The Hottest Signatures in the Market...
Dear Reader,
There are many talented people in the world. But... most of them are not famous.
To become famous, you need more than talent... You need to possess that intangible animal magnetism with a huge sprinkling of good fortune along the way.
Fame is then rarely a permanent state of being. Stars are at the mercy of the fickle, ever-changing tastes of the general public. They may be "hot" today but that doesn't mean they will be "hot" tomorrow...
Some of the members of our Top 30 show true longevity. Personalities such as Winston Churchill, The Beatles and Charles Dickens are likely to remain of huge interest for as long as we have a civilised world.
Other personalities in the Top 30 are unlikely to remain there for the long term. Personalities such as our "Number 1", Angelina Jolie has appeal mainly based on her stunning appearance. Someone even more gorgeous will undoubtedly replace her in the future.
There is some evidence of the fickle nature of stardom in this month's update of the Fraser's Top 30 Index which sees 5 personalities dropping out of the top 30, replaced by stars that are more topical at this time.
The Fraser's Top 30 Selling Autographs - October 2008
Our Top 30 personalities contain someone of interest for everyone and are a great innovative and unique gift idea...
Click on the personality name above to view our stock range.
Angelina Jolie remains at Number 1 for a second month. Constituents of the top 10 in the month and the top 4 remain the same although Johnny Depp has overtaken Heath Ledger into the number 3 spot.
New Entries
There were 5 new entries this month including:
"James Bond is Back" (Roger Moore in at number 23 and Timothy Dalton in at number 26)
Interest in the character "007, James Bond" is relentless....
The recent release of the new film "Quantum of Solace" inevitably resulted in a heightened interest in signatures associated with the legend, Bond... James Bond.
Four of the actors who have played the James Bond character are in the Fraser's Top 30 selling autographs – George Lazenby, Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton.
Daniel Craig just missed out on the top 30 at Number 31, despite rising 74 places in the past month. Pierce Brosnan appears to be the least popular Bond character down at Number 134.
As a collectable, anything to do with James Bond has demonstrated long term appeal with a huge cult following ensuring consistent demand.
James Bond is quintessentially British with adventures to capture the imagination and raise the pulse of all ages.
We have the writer, Ian Fleming, to thank for the creation of the Bond character back in 1953... A time, just after World War II, when everyone was proud to be British.
The Bond franchise is the second most successful running film series to date starting in 1962 with Dr No, starring probably the most famous bond, Sean Connery. There have since been 22 films featuring 6 different actors playing the role of James Bond.
I can think of no other fictional character that encapsulates everything British better.
It is not easy to build a complete collection of all the actors who have played James Bond...
I have done all the hard work for you and compiled some visually fantastic signed photographs of all 6 actors who have starred in the James Bond role.
Click here to view the James Bond collection
This stunning collection has a full retail price of £1,465. As a special offer, and to celebrate the release of the new Bond film, I am willing to sell this today for £1,195, representing a discount of 20%.
You are unlikely to get a second chance to pick up a collection like this at such a good price.
Michael Jackson Storms The Charts Again (in at Number 11)
Michael Jackson signatures have long been a top seller in Fraser's autographs. The recent spike in demand benefits from a strong realisation of Michael Jackson signatures in our recent postal auction.
The "Michael Jackson week" on the hit TV series "The X Factor" recently saw a number of desperate karaoke singers making some sad attempts at imitating the works of a master. This might have reminded everyone of just how good Michael Jackson's music is and possibly rekindled the flame.
Whatever the reason for the heightened increase in demand, and whatever your opinions are on the star's controversial personal life, his music has passed the "test of time".
Michael Jackson is the product of a rather unhealthy and abusive upbringing. So often, tortured souls possess an originality that makes them creative in a way normal people cannot imitate. A sad early life, in essence, created a genius.
Michael Jackson has been performing since the age of 11 as a member of the "Jackson 5" and began his solo career in 1971. The fact that his music still has widespread and global appeal almost four decades later validates his title as the "King of Pop".
I truly believe Michael Jackson is one of those elite performers capable of joining the likes of Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan as a historic musical icon. Only time will tell though...
click here to view current stock availability
Carrie Fisher from Star Wars (in at number 27)
You may not have heard of Carrie Fisher. But... you've almost certainly hear of Princess Leia from the original Star Wars trilogy.
The Star Wars franchise commands a cult following...
From my experience, anything collectible to do with the Star Wars movies always sells quickly.
Type "Star Wars" into a google search and it will return 102 million search results. This is all the evidence you need that Star Wars mania is alive and kicking.
Box office revenue generated by the 6 Star Wars films comes to approximately $4.3 billion, making it the third highest grossing film series.
For me, Star Wars is something that recaptures the atmosphere from my childhood (which unlike most of the stars was a happy one!).
click here to view current stock availability
Charlie Chaplin (Just in at Number 30)
Charlie Chaplin is most famous for his portrayal of "The Tramp" which first hit the big screen in 1914. The fact that everyone still recognises the name and character of Charlie Chaplin is evidence enough of his longevity considering that his fame is almost 100 years old.
His originality as an actor and filmmaker are unquestionable and in his time, he was a pioneer. The work of Charlie Chaplin played an important part in the birth of the biggest industry in the world today that is now Hollywood. His influence over other performers is still evident today.
Signatures of Charlie Chaplin are hard to come by and will only get rarer. You can really capture a pivotal piece of film memorabilia with a Charlie Chaplin signature.
click here to view current stock availability
Security In An Uncertain World
I hope that you have found something of interest in the items featured above.
I take this opportunity to remind collectors of the privileged position we find ourselves in at a time of such global economic uncertainty.
There are few certainties in this life, but I believe that the world's fascination, and in some cases obsession, with fame will prevail through every "crash", "collapse" and "crisis" the world can throw at us.
The fact that collectibles are a tangible asset which, inherently rise in value as time passes by, provides a better security to our wealth than any other form of investment that I can think of at this time.
If you would like to find out more on how we can help you to build an investment portfolio in rare signatures, please contact our Investment Director, Adrian Roose today on:
+44 (0) 1481 708 277
email investment@stanleygibbons.co.uk
TOLL FREE from the USA 1 866 644 6146
Sincerely,
Mike Hall
Chief Executive
The Stanley Gibbons Group
PS. With Christmas fast approaching it is worth thinking about the value of autographs and memorabilia as a unique gift idea. I can vouch from personal experience the recipient of such a gift is always impressed. It certainly ticks the box of: "It's the thought that counts".