Autograph hunter... or pestiferous freeloader? — Doug Nye

One of Jackie Stewart’s proudest possessions is his boyhood autograph book. While his big brother Jimmy was campaigning his Healey Silverstone and later the developing Ecurie Ecosse team’s Jaguars and Coopers, schoolboy Jackie would be wandering around the paddocks at Silverstone or Goodwood, maybe Aintree, Castle Combe, Charterhall, Turnberry, even Crimond, seeking signatures from the great and famous he then encountered.

While the pages of his book were being signed by the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Giuseppe Farina, Piero Taruffi and Jean Behra, Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, an older enthusiast also regarded his childhood autograph book as a lifelong treasure. That was dear old Murray Walker who had been taken not only to motor-cycle races by his famous two-wheeled racing father Graham of Norton, Sunbeam, Rudge Whitworth and Isle of Man TT fame. ‘Muddly’ told me how his dad once took him to the Nürburgring in Germany pre-war, to the Eifelrennen race meeting which featured events for both cars and motor-cycles, and there he filled his autograph book with such signatures as Rudi Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch and many more.

An occasional autograph is no great drudge, but some are harassed on an industrial scale

Today of course such verified signatures can change hands for quite a lot of money, as can autographed photographs. An unfortunate side effect of this is the growth in demand from would-be sellers of such items in terms of pestering the hell out of several long-retired former racers of renown. Being asked for an occasional autograph is no great drudge, but some find themselves being harassed in old age on something approaching an industrial scale.

The wife of one driver whom I have long admired, active in racing from way back in the mid-1950s right through to the ’80s and even ’90s, called me the other day because one apparent fan who had sent a photo seeking the great man’s autograph had become so encouraged by his indulgent and trusting response that he had sent through an entire batch of prints – including several copies of the self-same image – saying that since the lady’s husband had been so kind recently, this particular self-described fan would be absolutely thrilled, honoured and forever grateful to have him sign all these ones as well “for myself and for friends who like me are genuine fans of yours”.

Yeesss – of course you are, sunshine. Competitive old racers never really lose the wily streak which can make them sometimes instinctively suspicious of such a notionally adoring fan’s blandishments. So a few minutes were spent on the internet, trawling through autographed photographs for sale – most notably, of course, on Ebay. And sure enough there were “personally autographed” prints being offered in droves by a notable handful of frequent online dealers.

And amongst them popped up some previous prints that this particular hero of mine had not so long since signed. Perhaps the signature itself looked a wee bit strung out and wobbly, time does catch up with even the steadiest old hand, and the more they looked the more they realised that several old-time hard-chargers of similar vintage were also featured in the numerous autographed offerings upon display.

“Real sorry mate. I’ll give you my cross… I never learned to write”

Now it’s one thing for a genuine fan to request an autograph, but it’s fairly unusual if the celeb in question asks “What’s your name then – I’ll dedicate it for you personally” only for ‘the fan’ to gasp hurriedly, “Oh, aah, no – just the signature will be fine thank you!”. Thereupon it can too often become a case of straight off to market, celeb signs autograph at lunchtime, the autographed print will be on Ebay in time for dinner.

Many old-time racing celebs are happy to oblige. A commercially-acute few – notably Sir Stirling of course – might strike a bargain and earn in return for a signature. But taking the time and signing one print – or two – is a very different matter from being pestered to sign 10 or a dozen, or more, especially when this is a process not requested face to face but by hard mail. Even the best disposed 80- or even 90-year-old would find it quite an imposition then to have to trundle round to the post office or box to post the pic, or pix, back to sender.

So if you happen to be one of these pestiferous freeloaders who thinks it’s reasonable to demand multiple signatures – as a complete freebie, a personal gift – from a former sporting star, please think twice about taking such advantage of them, or lying to them, in such a way.

Of course – as so often – it was my one-time co-author and Orstrylian racing hero Frank Gardner who developed perhaps the most effective strategy for combating such nuisance demands. I was with him in the paddock at Melbourne’s Albert Park one time when a particularly pushy fan came bouncing up with a fistful of prints which he waved at Francis and said “Hey Frank, give us a signature, mate”. Whereupon another pressing fan snorted “Yeah – straight onto Ebay tonight”, which raised a smile all round.

But Frank, without hesitation, retorted “Oh, real sorry mate, I can’t do that. I’ll give you my cross… I never learned to write”.

Better cross, of course, than double cross.

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Doug Nye is the UK’s leading motor racing historian and has been writing authoritatively about the sport since the 1960s