It's not uncommon for people to approach us with offers to sell letters or other items signed by famous individuals, with Winston Churchill being one of the most popular. However, most of these letters are standard, with no personal salutation and often just thank you notes. In fact, they are usually sent out by Churchill's office during his many years as an MP, and not just during or after World War II. The problem is that most of them have printed signatures, which are worth very little (around £30 to £70 each for Churchill printed letters). Unfortunately, many people, including auction houses and so-called experts, cannot tell the difference between a printed and genuine signature.
Click here to take a good look at this guide to see some examples of the printed letters.
To determine if your item has a printed signature, try doing a Google image search to find a similar item. If it's printed, you will likely find an exact match. If not, use a magnifying glass (about 10x is perfect) to compare the signature and writing to a real ink signature on paper, even if it's not Churchill's. Look for variations in colour depth and the way the ink lays on the paper, creating bridges and tunnels. If the item appears to be typewritten, check for indentations on the paper, as printed typewriting won't show any.
But be warned, printed signatures come in different forms, and what we are discussing here are the printed signatures on letters etc, not on photos or postcards, as they are often added to the item in a different manner. Some are die stamped and some rubber stamped and both have different characteristics, but we can discuss those another day!
Hope that goes some way to helping with printed signatures!
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