and Binns are only a few. Which ones are rare? Are any valuable? Which ones are copies? How [...]
Autographs I have Known: George Vogt
Manuscript Society members come from various backgrounds and quite diverse interests. Collectors, archivists, historians, dealers, universities, historical societies, private libraries and so many others. All have in common the love of paper: signed letters, manuscripts, photographs, preserving history in all of its forms. George Vogt, past president and fellow of [...]
Presidential Autographs: An Unintended Collection
Have you ever wondered how someone gets interested in collecting? Does it begin when you are young - collecting signed baseballs, pictures of favorite singers or love letters you found in your attic? Maybe your passion for reading about American History draws you to collecting pieces of that history. Retired [...]
Political Cartoons – Documents to Collect?
DOCUMENTS? Members of the Manuscript Society collect many kinds of “documents.” Some collect photographs, some collect letters, some collect illustrations. Long time Society member, Anthony J. Mourek shares his collecting passion: "I own few traditional manuscripts yet I have been a member of the Manuscript Society since 1968, am a [...]
Can I Deduct That? An Introduction to Appraisals
As Stuart Lutz notes in his article, Can I Deduct that? An Introduction to Appraisals, “Appraisal work is one of the most misunderstood and most mythologized areas in the antiques field. In particular, the manuscript field is plagued with “products of work” and “self-created archives” that are not allowed to [...]