Memorabilia-Autographs

Q: In 1957, I won a contest sponsored by Foster Parents Plan, Seventeen Magazine, and the United Nations Children’s Fund. One of the three judges was Eleanor Roosevelt. I was awarded a trip to Manhattan where I met many famous people, including Dag Hammarskjold and Ed Sullivan, and got their autographs. I kept a diary and saved memorabilia and photographs. My question is this: Are there collectors that would be interested in this type of memorabilia?

A: Your diary, photographs, and other memorabilia probably would not interest collectors because it has little historic value, but there might be some interest in the autographs. It depends how famous the person is, how rare the autograph is, and the condition. Most celebrities signed hundreds or thousands of autographs and those autographs are not valuable. Signatures on important documents or letters are worth more than an autograph by itself. A signature on a handwritten letter is usually worth more than an autograph on a photograph or typed letter. Autographs on a piece of paper or card are worth the least. If you think you have an autograph from an important person who rarely signed autographs, you should contact an auction house or gallery that holds sales of autographs.