jeffahey4ever

Genuine Signatures of Mr Lee are available, including ones on Hammer/Dracula Stills from at least one other little-publicised dealer. It appears he may have had personal dealings with a close friend of the Dealer, allowing memorablilia from the great cinematic works of Mr Lee to be signed such as James Bond, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. It should be noted the majority of these signatures date back up to nearly 10 years, and bear no "Authentication Stamps" or identifying marks. These should not be dismissed as fakes, and Im sure one day they will be considered valuable.

A great idea, about time such an issue was addressed, Larry Hagman would be proud.....

hhmmmmmm...... difficult to quantify when I've met so many, from Desmond Llewelyn to Benicio Del Toro (sounds like a load of Bull, but isn't) Almost without exception all "Bond Stars" have been ultra-cool over the years... Christopher Lee, a veritable stalwart of Cinema History, not at all like his Villainous on-screen incarnations. Maryam D'Abo, a Classy Bond Girl if ever there was one.... Steven Berkoff, an accomplished Actor and Playwright, a rather "full on" chap! Desmond Llewelyn, the consumate Gentlemen, had the pleasure of meeting him only 8 days before his untimely death. Honor Blackman, still an amazingly attractive woman, I'll refrain from any anatomical puns. David Hedison, a true veteran of Cinema and Cult TV, jolly smashing bloke too! Robert Davi, scary looking... but a very nice chap, good to hear his immenent return to these shores. Benicio Del Toro, Sanchez' counterpart, Dude to the extreme.... what a career, knows Johnny Depp Too!! The list goes on, and on........ However, my life is somewhat incomplete without Vincent Schiavelli......

The venue is a substantial improvement over Wembley, largely because it appears to have been designed within the last Century... Entry fee is perfectly gauged, if only other Organisers would take heed, Schhh.... you know who you are. Guest line-up, varied and adequate, something for everyone (Alas, no J C Van Damme) Many Thanks Showmasters, you did us proud, we had a stonkin' weekend. Proportionately measured, as successful, if not more so than any Collectormania!! It pays to be diverse, offering a wider range satisfies the punters and equally our bean counters. It's abundantly clear, it's impossible to please everyone; Venue, catering, Guests, Costs/entry fee etc. It's up to individual dealers to make the best of any situation We're alright Jack..... Thanks Showmasters

The most entertaining part of Conventions.....? The Aftermath. Val Kilmer, No Show...... Literally!! Wouldn't be the first time Mr Kilmer has scheduled to appear, only this time the Notice of Cancellation, well er.... none to be exact. I'm certain Mr Kilmer has very good reasons for doing so. Showmasters may not be entirely to blame, although creating any distinction in respect to qualifying for a free autograph is indeed contentious, not sexy at all!! I attended Sunday, my impression of the show was extremely well organised and there was plenty to see and do. I do concur, attending for one specific Star Guest may not be in anyones interest, especially in light of this incident. I was fortunate to have a VT and needless to say, submitted my details accordingly. Ironically, it transpires I may be one of the priviliged few to actually have met Mr Kilmer at AUTOGRAPHICA!! What's even more incredible, Mr Kilmer was originally NOT scheduled to appear.... GASP!! He was a last minute addition during a window in his filming schedule for Alexander. I do sympathise for his many genuine fans, I can only imagine how disheartened I would feel if Tony Danza did the same.......

Soap box time again methinks..... Another event, another bout of tears and endless debate (usually in that order) Please allow me to introduce myself, I've sat on every conceivable side of the fandom fence. Those being; Organiser, retailer/dealer/"Stall Holder", crowd-control, autograph/collector. Been there, seen it, done it for many, many years in a lifetime far, far away.... For me, money is NO object (shriek, nooooo!!). If expenditure were measured against the average attendee, confidently, this would represent approx 1700 to 2000 individuals spending £15 each.... all in 4 years!! It's fair to say, I have some idea concerning the experiences of Collectormania and related events. I paid visits to, ("in no particular order........") Jeremy Bulloch, Alan Cumming, Tom Felton, Irvin Kershner, Gary Kurtz, Temuera Morrison, Ray Park, Dave Prowse, ("and last but, by no means least....") Bruce Spence. I employed people to collect from; Sean Astin, Kenny Baker, John-Rhys Davies, Alexis Denisof, Anthony Head, Bernard Hill, James Marsters, Peter Mayhew, Katee Sackhoff. Multiple autographs were obtained with speed, clinical accuracy and free from blood, sweat and tears. Thus proving it can be done, given the appropriate resources. Showmasters organised a fantastic event, with a Guest line-up to die for (some visitors take this almost too literally!!), there was something for everyone .....cliche excused. Taking into account the monumental appearance of Marsters, Denisof and Head on Sunday what exactly did the "General Public" expect, fee-paying or otherwise? For my money, literally and metaphorically, I expected an attendance parallell to Wood, Astin, Monaghan, Serkis. Does anyone remember that weekend? I do, oddly. I've been a fan, like anyone else, but now I'm realistic. Attend an event such as Collectormania, be prepared to join an historical, inescapable, British Institution....... the Queue! Virtual or otherwise. Sources reveal some Buffy fans were queueing from 1 a.m. That's their chosen course of action, so be it. I'm reasonably assured they collected their prized autographs, without much ado and henceforth left rather fulfilled. Had they chosen to turn up at CMK at 9 a.m. I'm sure it would have been a slightly different story. It's a free market economy- make your choice, follow your actions, or get over it (N.B./please note, children under 12 excepted from this ideal). The guests I chose to meet, I did so in most cases after 2 p.m. on Sunday. Guess what? No Queues!? Magic!? Strategy would seem to pay off. Each one had all the time in the world to converse, no pressure, no worries. For example Bruce Spence was the most genuine, friendly Chap you could ever hope to meet. He provided great insight into one of the most influential films in Modern Cinema; Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior. It was a real honour to have met Mr Spence. Call me Psychic or Cynic, you decide, I figured chasing a guest with a virtual queue distributed to it's limit of 1000 was a futile dream destined to end in tears. During my Sunday's proceedings, all Collectormania Staff/Crew were marvellous, without exception. Considering the pressure they're all under, Crew members performed the best they humanly could. If anyone else thinks they can do better, bring it on, volunteer. I do of course speak from experience, from both sides of the queue. I have been involved with Celebrity appearances from the worlds of James Bond, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars Strangely, it's no picnic. To maintain a cool exterior requires the patience of a Saint, or better still, a life-threatening hand-held weapon. For my puposes the last thing I require, largely speaking, is personalisition on an autographed item. The reasons for this, practiced by many, is obvious -unwritten you might say. It's pertinent, and technically a Legal requirement, for a Signatory to display the fact whether or not they personalise an autograph. This is because when you pay a fee for a service, in this case an autograph, you enter into a contract of sale. This contract should stipulate what should or should not be expected within this process i.e. "no posed Photographs" "no personalisations" or conversely "all autographs personalised". This was prominently displayed before the "point of sale" allowing the individual to choose whether or not to part with their money. In respect to an inclusive conversation/ Q & A, I leave that in the hands of Showmasters' Legal Department. Finally, mentioning no names, the 2 autographs I did want specifically personalising for gifts were returned signature only! Oh, the irony of it..........................