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| - I've never been much of an autograph hound. The only one I remember actively chasing was Chuck Yeager's who is a personal hero of mine. It happened 20 years ago on a flight from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Anchorage. I was up there to do some engineering work and was wearing some dirty coveralls and several days of stubble on my cheeks. I recognized Yeager in the airport. He was with a bunch of other guys that I assumed were in a party that had just finished hunting in the Brooks Range. Even from a distance, his short stocky stature, wizened features and piercing blue eyes were unmistakable. When the plane was in the air, I looked for a piece of paper and found a copy of my draft project prognosis I'd been working on and thought, "What the hell, I'll ask Chuck to sign it." I walked down the aisle to his row and asked. He just stared at me. I stared back. I must have won the stare-down because he finally took the paper and pen and in the most deliberate and slow fashion possible, scrawled his signature on the approval page. I have no idea where it is today. I'll bet it's worth something.
I got a sense of what some signatures are worth at Antiquities. It is found somewhere in the massive mall known as the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. They specialize in collectibles (usually autographed). Most of them are associated with musicians and actors, but they also have historical and sports memorabilia. There are dozens and dozens of signed guitars and drum heads by rock musicians starting around $3000. There are also tons of albums and posters that are adorned with celebrity signatures. Amongst them are some "bargains" for under $1000. All these nostalgic items are beautifully framed.
My favorites in the whole place were:
(1) A small piece of paper signed by the Fab Four ($7995).
(2) The Rolling Stone's Sticky Fingers Album with the zipper on it (designed by Andy Warhol) signed by all five of the band. There was a separate Andy Warhol signature framed with it too (for about $1000 less than the Beatles signatures).
(3) An Abraham Lincoln signature ($14,995).
I spent some time talking to the assistant manager, Howard. He told me that he's always getting calls from lawyers who want a JFK signature on their wall (they had one at the store too for several thousand dollars). I expressed interest in their old fashioned neon oil company signs. I could have shipped the Shell Oil one home for just under $1000. That was a bit steep, but I kept their business card just in case.
The forum shops at Caesar's Palace go on forever. As you wander around they curve about and soon you can become absolutely lost. I had to ask an information desk how to get out of the place after I visited Antiquities.
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