Circa 1950

Circa 1970

Collecting autographs of famous personalities is a hobby enjoyed by many, but it should be remembered that fraudulent signatures do appear on occasion. As with many notables from various fields, a Kate Smith autograph that is not authentic will come on the market from time to time. In order to assist both collectors and sellers should a question arise, some examples are here presented for reference.

During the course of her fifty-year career (1926-76), Kate Smith signed an untold number of items for fans, including letters, autograph books, photos, record albums, sheet music (though rarely), and almost any slip of paper a fan would present. She was always cooperative and generous in providing an autograph.

Kate Smith had a signature that was clear and distinctive, and one that changed little over the decades. Aside from personalized inscriptions, such as "To John Jones, With Best Wishes, Kate Smith," she always signed any item "Sincerely, Kate Smith," or sometimes in the early years, "Most Sincerely, Kate Smith." She was very careful about this, and an autograph signed any other way should be considered suspect. She also appeared to have always sighed autographs clearly and with care. A signature that appears to have been scribbled out hastily should also be viewed as suspect.

Good luck in collecting items signed by America's "First Lady of Song." And if there is ever a question, compare to the examples on this page.
Author: C. Shallcross

Circa 1932	Circa 1937
Circa 1938	1939
1940	Circa 1930's: Apparently sent out to thank fans for get-well wishes.
Circa 1940	Circa 1942
Circa 1964	Circa 1969

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Last updated June 19, 2008