The secrets of authentic racing autographs and the signatures collectors should know

In our line of work we often get asked to help authenticate signatures. When you see as many as we do, you pick up on some telltale trends that can act as copper-bottomed proof or as a red flag.

The thing with signatures is they often change, and some of the sport’s biggest personalities dramatically altered how they signed things across their careers.

Ayrton Senna is a prime example. At the start he would sign ‘Ayrton da Silva’ and only began signing as ‘Ayrton Senna’ later in his career. In his early F1 years, his signature was quite different from the familiar one. Only in the late 1980s do we began to see the swooping signature that is now so famous. There’s so much signed Senna stuff out there, but certified pieces with proof, you can count on one hand.

Lewis Hamilton is another example. He signed his full name during his junior days until Ron Dennis at McLaren sat him down and suggested abbreviating the signature to just ‘Lewis’. We have sold a 2008 programme of the British Grand Prix signed ‘Lewis Hamilton’ and it’s bang on the timing.

Drivers also often have quick and full signatures. Nico Rosberg has ‘Nico’ for quick through-the-fence fan signings, whereas if you catch him with time he’ll sign his full name, so it’s important to recognise both types. Sir Jackie Stewart always liked to sign in blue ink, unless he was being Mr Rolex, in which case he signed in green, which is a nightmare as it can fade. Michael Schumacher’s signature changes too.

If you’ve got anything signed by Stirling Moss across the last 20 years of his life, and the signature is big, that’s wrong. Stirling only signed larger early in his career and his signature got smaller and smaller from then, inset. It is worth noting that if Stirling signed something for a friend or family member, he usually signed ‘Stirling’ and dropped the Moss.

Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store. thesignaturestore.co.uk

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Brands Hatch 100 T-Shirt

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£25, shop.msv.com