Jul 07, 2008
They say that video killed the radio star…so in the age of camera phones
and Facebook you’d be forgiven for thinking that autographs are a thing
of the past.
However, new research out today reveals that philography, or autograph
collecting, is thriving in Great Britain…and it could even make a better
investment than stocks and shares or the housing market.
According to omnibus research conducted for Sharpie, the brand of
permanent marker chosen by celebrities globally as the autograph tool of
choice, 50% of the adult British population has asked a celebrity for an
autograph, with one in ten of them making requests in the past year.
Sports Stars’ Signatures Are Most Sought After
When it comes to our favourite type of celebrity to approach for an
autograph, sports stars top the league, making up 45% of autographs
hunted, while TV celebrities take second place with 34%, and pop stars
third place with 20%.
David Beckham’s autograph on his 100th England cap is perceived as the
most valuable autograph from a list of British sporting heroes’ items.
From a given list, an overwhelming 42% of the 2,005 people surveyed
would favour Golden Balls’ signature on the iconic cap over:
• Jonny Wilkinson’s autograph on his rugby boots from the 2003 World Cup
win (13%)
• Lewis Hamilton’s signature on his yellow racing helmet from his first
F1 win (8%)
• Sir Steve Redgrave’s autograph on his oars from any of his five
Olympic gold medal performances (7%)
• Virginia Wade’s signature on her tennis racquet from her 1977
Wimbledon singles win (7%)
• Dame Kelly Holmes’ autograph on her running shoes from her 2004
Olympic gold medal performance (1%)
In fact, more than half of Brits would like to have David Beckham’s
autograph (53%) and, despite his growing popularity as a celebrity and
fashion icon, would prefer to have his signature on an item of football
memorabilia (35%) than on anything else.
HRH Queen Elizabeth is Most Wanted
When it comes to the most wanted autographs from any of today’s
celebrities, The Queen and Nelson Mandela top the list, followed by
David Beckham, Tony Blair, Johnny Depp, Bob Dylan, Alex Fergusson, Lewis
Hamilton, the Dalai Lama, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard,
Margaret Thatcher and Robbie Williams, who all came in at second place.
Kav Patel, Group Brand Manager for Sharpie UK, commented: “Sharpie
markers write on just about anything, so they’re the autograph tool of
choice for collectors and celebrities all over the world. We
commissioned the research to find out more about the growing popularity
of autograph hunting in the UK and to discover what the most sought
after celebrity signatures are.
“Earlier this year we revealed David Beckham as the face of the Sharpie
brand in a two-year global marketing campaign that includes a TV
commercial, set to break here in the UK this month. We’re delighted to
see from the research that his autograph is more popular than ever.”
Autograph Hunting is Big Business
No longer the territory of anoraks and school-boy collectors, autograph
hunting is proving to be big business in the UK, with many stars’
signatures fetching thousands of pounds. Garry King, Chairman of the
Autograph Fair Trade Association, explains:
“Autographing over the last five years in the UK has seen a phenomenal
increase in popularity. With the current rise in celebrity culture,
everyone from experienced collectors to the man on the street wants to
own a piece of their favourite star.
“Whilst the traditional autograph on paper still holds joy within a
collection, having something special signed will set a collection apart
from anyone else’s. From gold discs to paper cups and boxing gloves,
more and more celebrities are being asked to sign unusual objects;
because it’s worth more, both in money and pride.”
When it comes to identifying autographs of value, Brits need some
guidance. Nearly seven in ten (67%) of those surveyed for Sharpie failed
to pick out William Shakespeare’s signature as the most valuable
autograph from a list, instead choosing Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe,
Elvis, Walt Disney, Pablo Picasso, John F Kennedy and Mother Theresa.
Perhaps this is because monetary gain is not the most important factor
to Brits. The research revealed that only 6% would choose to ask their
favourite celebrity for an autograph to profiteer from it, whilst 42%
prefer to request a signature for sentimental reasons.
Whilst this sentiment is admirable, Brits could be missing a trick as
autographs could prove to be a better investment than stocks and shares
in the current economic climate. According to Garry King the average
value of some of his high-end autographs has increased by 1000% over the
past ten years .