【GUIDE/INFO】How to Spot Authentic Signatures
May 22, 2020 2:34:32 GMT
vivbot192 and vixxnly like this
Post by wonshik on May 22, 2020 2:34:32 GMT
Hi! wonshik here for a guide about how to figure out fake signatures on albums or other goods to make sure that you don’t get scammed. For a good list of scammers of both albums and other goods, please refer to the other thread on the forum--I'm planning to do an update/overhaul of that thread soon so stay tuned! A lot of my information will be referenced from some other articles written about this same topic, so I will link those at the end for proper credit and further reading if you’re interested! Now, on with the guide.
There are two big things you should know right off the bat:
Generally, there are three main places that people get signed albums from: Mwave / Soompi / Yesasia, fansigns, and promotional albums. I’ll break this down in a moment, but don’t forget that for places like Mwave, Soompi, and Yesasia, you can always email the company themselves to ask if there was a signing event for that particular album and/or group. That’s one of a few ways to check the legitimacy there.
If you find even ONE fake signature album being sold by someone, don’t buy any albums from them, even if the others look legitimate. Better safe than sorry.
One suggested thing to check before even starting is to see if there’s a signature order. With a lot of groups, especially nowadays, members will sign in the same spot on every album to help with consistency and to help with the speed at which signings can get done for bulk (like Mwave, etc). BTS has been doing this since their debut, but a lot of other groups have started doing this too, including KNK and Astro. Check between several albums from DIFFERENT sellers that have been signed by all members to see if the signatures are in the same place to see if this is a consistent way to check. I’ll add more to that later on in my post.
Another great thing to look for is the neatness of the signature versus the origin of the signature. If the artist is signing it for Mwave/other bulk signings, the signatures need to be obtained quickly so they are not likely to be very neat. Printed signatures on printed goods, like photocards, are likely to be very neat because that’s when they have the most time to sign for them. Fansign signatures are going to be in the middle but leaning more towards neat depending how many people attend fansigns and how many members (which is incredibly variant) -- but they’re going to be neater because the members have time to sign and talk with the fans!
If someone is claiming that the item they got signed came directly from the entertainment agency itself, it’s a fake. Companies do not have the time to have artists sign random posters, postcards, etc. for them to be given out and then sold to fans. That’s a waste of precious resources for their idols and for them.
In general, on that note, idols rarely, if ever, sign posters. If you find a signed poster that isn’t a printed signature (though I don’t know of any groups that have printed sigs on their poster), it’s fake.
If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of the signature you’re looking at, check the imgur albums below where I’ve tried to compile some legitimate signatures as well as where they’re from/where I’d categorize it as in reference (printed, promo, fansign, Mwave/etc, or something else entirely). I’m trying to include signatures from every member for each era, and multiples of them if possible in case of variation.
If you have a signature that I don’t have included -- either not in the albums or not listed at all -- submit them to me through this handy dandy Google Form that I've made! (Thanks vixxnly for your help!)
If you don’t see a signature here and you’re in doubt, try to Google around other signed albums from that same era to see if the signatures look similar. Make sure to check multiple sellers/sources of signatures.
If you’re still unsure, ask another person who’s a collector of that group and has sigs. You can check here on PCB or on other places, such as the kpopcollectors subreddit.
With all that, I’m out. The rest of this post is just the imgur album links for specific groups.
Best of luck!
Posts referenced: How To Spot A Fake Signed / Autographed Kpop Album by Lassy on Cafarnaumbox blogspot / Beware of Frauds on Kpop Artists’ Autographs by Colene Hyori on colenehyori blogspot
There are two big things you should know right off the bat:
- KOMCA stickers prove nothing.
- If an album has a COA (Certificate of Authentification), it’s almost certainly fake. Those cost more than the cost of the album itself, and therefore are not worth it for the seller to procure. *Note: this may vary with OOP albums/rare albums.
Generally, there are three main places that people get signed albums from: Mwave / Soompi / Yesasia, fansigns, and promotional albums. I’ll break this down in a moment, but don’t forget that for places like Mwave, Soompi, and Yesasia, you can always email the company themselves to ask if there was a signing event for that particular album and/or group. That’s one of a few ways to check the legitimacy there.
If you find even ONE fake signature album being sold by someone, don’t buy any albums from them, even if the others look legitimate. Better safe than sorry.
One suggested thing to check before even starting is to see if there’s a signature order. With a lot of groups, especially nowadays, members will sign in the same spot on every album to help with consistency and to help with the speed at which signings can get done for bulk (like Mwave, etc). BTS has been doing this since their debut, but a lot of other groups have started doing this too, including KNK and Astro. Check between several albums from DIFFERENT sellers that have been signed by all members to see if the signatures are in the same place to see if this is a consistent way to check. I’ll add more to that later on in my post.
Another great thing to look for is the neatness of the signature versus the origin of the signature. If the artist is signing it for Mwave/other bulk signings, the signatures need to be obtained quickly so they are not likely to be very neat. Printed signatures on printed goods, like photocards, are likely to be very neat because that’s when they have the most time to sign for them. Fansign signatures are going to be in the middle but leaning more towards neat depending how many people attend fansigns and how many members (which is incredibly variant) -- but they’re going to be neater because the members have time to sign and talk with the fans!
If someone is claiming that the item they got signed came directly from the entertainment agency itself, it’s a fake. Companies do not have the time to have artists sign random posters, postcards, etc. for them to be given out and then sold to fans. That’s a waste of precious resources for their idols and for them.
In general, on that note, idols rarely, if ever, sign posters. If you find a signed poster that isn’t a printed signature (though I don’t know of any groups that have printed sigs on their poster), it’s fake.
For Mwave (and others of this same type) albums
- Email Mwave to ask about that particular album/group to see if there was a sign event -- sometimes sellers can say it's from an Mwave event but that album never actually had one!
- Ask the seller for proof of receipt from Mwave for the purchase of the album -- if they’re unable to provide this, ask for their Mwave username and check to see if they bought it from the board; same goes for Meet&Greet albums -- check for the seller’s username (or the GO organizer’s username) on the All-Star board
- If bought from a group order, ask who the GO organizer was and about the receipt for payment
For fansign albums
- Fansign albums ALWAYS have signatures on the inside. If someone is claiming it as a fansign album but the signatures on the outside, they’re lying or mistaken. Note: This may be different for international signing events outside of Korea. (See ONEUS Light Us album below, for example)
- These are often signed “To ___”, meaning they’re signed to someone with a message usually. This isn’t necessarily indicative of fake or not, but keep that in mind when buying these. I mentioned this because albums from ‘fansigns’ can come up that are signed but lack the “To ___” portion. If that’s the case, it’s a fake.
For promotional albums
- Promo albums always have the silver sticker with 비매 (not for sale) written on it -- I know I said KOMCA stickers can’t prove anything but with these, the best way to see is to check to see if all the LETTERING for the albums, such as the 비매 and text indicating the album as NFS, is consistent with other promo album stickers for that album.
Note: some groups don’t use these stickers, such as those under FNC Ent. and TOP Media. - Verify that the seller is sending the item from Korea. Not all sellers who ship from Korea are located in Korea, though, so be careful. Promo albums can only be from Korea because that’s the people who get them--Korean show broadcasts and showcases. There can be outliers to this but they are often slim to none.
- These albums are almost always signed and almost always include a manager’s contact name and phone on a sticker. This is usually blocked in the general photos in the listing, for obvious reasons, but if you can see where the sticker is or ask for photos of it for record, do so! Some crappy people like to get unsigned promos and sign them to sell them for more, so do be careful with this. It’s not 100% foolproof.
If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of the signature you’re looking at, check the imgur albums below where I’ve tried to compile some legitimate signatures as well as where they’re from/where I’d categorize it as in reference (printed, promo, fansign, Mwave/etc, or something else entirely). I’m trying to include signatures from every member for each era, and multiples of them if possible in case of variation.
If you have a signature that I don’t have included -- either not in the albums or not listed at all -- submit them to me through this handy dandy Google Form that I've made! (Thanks vixxnly for your help!)
If you don’t see a signature here and you’re in doubt, try to Google around other signed albums from that same era to see if the signatures look similar. Make sure to check multiple sellers/sources of signatures.
If you’re still unsure, ask another person who’s a collector of that group and has sigs. You can check here on PCB or on other places, such as the kpopcollectors subreddit.
With all that, I’m out. The rest of this post is just the imgur album links for specific groups.
Best of luck!
Posts referenced: How To Spot A Fake Signed / Autographed Kpop Album by Lassy on Cafarnaumbox blogspot / Beware of Frauds on Kpop Artists’ Autographs by Colene Hyori on colenehyori blogspot
An Incomplete Reference of K-Pop Signatures and Artists
** If you have a signed album or good that isn't on this list or in any of the imgur albums linked below, feel free to submit it through the Google Form I mentioned above **
** Soloists will be done by LAST NAME or STAGE NAME **
#, A, B
Astro
BAP
Note: I only need updates for No Mercy, One Shot, Badman, First Sensibility, Best.Absolute.Perfect., Unlimited, and Massive. Please do not submit any others for BAP, they will be deleted.
Brigid A (brigidsmusic on Instagram) provided some useful info in her links (ONE and TWO) for BAP's album, so if you need more information, definitely check hers out or reach out! I'll include some of her important notes by their corresponding albums! She also told me that finding a signed copy of Goodbye (the pre-release single for No Mercy) is nearly impossible.
I Remember (Predebut by Yongguk) -- ONLY a promo.
Never Give Up (Predebut by Yongguk and Zelo) -- ONLY a promo.
Warrior
1 (Promo) | 2 (Fancafe)
Power
1 (Promo) | 2 (K-Con 2012 Fansign)
Stop It
** Any known signed copies of this album are promos. **
1 | 2
Rain Sound (pre-release digital single) -- ONLY a promo.
Unplugged 2014
** ANY known copies of Unplugged 2014 that are signed by all 6 members are promos, and individual member signatures are also exceedingly rare. **
All Members | Yongguk | Himchan | Daehyun | Youngjae | Jongup | Zelo
Matrix
Carnival
** There is contention on whether Himchan signed Carnival albums with his old signature or not. The special edition of Carnival (which had no promos) will have his new signature. **
All members 1 & 2 | Youngjae | Yongguk | Zelo
Put'Em Up
** Signed copies of Put'Em Up would ONLY be promo or from AllKpop, due to a deal with them for this promotion period. **
1 (AKP) | 2 (Promo) | 3 (AKP)
Noir
Rose
** There were two different versions for this album so I've indicated that. The signature origins can be found on the individual photos. Version B did NOT have any individual signatures, only Version A.**
All members 1 (A) | All members 2 (A) | All members 3 (A) | Yongguk (A) | Himchan (A) | Daehyun (A) | Youngjae (A) | Jongup (A) | Zelo (A)
All members 1 (B) | All members 2 (B) | All members 3 (B)
Blue
All members 1 (A) | All members 2 (A) | Himchan (A) | Jongup (A)
All members 1 (B) | All members 2 (B) | All members 3 (B) | Himchan (B)
Ego
** Zelo changed his signature in the middle of this signing period for some reason, so it may have new or old signature. You can see the difference in the 2nd all members copy VS the Zelo individual. Individual signatures were only sold through Yesasia.**
All members 1 | All members 2 | Yongguk | Himchan | Daehyun | Youngjae | Zelo
BDC
C, D, E,
CNBlue
F, G, H
GOT7
Notes: Some of the biggest tells for GOT7's are signatures being incompatible with certain eras (i.e. Yugyeom's signature not having the heart on the end instead of the star for Identify era, JB's signature still being the 'JB' rather than the 'D'/'Def" from Mad onwards, Jinyoung's being Junior/JR past FL:T, or using Jackson's signature--he did just the signature up until MAD, he started using the hangeul for FL:D, and used BOTH from FL:T to FL:A, before switching back to only the signature for EOY). GOT7 also typically tries to sign their names by their photos on the covers of their albums.
Got It?
Got♥
All members 1 & 2 | JB | Yugyeom
Identify
All members | Jinyoung | JB | Yugyeom
Just Right
Mad (Vertical Version) | Mad (Horizontal Version)
Flight Log: Departure
All Members | BamBam
Flight Log: Turbulence
All Members | JB
Flight Log: Arrival
Eyes on You
HALO
Notes: For specific information about Halo's signatures, please read up on xiubake's descriptions on the "Happy Day" album on imgur! Thanks xiubake!
Happy Day
Hotshot
I, J, K, L
Jung Yonghwa
KARD
KNK
M, N, O
Eric Nam
Oneus
P, Q, R
The Rose
S, T, U
Stellar
V, W, X
Verivery
VIXX
Y, Z
** If you have a signed album or good that isn't on this list or in any of the imgur albums linked below, feel free to submit it through the Google Form I mentioned above **
** Soloists will be done by LAST NAME or STAGE NAME **
#, A, B
Astro
Blue Flame
Notes: Submitter let me know that Moonbin was not promoting at the time this album was signed, so the legitimacy of his signature is unknown. There are more notes from the submitter on the album itself.
Notes: Submitter let me know that Moonbin was not promoting at the time this album was signed, so the legitimacy of his signature is unknown. There are more notes from the submitter on the album itself.
BAP
Note: I only need updates for No Mercy, One Shot, Badman, First Sensibility, Best.Absolute.Perfect., Unlimited, and Massive. Please do not submit any others for BAP, they will be deleted.
Brigid A (brigidsmusic on Instagram) provided some useful info in her links (ONE and TWO) for BAP's album, so if you need more information, definitely check hers out or reach out! I'll include some of her important notes by their corresponding albums! She also told me that finding a signed copy of Goodbye (the pre-release single for No Mercy) is nearly impossible.
I Remember (Predebut by Yongguk) -- ONLY a promo.
Never Give Up (Predebut by Yongguk and Zelo) -- ONLY a promo.
Warrior
1 (Promo) | 2 (Fancafe)
Power
1 (Promo) | 2 (K-Con 2012 Fansign)
Stop It
** Any known signed copies of this album are promos. **
1 | 2
Rain Sound (pre-release digital single) -- ONLY a promo.
Unplugged 2014
** ANY known copies of Unplugged 2014 that are signed by all 6 members are promos, and individual member signatures are also exceedingly rare. **
All Members | Yongguk | Himchan | Daehyun | Youngjae | Jongup | Zelo
Matrix
Carnival
** There is contention on whether Himchan signed Carnival albums with his old signature or not. The special edition of Carnival (which had no promos) will have his new signature. **
All members 1 & 2 | Youngjae | Yongguk | Zelo
Put'Em Up
** Signed copies of Put'Em Up would ONLY be promo or from AllKpop, due to a deal with them for this promotion period. **
1 (AKP) | 2 (Promo) | 3 (AKP)
Noir
Rose
** There were two different versions for this album so I've indicated that. The signature origins can be found on the individual photos. Version B did NOT have any individual signatures, only Version A.**
All members 1 (A) | All members 2 (A) | All members 3 (A) | Yongguk (A) | Himchan (A) | Daehyun (A) | Youngjae (A) | Jongup (A) | Zelo (A)
All members 1 (B) | All members 2 (B) | All members 3 (B)
Blue
All members 1 (A) | All members 2 (A) | Himchan (A) | Jongup (A)
All members 1 (B) | All members 2 (B) | All members 3 (B) | Himchan (B)
Ego
** Zelo changed his signature in the middle of this signing period for some reason, so it may have new or old signature. You can see the difference in the 2nd all members copy VS the Zelo individual. Individual signatures were only sold through Yesasia.**
All members 1 | All members 2 | Yongguk | Himchan | Daehyun | Youngjae | Zelo
BDC
C, D, E,
CNBlue
F, G, H
GOT7
Notes: Some of the biggest tells for GOT7's are signatures being incompatible with certain eras (i.e. Yugyeom's signature not having the heart on the end instead of the star for Identify era, JB's signature still being the 'JB' rather than the 'D'/'Def" from Mad onwards, Jinyoung's being Junior/JR past FL:T, or using Jackson's signature--he did just the signature up until MAD, he started using the hangeul for FL:D, and used BOTH from FL:T to FL:A, before switching back to only the signature for EOY). GOT7 also typically tries to sign their names by their photos on the covers of their albums.
Got It?
Got♥
All members 1 & 2 | JB | Yugyeom
Identify
All members | Jinyoung | JB | Yugyeom
Just Right
Mad (Vertical Version) | Mad (Horizontal Version)
Flight Log: Departure
All Members | BamBam
Flight Log: Turbulence
All Members | JB
Flight Log: Arrival
Eyes on You
HALO
Notes: For specific information about Halo's signatures, please read up on xiubake's descriptions on the "Happy Day" album on imgur! Thanks xiubake!
Happy Day
Hotshot
I, J, K, L
Jung Yonghwa
KARD
KNK
M, N, O
Eric Nam
Oneus
P, Q, R
The Rose
S, T, U
Stellar
V, W, X
Verivery
VIXX
Y, Z
photo/signature credits to:
zac.t, sannihongisto, Hoang, evieluna, itssphuong, cosmiccait, flavoredchris, Wendy Lu, sanghyukswife, choicemusicla, wonshik,
yesasia, ykmzhrtri, vixxnly, honeysprout, iaxcolecion, jessieye, Twelve 12, xiubake, Holly S, deathlady24, Brigid A @brigidsmusic
zac.t, sannihongisto, Hoang, evieluna, itssphuong, cosmiccait, flavoredchris, Wendy Lu, sanghyukswife, choicemusicla, wonshik,
yesasia, ykmzhrtri, vixxnly, honeysprout, iaxcolecion, jessieye, Twelve 12, xiubake, Holly S, deathlady24, Brigid A @brigidsmusic