Collecting
Judy Garland autographs can be quite expensive.
Her signature can sell for anywhere from $300 on
up. Autograph "dealers"
or stores usually have the higher priced items. Mainly
because they know what they have. Other times, collectors
sell and trade to other collectors for much less.
Autographed 8x10's are the most popular
among collectors. These can be hard to find - especially
when the star has been deceased for some time - and are
usually quite expensive.
Autographed picture from my personal collection.
Click on the image to see full size image and
story behind it.
Since Judy was
one of the most popular stars of her time,
she couldn't reply to all of the fan mail
she received. So, even though the studio
had a staff to help out, Judy's Mom Ethel
took care of alot of it for several years.
As shown below, pre-printed "signed" pictures
were quite popular and easy to reproduce
and mail out. The studios (not just MGM)
were very astute in knowing that even the
simple act of sending a picture with a form
letter as a response to a fan would greatly
benefit their box office.
Cancelled checks are also popular today. These aren't really autographs, but
are of course have the same signature. A good source for these is THE
JUDY GARLAND MUSEUM. They're usually less expensive than a signed 8x10 or
page from an autograph book.
But be sure and do your homework. Aside from the examples below, the two best
places to see more examples of Judy's autograph/signature are THE
JUDY GARLAND DATABASE and "JUDY
GARLAND - THE GOLDEN YEARS" (the recent book by Rita Piro). Ms. Piro's
book has two full pages of examples, as well as a few other examples throughout
the book. The Database has a page devoted to her signature as well.
As you will see below, Judy's signature changed over time, just as everyone's
does. It went from that of a young girl, to young woman, to adult. Her "J's" seemed
to stay pretty much the same, but her "G's" became less ornate, losing
the little loops at the top, and becomming a more casual style. The "L" in "Garland"
became more casual as well, and became separate from
the rest of the name. Judy probably gravitated to this
later style as it would be easier and quicker to execute
- and Judy was so popular, and known to be generous with
her autograph, she doubtless signed dozens all the time.
Click on image for larger version.
This is one of
my favorite items. It's an original
1945 MGM promotional picture. Very nicely
done, printed on a very hard stock of paper.
The picture is beautiful and clear.
These were mass produced and although the "signature"
is Judy's, it's pre-printed - not an original.
It's meant to look like a personally signed picture,
even though the star simply came in and signed
one master that was used in the printing process.
This was common for the time - these were given
out in a wide variety of promotional venues as
well as being sent from the studio to fans who
had written in.
An earlier example of the same type of promotional
pre-printed "signed picture" - this
time from around 1936 & 1938.
Two cancelled checks from the
1960's.
Judy's signature from 1938
(click on image for close-up)
Judy's signature in 1939
Another example from probably
the same time period as above
