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Signed Ian Fleming Ebay Hilarity

July 19, 2006 at 2:15 pm · Filed under Ebay

Yet more hilarity on the signed Ian Fleming James Bond front

With the advent of the film action on the signed first edition and rare book front looks to be hotting up.
Here’s a chance to bag yourself an ebay bargain


Signed Ian Fleming apparantly :)

Good news for those seeking really rare books, the seller has announced he is soon to be listing a Signed copy of The Man with the Golden Gun
Hahahahahah - stop you’re killing me !

We have now produced a definitive guide for those looking to authenticate real autographs which can be found here Identify Signed Ian Fleming First Editions

48 Comments »

  1. Rod said,

    July 20, 2006 @ 3:27 pm

    Craig,
    he did sign often just as Ian.
    As a book collector he was aware of the value of his signature and tended to dish it out only to people he knew, hence the high proportion of dedicated copies to flat signed ones.

    The ebay shop fees were expected here. It was too good a deal.
    Ebay all over, get people using something then hike the fees up, they planned it all along I imagine.

    That said I suspect they are also concerned by the huge drop in people using their vastly more expensive auction format.
    I myself never use auction anymore
    Cheers
    Rod

  2. Rod said,

    July 20, 2006 @ 3:51 pm

    the seller has announced he is soon to be listing a Signed copy of The Man with the Golden Gun
    Hahahahahah - stop you’re killing me !

    To clarify for those unaware, Ian Fleming died August 12 1964
    TMWTGG was published in 1965 !

  3. Craig said,

    July 20, 2006 @ 4:28 pm

    Then that is either very shoddy selling (this person now states they are running a bookshop!!!), very poor research (10 minutes on google found me the signature at biblio) and although I glanced at the incredible Ian Fleming, James Bond bibliography on a site called Goldeneye Books, I confess I didn’t notice the publishing date or know the date of Fleming’s demise.

    The seller needs to be very careful, as they risk totally destroying any kind of reputation they might have, not only on Ebay but also in their bricks and mortar establishment, don’t you think?

  4. Rod said,

    July 20, 2006 @ 4:36 pm

    Craig,
    as you say it is not overly difficult to identify a genuine signature, this presupposes you wish to do so of course.

    The said auction is now up to £255, a private auction with bidder identities hidden of course.

    I agree that things like this do nothing for the reputation of bookselling in general, it’s all going down the toilet anyway.

    Only the Great Goldeneye Plan will save us !

  5. Rod said,

    July 21, 2006 @ 9:30 am

    Update: Signed Goldfinger has now gone up!
    Just waiting for the Golden Gun now - come on you beauty !

  6. A gentleman said,

    July 22, 2006 @ 7:05 pm

    It looks more like ‘Hui Heung’.

    Maybe it’s the ownership signature of an asian gentleman?

  7. Rod said,

    July 22, 2006 @ 7:29 pm

    It’s certainly embarrassing, I just hope nobody has emailed him about his Golden Gun, I really want to see that go up !

    BTW, I was once offered a copy of Octopussy signed by Ian Fleming on the title page in pencil !

    PS, if you wondering why your comments have to be approved it’s only because the name is changing. Using a name and email address previously approved will put your comment live immediately.

    Thanks and regards
    Rod

  8. Rod said,

    July 23, 2006 @ 9:27 am

    Update:

    Needless to say both of the auctions are private (bidders identity hidden)

    Despite there being over 3 days difference in the listing time both have amazingly risen to exactly £301 each this morning - fancy that !

  9. Craig said,

    July 23, 2006 @ 12:13 pm

    Have you opend the two auctions up side by side and compared the signatures on the close-up photos?

    They are absolutely identical, which even for a man of Fleming’s talent is amazing. To sign two different books in exactly the same spot on the page, incredible.

    Bring the pictures of the full title page up however, and they are different!

    Too lazy even to make sure that they upload the correct pictures for each auction?

  10. Rod said,

    July 23, 2006 @ 2:33 pm

    Well spotted Craig!
    It’s a fiasco - no doubt about that.
    Someone just sent me another couple of fakes that were recently on ebay, it is no wonder ebay is seen so badly by many !

  11. Rod said,

    July 26, 2006 @ 11:20 am

    A professional seller has had to add this to a listing he has just put in the gallery, a perfectly sound listing I hasten to add

    Please note….The signature offered for sale(unlike the poor fake Fleming signatures online at the moment) is 100% genuine and is unconditionally guarenteed for the buyers piece of mind. Please bid with confidence

    A sign of the times !

  12. Craig said,

    July 27, 2006 @ 9:05 pm

    The first auction finished @ £650.00

    It’s quite worrying that genuine sellers have now got to put notice’s that guarantee authenticity, when before the sellers reputation was the guarantee.

    Ebay sux

  13. Rod said,

    July 28, 2006 @ 8:04 am

    Craig,
    there is no mention of reserve met or not met in the ebay blurd at the top.
    Yet the seller clearly states there is a reserve in the description.

    It’s a private auction so………..
    The final price also showed that nobody who knew anything about signed Fleming bid on the book
    Cheers
    Rod

  14. John Vincent said,

    August 5, 2006 @ 11:54 pm

    Check out my signed copy of Octopussy on Ebay.:>) Ends in 1 hr.
    look for auctions by oldpro

  15. Rod said,

    August 6, 2006 @ 8:37 am

    John,
    excellent - love it !
    As John’s auction will disappear in time I have pasted Oldpro’s auction text for the signed Ian Fleming below.
    We need more of this I think
    Thanks again for taking the time to comment John, hope it is OK to use the text, if not let me know and I’ll remove
    All the best
    Rod

    OK I am kidding about the signed part. The book was published in 1966 and Fleming died in 1964. However, if you want it signed, I can have it signed, just as good or better than the multitude of signed copies out there. What a joke! At least I have a better ebay feedback than they do and I can give you a COA (Certificate of Authenticity), which is only worth the paper it is written on, if that will make you feel any better. Enough, but I am getting tired of the many people getting duped. Remember, Fleming rarely signed anything and avoided any signing opportunities. I would guess that 99 out of 100 “signed” copies on ebay are fakes! The only one that you can be assured are truely signed are the limited edition copies of OHMSS. Now the book. It is a 1st UK edition in 1st UK dust jacket. The book is mint and the dust jacket would also be mint if the price hadn’t been clipped. There is a Cape sticker of 80p where the price would be.

  16. John Vincent said,

    August 6, 2006 @ 7:06 pm

    Thanks Rod,
    You are welcome to use it. I got a few inquirys asking my opinion about some of the “signed” copies on ebay and while I am not an expert, I have one of the limited edition OHMSS and I can use my eyes. While even a handwriting expert cannot tell with 100% certainty whether or not a Ian Fleming signature is real, you must use common sense. Questions: Without provenance, why would Ian Fleming sign a beat up book club edition of FRWL? Wouldn’t a collector take better care of it? Why would Fleming sign a 3rd printing of Goldfinger? Why would you want to pay $1000+ for it? How often would you find a signed paperback copy being sold out of the boot of a car? Because of the high prices being paid for “signed” copies, the temptation for people to committ fraud is too great, even supposedly reputable book dealers. The magic words are caveat emptor or buyer beware!
    John

  17. Rod said,

    August 7, 2006 @ 8:25 am

    John,
    I get plagued by requests to authenticate signed Ian Fleming, mainly via the online bibliography.
    The fakes are very easy top spot, but for those unfamiliar with signed books then I would advise buying only from experienced professional dealers.

    You can buy on ebay but be very careful who you deal with, I have myself sold a signed first edition of Dr No on ebay but would still urge caution when using that venue - any serious dealer would have to have a good reason to put such a book on ebay!

    In fairness John, Ian Fleming did sign paperbacks and reprints but not the ones I am about to post below
    Regards
    Rod

  18. Rod said,

    August 7, 2006 @ 8:55 am

    OK here we go again - just when you thought it could not get any better !
    Do read the text, it’s hilarious

    I paid £2 for both books at a carboot about a month ago. Imagine my shock when I saw Ian Flemings signature in them! I tried to keep a straight face but the middle aged Lady seller didn’t mention they were signed…she seemed oblivious to the fact.

    Better still a question for seller he received

    The problem with these books (besides the fact that looks nothing like Fleming’s signature) is that Fleming was already dead when these books were published.

    Seller Answer

    Hi, the whole area of signatures/signed copies is a very dodgy one. Since listing these books I’ve compared these signatures to other supposedly genuine Fleming ones. The letter formations are very similar, the only difference being that the ones in these 2 books the signature descends rather than ascends…possibly a sign of ill health. It was and still is common place for authors to sign copies for their publishers. Also there are numerous examples of books being put on hold(sometimes for years) and not released on their arranged date. I know one book was published in 65 and Fleming died in 64…stranger still then is the fact that Thrilling Cities II published just a few months after Fleming’s death, makes no mention of his death! Proof that books are ready to be published months before the actual publishing date!! I’ve made no claims regards authenticity, potential buyers are free to visit my home for a viewing before bidding, whether they do or not, they are bidding on what they see in the photos and neither the photos or description are misleading. The item will be bought as seen with a legal contract. The fact that I’ve allowed your question to be seen on the listing page and answered as such proves…I hope(!)…that at least I’m genuine

       

    The final price was £77.50 - no comment on the bidding !

    Looks like this thread will run and run - further amusement as and when !

  19. Myles Irvine said,

    December 18, 2006 @ 7:03 pm

    Hi Rod
    I was going to add a comment to your Blog on the Signed Ian Fleming EBay
    hilarity thread but there is no Comment box at the foot of it.

    One of your contributors states

    ‘’Remember, Fleming rarely signed anything and avoided any signing
    opportunities.'’

    Not actually quite true. My father (deceased) used to work up in London
    and one day on the way home, in 1961 I presume, Ian Fleming was doing a
    book signing at Waterloo Station -somewhat reluctantly perhaps. My
    father had some cash on him and accordingly got a signed copy of a First
    Edition Thunderball. The book has been very carefully looked after and
    when I next see my mother I will check out what the signature looks like.

    One would assume that a signing at Waterloo (probably there for an hour
    or two) would produce say a maximum of a couple of hundred signed copies.

    I guess dedicated ones are worth more but nevertheless a good investment
    I suspect.

    –
    Best Wishes
    Myles Irvine

  20. Rod said,

    December 18, 2006 @ 7:06 pm

    Myles
    many thanks for the VERY interesting contribution. You also have a great investment as well, a much better return than anything else that springs to mind
    Regards
    Rod

  21. Witches of Eastwick said,

    December 18, 2006 @ 9:20 pm

    Did any of you watch the latest antiques roadshow? A lady who used to be Ian’s secretary, had ten personally dedicated first editions. £6,000 each!

  22. Rod said,

    December 19, 2006 @ 8:12 am

    WoE
    no I did not see that one, wish I had, would have been interesting to see their valuations.
    I suspect they were mostly wrong

    I suspect those books may have hit the market, was it an old show?
    Best
    Rod

  23. John Wiffen said,

    December 24, 2006 @ 8:46 am

    The Antiques Road Show was a recent one, and the lady’s name was Una. She worked for the Express Newspapers. Inscriptions and dedications looked right but who mknows. I tried to check out her name, but no luck.
    Best
    John

  24. Rod said,

    December 24, 2006 @ 8:54 am

    Hi John
    thanks for the information, I’ll try and dig up some more on the story.
    Thanks for commenting
    Regards
    Rod

  25. John Vincent said,

    November 7, 2007 @ 4:45 pm

    Hi Rod,
    The latest Fleming Signed hilarity. Check ebay item # 270182569450.
    This is a US book club edition that when the dust jacket is present has the movie poster of Roger Moore and Diamonds Are Forever as the front dust jacket picture. Unfortunately the movie aired in 1971. I asked for a picture of the signature and was advised that the seller would try. Alas, no picture!
    Regards,
    John

  26. Rod said,

    November 7, 2007 @ 4:59 pm

    Hi John
    thanks for that, great catch !
    I took a look and really …
    I am tempted to say it’s hysterical but of course someone who is new to the game and a little naive may well end up buying it !
    Regards
    Rod

  27. John Vincent said,

    December 3, 2007 @ 11:03 pm

    Hi Rod,
    Another good one for ebay. And this one has provenance! I don’t know when Fleming signed it, but the signature looks like he was on his death bed.
    Ebay # 170172060859.
    Regards,
    John

  28. Rod said,

    December 4, 2007 @ 8:49 am

    Hi John
    another auction I must bid on ;)
    For posterity I have a picture below from the actual auction

    The provenance is also quite a delight and very reasssuring:


    The book was personally signed by Ian Fleming for my father (who served with Ian Fleming during WW2)
    at a Royal Navy Dinner when the book was launched.

    This falls nicely into known history and commonsense as the British Royal Navy are on record as having hosted lavish dinners to launch the release of the American Book Club Edition of a Fleming new release and, of course, IF would never miss such a function. :roll:

    Thanks as always John
    Regards
    Rod

  29. John Vincent said,

    December 11, 2007 @ 2:35 am

    Hi Rod,
    I don’t know if you keep track, but the book club edition “signed” by Fleming just sold for nearly $2500.00! I just wish people would read your blog and see what scams are out there. I feel like I am wasting your time and mine.
    Happy holidays.
    John

  30. Rod said,

    December 11, 2007 @ 8:28 am

    Hi John
    thanks for the update, it’s staggering !
    As to wasting time John, a lot of people look at this page every week, literally 1000s of people have read it since I wrote it, hopefully some have been saved from the likes of the above.

    Thanks again for the contribution John, please do continue
    Regards and festive greetings
    Rod

  31. John Vincent said,

    December 15, 2007 @ 11:32 pm

    Hi Rod,
    Well I didn’t listen to that little voice that told me not to do it, but I just purchased a Fleming signature on ebay. Check out item # 300180090480.
    I corresponded twice with the seller and I liked what he had to say about “signed” Fleming items. It seemed as if he is a sincere seller and his explanation of how he came into possession of the signature sounded good. Maybe I am trying to rationalize my purchase, but the signature looks good. I will let you know more once I get it. The price, if authentic was really good, maybe because he listed it as a FleMMing item.
    John

  32. Rod said,

    December 16, 2007 @ 9:15 am

    Hi John
    I checked out the item but could see too much from the picture.
    Hope it’s all OK
    Rod

  33. John Vincent said,

    December 17, 2007 @ 3:11 pm

    Hi Rod,
    Just when I thought I had seen the worst Ian Fleming “signature”. Here we go again, a US book club edition of Thunderball. Ebay item # 140191051844. Listed at $99. I wonder if it will go for $2500 again. However, this one comes without “provenance”.
    Best,
    John

  34. Rod said,

    December 17, 2007 @ 3:38 pm

    John
    that’s a corker - a real plum, so much so I thought I ought to preserve it for posterity and put the picture on record

    Absolutely Priceless ! - or not in this case
    Regards
    Rod

  35. John Vincent said,

    December 20, 2007 @ 4:08 pm

    Hi Rod,
    In all fairness, here is one (Ebay Item # 200185718152) that doesn’t look to bad. I will check him out for provenance.
    John

  36. Rod said,

    December 20, 2007 @ 4:26 pm

    Hi John
    certainly a better effort than most - deserving of credit ;)
    Rod

  37. John Vincent said,

    December 20, 2007 @ 11:12 pm

    Hi Rod,
    Here is the provenance for the Book Club “For Your Eyes Only”.

    It was signed for Elisabeth Furse who ran a Bistro in London at the back of the Royal Court Theatre. He often had a meal there when he was in London. The bistro was a well known venue for
    influential brits in the 60s.
    Elisabeth gave it to me before her death.
    Regards,
    Jola

    I received my signed card today and I believe it to be authentic. There are several reasons, too many to elaborate. If not authentic, somebody did a clumsy effort in trying to make it look good i.e., there was old glue on back etc.

  38. Rod said,

    December 21, 2007 @ 9:21 am

    John
    Here is the provenance for the Book Club “For Your Eyes Only”.
    ummmm !!!!!

    Pleased the card looks good - just goes to show that not everything on the auction site is wrong.
    Regards
    RC

  39. John Vincent said,

    January 29, 2008 @ 8:06 pm

    Hi Rod,
    I am sorry to keep giving you more, but the hits keep on coming. Check out ebay #**********. This beauty will only cost you $900 USD unless you buy it now for $999. And to top it off, it comes with a COA (Certificate of Authenticity). Now THAT makes me feel a whole lot better!
    Regards,
    John

  40. Rod said,

    January 30, 2008 @ 8:48 am

    John
    many thanks - what a catch - always greatly appreciated !
    So good I had to bring the photo for posterity. Apologies for clarity but this is exactly as it appears

    Pleased to hear the COA tempts you John ;)
    Depressingly, eBay would act on an auction such as this, not because of the item but they ’seem’ to suggest that anyone using Paypal is subject to a service charge :shock:

    Thanks again John
    RC

  41. John Vincent said,

    January 30, 2008 @ 4:10 pm

    Hi again Rod,
    As in Alice in Wonderland it gets curiouser and curiouser. If you check out item #********** it appears the same seller sold the same item a few days before for $49.95. It appears as if he thought if he could find someone to buy this fraud for $49, maybe he could find someone to buy it again for $900. I guess they are hireing the same poor forger. You are right about ebay. They should take some action alot of times, but are to busy raking in the dollars!
    Best,
    John

  42. Rod said,

    January 30, 2008 @ 6:44 pm

    Hi John
    I’ve checked it out and as you say …
    Clearly no innocent mistake there !

    I’ve edited the item number out (after we’ve all seeen it of course) , I hope you don’t mind, given the nature of the auction and some of the words we are using …
    Sounds silly I know but I’m legally responsible for anything said on the site.

    It’s OK to post them in future I can edit later or we can just allude to things ;)

    You’re also right about eBay, they are paying the price now though as their lack of policing has brought about a downturn in their income - buyer confidence has gone.
    Buyers and sellers leaving in droves - their greed and arrogance has ruined a once great site.
    Thanks again John - a lot of people gain from this
    Rod

  43. John Vincent said,

    February 4, 2008 @ 4:01 pm

    Hi Rod,
    I don’t want to draw your attention to all the signed Fleming on ebay, but this peaks my interest (not to bid, however) since it involves a well regarded auction house. Check ebay item # 180209485701. I will try and get provenance from them, but they usually don’t respond to questions until just 1 or 2 days before the auction ends.
    Best,
    John

  44. Rod said,

    February 4, 2008 @ 5:22 pm

    Hi John
    it’s certainly not the best layed out auction is it !
    I don’t understand why on earth they would do this.
    Surely the last thing any auction house wants is a connection to ebay !
    Regards and many thanks for the input
    Rod

  45. GARY J. FIRUTA said,

    February 6, 2008 @ 2:40 am

    The comments and advice here is informative, priceless and quite entertaining! Almost as much fun as finding the post 1964 Fleming-signed ‘gems’ themselves!

  46. Rod said,

    February 6, 2008 @ 8:32 am

    Hi Gary
    pleased you enjoyed it and welcome to the site.
    I like to think it serves 2 purposes and you’ve mentioned them both.
    A timley warning for those unaware or new to it and a chance to shake the head and smile for those ‘in the know’ so to speak
    Regards
    Rod

  47. John Vincent said,

    February 14, 2008 @ 1:20 am

    Hi Rod,
    As a follow-up to my latest addition to your web page, here is the response I got from the auction house regarding the authenticity of the Fleming signature.

    “Thank you for your enquiry. The signature was shown to one of the leading dealers in Fleming books, who felt it could be correct, insofar as in the main the signature seems correct in regard to the characters, but he was concerned by the ‘a’ I seem to remember, possibly as a result of being a rushed signature, but however felt he would not be interested in buying it due to his own concerns that it could not be authenticated 100%; the owners advise me they purchased the book in the 1960s from a reputable London-based dealer who had it signed by Fleming near the time of publication, but that is all they could add. We felt it to be sufficiently correct against other examples we have had.
    Sorry if that is somewhat conclusive!”

    So as you can see, buyer beware again is the rule of the day.

    John

  48. Rod said,

    February 14, 2008 @ 8:48 am

    Hi John
    that is very interesting indeed.
    I would praise them for their honesty, what they said above is actually true.

    But as you say caveat emptor - if I had doubts about something I wouldn’t market it
    regards and many thanks John
    RC

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