Shane, Your intentions are admirable. As a serious collector of archery memorabilia during the past five decades, I have seen hundreds of Fred Bear signatures and owned many of dozens of items signed by Fred.
On one occasion 30 some years ago, Fred and I sat in the back of Floyd Ecclection’s camper and I had Fred sign a stack of over 40 black & white 8x10 photographs of Fred with animals and a dozen 1950s Bear Arrows. As with all signatures, there were variations in these signatures that were singed over a period of 45 minutes to an hour. I have Fred Bear signatures from the 1940s through the 1980s on arrows, bows, books, quivers, photographs, and other paper items. There are many variations in Fred’s signature over the years.
After retiring in 2001, I became a certified appraiser in the field of archery collectibles as I was in the process of writing books about collectible archery items and felt that it was wise to have official accreditation to be appraising and certifying vintage archery items.
I will only provide a written appraisal for items that I have in my possession as these items need to be closely examined and photographed. Some of the items that have been sent to me for appraisal over the years have not been authentic and the written appraisal clearly states that. I have seen many other items that I know are not authentic Fred Bear signatures, but generally never say anything unless asked, as everyone wants to think they have a special collectible and the more they paid for it, the less likely they are to accept the reality that the item is not legitimate. We collectors are a strange breed indeed. All of my written appraisals have detailed photographs of the item embedded on the written appraisal so anyone can compare the actual item to the appraisal document. In the case of a signature on a bow, the appraisal would contain detailed photographs of the signature, the serial number, unique grain in the wood, as well as other unique features, nicks, scratches, holes, separations, etc. It would be next to totally and completely impossible for anyone to replicate the item in the photographs. I charge dearly for written appraisal services because doing this correctly is time consuming, however, if an item proves to not be authentic, I do not charge for the appraisal, only the return postage.
If you hear anyone say, I had this item appraised at $500, simply ask to see the written appraisal and contact the appraiser, who if creditable, will always have his contact information on the appraisal, and will always keep detailed records of his appraisals.
If I am somewhere and a person asks what an items is worth, or if it is authentic, I will gladly provide a verbal response free of charge. A verbal statement is not the same as a written appraisal, and the two should never be confused, despite all that you may have seen of Mike and Frank on “American Pickers” on the History channel.
Like my Father frequently said about business, “Free professional advice is generally worth exactly what you paid for it.”
Actually, Fred Bear’s signature is not rare. I have long said that the only archery personality who signed more archery related items than Fred Bear was Glenn St. Charles, and that was only because Glenn was still alive for well over 20 years after Fred passed away.
Topic: Authenticating a Fred Bear Signature (Read 1058 times)
