You’re close!. This is what a real signature looks like, BUT...

This is a 5x7 promotional photo sent out thru the mail to people asking for autographs. The signature is a “heat stamp”

Heat Stamping is a process that prints the signature on the paper after the photo has been produced. It looks very real.

On the signature there will not be any difference in ink color even when the letters cross over each other. Real ink will be darker because basically the pen has gone over the same area twice. If you look on the back of a heat stamped photo you will usually see a uniform indention where the stamp was used.

Another way to tell if it is a heat stamp is the signature is ALWAYS EXACTLY THE SAME from picture to picture. A feat that is humanly impossible.

There is another version of a heat stamp Andy photo. The signature is hard to make out but it is EXACTLY the same as the photo above. It’s hard to tell because the signature is on the dark part of the photo.

I recently saw this one on ebay and sent the seller this message:

me: Hello. I read your story with interest on this auction. However I must disagree. The photo in your auction was indeed a hand-out/mail-out photo. But the signature is a heat stamp. There were 2 types of these photos that were passed out. You can see the other example here: http://mayberryemporium.net/html/close__.html All I ask is you compare the signature on your photo to the one on this web page. I already have and they are identical, a feat that is humanly impossible. I choose to believe that you are just confused in your memories about your visit to the set of the Andy Griffith Show. Thanks

I got no response.

I noticed someone bid on this piece so I notified them of my suspicions.

Then I got this from the seller:

CLOSE UP OF SIGNATURE

boomerchinde: You have interfered with a private auction by contacting a potential buyer. This is against Ebay rules. If you are a PADA dealer, or a PSA/DNA authenticator and can substantiate your claim I can look past this indiscretion. If you aren't, then you may be assured I am reporting your interfernce to Ebay. They do not look kindly upon such activity.

me: Greetings. I notified you about this photo and didn't hear back. I didn't tell your potential buyer anything that I did not tell you first.
I can tell you with 100% accuracy that the photo you are offering is indeed a heat stamp. I have seen many handfuls of these over the years. They were sent out through the mail for autograph requests.
I am not an official member of any autograph organization. I'm just a collector who knows what I am talking about. I have been dealing with Andy Griffith Show related autographs for over 30 years. If you would show your photo to anyone who knows anything about autographs, they will tell you in a heartbeat that the signature is a heat stamp.
I am getting really tired of people trying to sell fake autographs and using eBay to hide. If you think I am wrong about this then please report it to eBay. If they do any checking into it at all they will find I am correct in this case. If they choose not to investigate then I'm not sure I want to be a part of something that willingly and knowingly allows crooks to practice their craft on eBay's web site. Thanks, Gary - andyfan1

boomerchinde: Now you're referring to me as a "crook"!? You admit you have no credentials, interfere in a sale, and expect me to simply take your word. Just yesterday I had someone tell me my Frank Sinatra was a secretarially signed photo and not original. I scanned it and sent it to a PADA dealer who not only authenticated it, but bought it. I am also tired of people ripping others off on Ebay over authographs, as I've been a collector for years. But I'm also upset with people telling me my items are not valid when they don't have the credentials the support their position. The address you've given me to make a comparison shows nothing similar to what I have. I followed your instructions clearly, typing in the exact address as you've given it. The photo I have has no indentations of a heat stamp, and every sign of a ball point pen. I do most of my dealings with PADA dealers only, and now I get interference in a sale from someone with no certification. Tell me why I shouldn't be upset.

me: Let me try this again. The address is:

http://www.mayberryemporium.net/html/close__.html

The image on the first photograph you will see is not like yours - however the signature on this photo is EXACTLY the same as the signature on yours. This can't be humanly done on 2 photographs, let alone 1000's. All of these heat stamped photos are 5 x 7. Please copy and paste the first photo to your computer and print it out at approximately the same size as yours. Lay mine over yours and hold it up to a light and you can see what I am talking about.
I did not call you a crook. I said anyone who knowingly sells a fake autograph on eBay is a crook. I still choose to believe you just don't know what you have. I do not have any "official" credentials as to autograph collecting - just 30 years in dealing with primarily Andy Griffith Show related signatures.
I would have no idea about the authenticity of any other signatures of yours because I know nothing about them. This photo however is a completely different story. I have seen hundreds of these and I definitely know it is a heat stamp. Thanks, Gary - andyfan1

boomerchinde: I am VERY upset. I remember vividly receiving Andy's autograph. After viewing the photo this morning at the link you sent (which finally worked) I can see without doubt this is indeed a heat stamp. Not knowing how this happened, I phoned several persons who went on this trip with me as a child -- two cousins, one brother, and discovered that many years ago, while we were still young, my brother switched the photos. He took my original and replaced it with one he had received from the tour guide. For nearly forty years I've treasured a photo that wasn't even original, much less mine. To top it all off, he doesn't even know where my original is or what happened to it.

I am not going to close the auction early because I don't know how after there is a bid on this. I have contacted the bidder and filled him or her in on the situation, and will certainly not hold anyone to a purchase. Any further bids will lead me to do the same with those people. To alter my description would make it look like I was simply trying to keep away bidders because I had a non ebay buyer at a higher price. Besides, even I find it hard to believe this has happened to me.

me: I truly appreciate your honesty. I understand that things happen we have no control over. I think you can still end your auction by going to think link: http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EndingMyAuction Take care, Gary - andyfan1

Another happy ending!!