About America's Memories
and forensic authenticated autographs
Our Company
In 1974 I developed a passion for collecting autographs which led me to form America's Memories. I have been a lifelong collector . I began with baseball cards. By the early 70's I became fascinated with bobbin' head dolls and autographs. My collection of vintage sports and non-sports bobbin head dolls numbered over 1200 pieces. And my autograph collection became almost too large to catalog.
Forming America's Memories allowed me to continue collecting and upgrading my pieces while having the opportunity to share vintage autographs with other collectors. Currently, America's Memories sells wholesale to some of the finest retailers in the United States, Canada and Australia. It also has a very wide spread collectors base.
America's Memories is unique, in that, it is one of the few autograph dealers that covers the entire spectrum of autograph collecting. We specialize in vintage and modern autographs in the historical, presidential, sports and entertainment fields. Whether a collector's fancy runs toward signed photos, signature cuts, documents or memorabilia, America's Memories is a one-stop shop for the collector.
I am from New England but have lived in Texas for over 25 years. I am a graduate of Paier School, attended Quinnipiac University and have been working in the advertising and marketing areas of business my entire life.
John Brett
Authenticity
At America's Memories all autographs are checked and authenticated by a third party examiner. Every autograph America's Memories sells has been examined and authenticated by a trained forensic hand writing examiner that has been Board Certified and Court approved. We strongly believe that the authentication of autographs must be done by examiners that are trained in that field. Only then can you be sure you are receiving an authentic and guaranteed piece. All of our examiners have and are doing government work in the field of forensic hand writing examination.
SUPREME COURT RULING SIDES WITH FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINERS AS EXPERTS RATHER THAN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
(March 23, 1999: Gumbo Tire vs. Carmichael) The U. S. Supreme Court by an 8-1 ruling told federal trial judges to screen out dubious testimony by self-proclaimed experts when opinions are not based in science. The ruling extends to all manners of individuals such as engineers, psychologists, accountants or handwriting analysts. Before they are permitted to testify to juries, stated examiners must show that their opinions are based on "scientific principals," and not just a hunch based on self-described practical experiences.
The high court has shown a skepticism toward hired self-proclaimed experts, i.e. PSA/DNA, JSA, BECKETT etc. Six years ago, the Supreme Court said that lower courts should act as "gatekeepers" and to carefully examine testimony by these applicants. Judges should look beyond advertised qualifications and examine the basis of their conclusions on facts.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO THE COLLECTOR
Simple, if a dealer-authenticated autograph is disputed and taken to court it will not hold up unless the dealer used scientific forensic techniques. Without credentials and facts the dealer will not be allowed to testify because they are not considered experts by the court. You, the collector, will be left hanging. The federal courts will rely on established Court Qualified & Board Certified Forensic Document Examiners as their experts.
Our Products
To become even more unique, all of America's Memories autographs are sold with museum quality materials. They are all double matted, framed and ready to hang at no additional cost. I believe that an outstanding presentation and display is a must for conveying the character of the autograph being collected. A Thomas A. Edison or Carlo Gambino check is lifeless without a photo of the individual.
ALL OUR AUTOGRAPHS ARE FRAMED AND READY TO HANG. Plexiglas is used rather than glass, so care must be taken cleaning the piece. One is to use only non-abrasive plastic cleaners, i.e. eye glass cleaner and non-scratching cloths. Each has the forensic certificate on the back of the piece. This should be take off and stored in a safe place because that is your proof of owner ship in case of peril.
Shipping
We ship almost exclusively FEDEX GROUND an NO CHARGE. We can upon request offer and arrange for other shipping methods at additional cost.
Offers
We will entertain reasonable offers for our merchandise and have the right to accept the offer, reject the offer or make a counter offer. That is just a good way to do business.
Return Policy
We will happily accept returns for any product that was harmed in the shipping, was not received or was not as exactly shown and described on the web site. If it is a question of authenticity, we will only consider opinions from board certified and court approved forensic handwriting examiners and retain the option two have a third opinion from the like. We will not accept opinions from untrained and unqualified individuals and companies. We do not charge restocking fees on any returns. If you have any question just contact us.