Collecting Celebrity Signed ChecksHave an autograph collecting story you would like to share? Maybe you have a question about an autograph you have just discovered. Comments or questions, we'd we'd love to hear from you. Go to Your Autographs Historians trace the first "checks" back to to Ancient Rome. By the middle of the 20th century, in the United States, sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of bills and a check book was something that most people didn't look forward to, but almost everybody did because it beat the alternatives. Millions of people wrote tens of millions of checks during the last century. According to the Dove Consulting Group Inc, in 2003 electronic payment surpassed payment with paper checks for the first time. Another Dove study predicts that by the end of this decade, checks will only account for 25% of non-cash payments. It looks like the end is near for the bank check. It probably will not be long before checks will seem old, which means that many people, who once took them for granted and tossed them in the trash, will take a second look at them. Some people are already collecting signed checks. Many of them are the same people who collect stock and bond certificates (scripophily collectors). Others only care about a signed bank check if a celebrity has signed it. Those are the signed checks that I include in my autograph collection. Because of the coming demise of the bank check, and the fact that the supply of checks signed by any celebrity is finite, I expect the value of select celebrity checks to explode in the not to distant future. I'm not suggesting that all celebrity signed checks are going to be good investments. I am saying that I expect those checks that have been personally signed by famous people who have marked their place in history to become more valuable in the future than they are today. There have been only twelve men who walked on the moon. It appears that it will be a long time before any of us get back to the moon, but even if that weren't so, those first twelve are the pioneers. History will never forget them. Two deceased moonwalkers are in my collection, Pete Conrad and Jim Irwin. I'm looking for more. Today, Conrad and Irwin checks can be bought on eBay for less than $50 each. J. Paul Getty was the world's first billionaire. His most famous quote was from 1957 - "a billion dollars isn't worth what it used to be." Maybe his second most famous quote was "The meek shall inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights." He controlled over 200 businesses, including Getty Oil. One of his checks can be bought on eBay for $50 - $60. I have one in my collection and I'm looking for other checks signed by business leaders. I doubt we will ever lose our fascination with those who have hit it super big in business. Andrew Mellon, John D Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Ray Kroc and Sam Walton are other names that will stand the test of time. There are many bank checks on the market signed by lesser show business names and they are fun to collect. But names like Cecil B. DeMille, Lucille Ball, and Alfred Hitchcock are going to be good investments. I have a signed Cecil B. DeMille check, custom framed with a nice vintage photo, that I bought on eBay for $50. Deals like that don't come around often, but I saw two Demille checks close on eBay recently for $113.50. Those are a few suggestions for starting a celebrity signed check collection. There will never be a better time than now to begin one. The following is a partial list of celebrity signed checks available on the autograph market. Price is going to vary considerably, based on venue. Check around the net for comparatives. Normally the best deals are going to be on eBay. Always check the seller's feedback and don't be hesitant to ask questions:
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