Have you ever wondered how we trace the origins of a signed record that comes through our hands? Recently, we received a remarkable Tears For Fears collection, featuring two signed copies of Mad World - a 12" and a 7" single - along with several other autographed records. When we contacted the collection’s owner, Debra, to provide our valuation, we also asked about how the records came to be signed, helping us verify the authenticity of the signatures.
The response we received was wonderfully detailed, and Debra was happy for us to pass her stories along.
The Stories Behind The Signatures:
We received an incredibly detailed account of how the records were signed - which we knew we wanted to share with you. Debra included pictures from the signings and meet and greets, giving us a complete time capsule back into the 1980s.
"The early stuff was signed over two gigs at Poole Arts Centre in 1983. We met them at one of the gigs when they did a meet and greet, that's me and my sister in the photo. A couple of the vinyls were signed at that meet."
"The other early Tears For Fears vinyls were signed, at another gig at the Arts Centre, when we handed them in backstage and asked if they would ask the band to sign them. We did not meet the band that time, and were not present for the signing, but I had accidentally left my camera in the bag with the vinyl and, although I did not get any pictures of the gig that night, when we picked up the signed vinyl and camera after the gig and had the photos developed, we had pictures that the band had taken backstage. There are five of these, two of Roland applying make-up, one of Curt, one of Ian Stanley and one of Manny Ella's, drummer."
"The later vinyl from the Songs From The Big Chair tour were signed after a gig at Portsmouth Guildhall in April 1985. My stepdad, George, was working as security on the door of the Guildhall that night and he told us, again me and my sister, Annette, that they were staying at the Holiday Inn, Port Solent, so we drove up there and waited for the tour bus to arrive. Ian Stanley invited us in for a drink, and we sat and chatted to Roland for an hour, tasting his campari and orange juice that he was into at that time. No photos were taken at that meet as I felt we had already pushed it invading their privacy!"
Debra’s stories offer a fascinating glimpse into her years seeing Tears For Fears and the memories tied to her collection. It’s always a privilege to uncover not just the records themselves, but the personal moments that bring them to life.
How else can records end up signed?
For more modern records, an artist will often release a limited run of signed records, either with a signed print, or signed on the cover. We see these relatively frequently in modern collections we purchase.
If we are unable to ascertain whether a signature is genuine, while we will mark it as signed, we will put 'appears to be signed' in the description of the product. If you are looking to purchase a signed record, and would like some more information about it, feel free to contact us with the unique product number, and we may be able to give you more information.
