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A Word About Signed Books and Memorabilia
A book that
is signed by the author or someone significant to the content, immediately
becomes unique and therefore more valuable than if the title page remained
unsigned and unsullied. I rate good signatures highly and I stand by
all the signed items I offer on this website catalogue, but in the big world
outside it is very much a matter of caveat emptor - let the buyer
beware.
Be extra wary of recent
driver autographs unless you are certain of the provenance. The only
way you can really guarantee that a modern driver's signature is authentic
is to have him perform the act in front of you. This will confirm
that it was indeed his signature, but you will almost certainly be disappointed
at the wiggly line that purports to be an autograph. If you do not
see him sign, the chances are that the signature (sorry, the squiggle)
could have been performed by a secretary in the confines of the team motorhome.
In what I consider
to be the "Good Old Days" of the 1960s, a driver's signature was a work
of art, something instantly recognisable and a mirror of the man.
Thus Graham Hill's signature was done with a swashbuckling flourish (see
Catalogue #449) and Jim Clark's signature was almost that of a shy schoolboy,
both of which fitted the men with the pen. Jackie Stewart's original
signature was probably much like Jim's, but he felt that if someone granted
him the honour of asking for his autograph, it should be worthwhile, and
he practised his copperplate autograph. No disinterested squiggle,
looking away, talking to someone else, here.
You could glance at
an item with a number of signatures of drivers in the 1950s or 1960s and
immediately identify most, if not all. Try doing that today. Probably
easier to identify the modern grid-full by their fingerprints.
Autographs tend to
depend on the fame of the person concerned. Nigel Mansell was undoubtedly
famous, but it was only a year or two ago that Chaters were offering signed
copies of his autobiography at remainder prices!
When Enzo Ferrari died,
Mario Acquati, who runs the wonderful bookshop at Monza (Is it still standing?
Rumour had it that my favourite bookshop was being demolished to make way
for more motorhomes in the paddock.) told me that there were books and
items signed by Enzo coming out of the woodwork, offered for sale.
I told them all that I couldn't buy them because there were so many fake
signatures about. So what happened? They dropped the ridiculous
prices they were asking, and I bought a lot of them.
Enzo Ferrari's classic
signature is a case in point. He always signed in a distinctive violet
ink, said to have originated from his early days when he wrote with an
Italian lead pencil that, when licked, became violet in colour and indelible.
Italian journalist, Pino Allievi, can still do a perfect Enzo Ferrari signature,
which is both amusing and a vague worry in case his artform gets into the
wrong hands. You can date Ferrari signatures because as he got older,
his hand became less firm and the signature in recent years was very shaky.
Please note Item
number and title (in caps) Click
here to order.
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1849. V16 - THE STORY OF THE B.R.M. ENGINE. A.F. Rivers Fletcher. 1954. This famous and beautiful book was produced in the early 'fifties to tell the story of the astonishingly complex V16 engine. As well as the authoritative text on the history of the BRM project and the V16 car, there are photographs from competition, graphs etc. and some wonderful multi-colour overlay drawings, printed on clear acetate pages so you can see the engine stripped down and reassembled stage by stage. This copy is made extra-special by being signed on the flyleaf by Tony Rudd, engineer for BRM for nearly twenty years before moving to Lotus. Hardback without dustwrapper in good condition. 10in x 7.5in approx. £125 | |
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1549. GRANDS PRIX 1934 -1939 Motor Racing Scrapbook no. 2. Superb history of the immediate pre-war period and therefore full of Alfas, Mercedes and Auto Unions. Text by Rodney Walkerley, photos by Robert Fellowes. Chapters on the circuits, development of the cars, driving techniques, the atmosphere of racing etc. etc. plus full race results tables. This copy belonged to the late A.F. Rivers Fletcher and is signed by him in ink inside the front cover. 8.5in x 11in spiral bound soft cover item in good condition (cover neatly secured from inside by tape) £48 | |
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1524. AUTOGRAPHED
'AUTOSPORT' June 8 1962 issue, covering
Bruce McLaren's win at Monaco and signed on the cover by a wealth of
motor racing talent, namely: The magazine itself is in great condition though the most obvious home for this would be in a frame, on display. £325 click here to see a larger image.. |
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1367. SEVEN YEAR TWITCH. Marcus Chambers. 1962. The inside story of the BMC works rally team by its legendary manager. Photos of MGAs, A35s, Minis etc. in action. First edition in very good dustwrapper and signed on the title page by Marcus Chambers. 6in x 9in pp.225 £70 | |
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1282. BRITISH GRAND PRIX 1949. Programme for the first post-war British Grand Prix held at Silverstone. (note this is an original programme and not to be confused with the reproductions of of the '48 programmes which were made to celebrate Silverstones's 50th anniversary.) This one has some neat pencil marks on the entry list denoting non starters etc. but is otherwise clean and unmarked. Most importantly it is signed by race winner Toulo de Graffenreid. 9.5in x 6in. pp.36 £150 |
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1104. MARCUS CHAMBERS - RALLYING
WITH B.P. 1965 book by B.P. and covering the
whole international rally scene with profiles of drivers (particularly
the Carlssons), Works teams, events etc. Full of terrific photos of 'sixties
and earlier rallying. Hardback in excellent condition including dustwrapper.
7in x 10in pp.128. Choice of two copies: 1104a. Signed by BMC Competitions manager Marcus Chambers. £30 |
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1146. JACK BRABHAM. Great photo of a cheerful looking Jack in the paddock wearing his BRDC race overalls. Original Barry McKay photograph signed in blue pen by Jack Brabham. 6.5in x 8.5in will look wonderful framed. £55 | |
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1171. ROLLS ROYCE. THE MAGIC
OF A NAME. Harold Nockolds. with illustrations
by Roy Nockolds. 1966 revised edition of this RR Classic, first
published in 1938. History of the company from the first car in 1904 to
the legendary automotive and aeronautical organisation it became. This
edition also covers WW2 aero engines in detail. Terrific Roy Nockolds
paintings are reproduced in colour. Hardback 5.5in x 9in pp.283 Two
editions offered here: 1171a. (left) 1966 edition as described above. Dustwrapper slightly rubbed at corners. Signed by Roy Nockolds. £35 1171b. (right) 1972 Third edition. Superb condition in mint dustwrapper. £20 |
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1219. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Gregor Grant. 1959. History of the Grand Prix World Championship of Drivers. Very detailed (the drivers' championship was only started in 1950) with lots of photographs. Preface by Mike Hawthorn. This copy is signed and dated by Aston Martin and Connaught driver Eric Thompson in '59, and a handwritten note on the flyleaf directs to the pages referring to his Grand Prix drive in 1952 for Connaught, finishing 5th behind Ascari, Taruffi, Hawthorn and Poore. Hardback with dustwrapper in superb condition (it's been on Eric's shelf for over 45 years) 6in x 9in pp.208 £50 | |
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1264. THE THREE-POINTED STAR. The Story of Mercedes Benz. David Scott Montcrieff. I can offer two volumes of this excellent book which has become one of the standard works on Mercedes Benz. Both Hardbacks in superb condition with similarly fine dustwrappers in plastic sleeve protectors. Illustrated. 1264a. 1955 first edition owned by John Morley and containing his bookplate, plus signature and date on a piece of his notepaper. Also inside is a Brooklands Society Christmas card from film maker Bill Mason with a note referring to "the film with Largenburg". 5.5in x 8.5in pp.360 £40 |
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1012. JACK BRABHAM / B.A.R.C. Signed Menu. Menu card for B.A.R.C Annual Dinner Dance at Grosvenor House, 4 November 1966. The occasion was the presentation of the B.A.R.C Gold Medal to Jack Brabham. - Dexter Brown portrait of JB and Gold Medal on the cover. Menu dishes include "Le Consommé a la Queue de Kangarou, Filet de Turbotin Tauranac" and "La Surprise Brabham" Signed on the cover by Jack Brabham. 8 pages including printed covers. approx 8.5 x 6 in . £85 | |
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957. GREAT NAMES IN MOTOR RACING. Souvenir postal covers with postmarks. Colour art of drivers on envelopes containing sets of cards charting each driver's career plus photographs with facsimile signatures. Each postal cover has an ORIGINAL signature by the driver in question. The Great Names in Motor Racing series was produced in around 1979. Looking at the postmarks I'd say many of the cards were sent from each driver's home town so they not only signed them, but posted them too! 6.5 x 4.5 in. 1.CHRIS AMON Auckland, NZ postmark £35 SOLD |
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886. MASERATI 250F / ROB WALKER. Sideview art with Santa Claus pouring champagne into the perol tank. Christmas card from Rob Walker and signed by him. 8x5 in. £50 | |
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771. GULF GOES RACING. 1972 Promotional leaflet/ poster for Gulf Racing's Programme in 1972. History, Pictures and details of Le Mans, Indy and Can-Am cars and profiles of Gulf- sponsored drivers Peter Revson, Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme, Derek Bell and Gijs Van Lennep. signed by Gijs Van Lennep. Original 4- fold item 16.5 x 21 in. £35 | |
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713. FERRARI F1. Onyx 1:43 scale of Alain Prost's car complete with driver figure in original box with Prost's signature in felt tip on the clear lid. Two different models available as described with signed box: 1990 and 1991 cars with shape and detail differences. £50 each. | |
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627. YARDLEY McLAREN 1972 action colour photo art of Peter Revson and Denis Hulme in M19 McLarens at speed at Race of Champions, Brands Hatch. SIGNED BY DENIS HULME AND PETER REVSON. 30 x 20in. Excellent condition on heavy gloss paper. Horizontal format. £400 | |
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610. RACING DRIVER AUTOGRAPHS
MARIO ANDRETTI. Michael Turner art card of Mario in Lotus chased by Ronnie Peterson in the other team car, the season Mario won the World Championship. Clear Andretti signature in felt-tip. 7.5 x 4.5in. Ideal for framing. £55 GERHARD BERGER. BMW Motorsport Director. Teams, races and successes listed. Colour portrait of Berger. SIGNED BY BERGER. 8.5 x 4in folder. £40 Williams- BMW promotional card. Colour photo of car and Jan Magnussen's portrait and signature on reverse. 6x6in. £20 LUCIANO BURTI colour portrait on Stewart Racing card with career details on reverse. Burti is now Ferrari's test driver. 8 x 6in. SIGNED BY BURTI in felt-tip. £30 |
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544. MERCEDES / KLING. B&w photograph of Karl Kling in factory 300SL cockpit with laurel wreath after winning the 1955 Swedish Grand Prix. SIGNED BY KARL KLING. 9.5x 7in. £110 | |
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538. TONY BROOKS / FERRARI. B&w photograph of Tony Brooks sitting in GP Ferrari cockpit while mechanics work on the engine. 10.5 x 8.5in. SIGNED BY TONY BROOKS. £75 | |
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542. MERCEDES 300SL / ROB WALKER. Christmas card with Brockbank cartoon of Rob Walker in speeding 300SL. SIGNED: ROB WALKER. Mike Hawthorn crashed fatally just after passing Walker in his 300SL on the Guildford Bypass in 1959. 9 x 4in. £65 | |
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536. INDIANAPOLIS / LOU MEYER. 1934. Sepia photograph of three Indy 500 driver portraits: 1932 winner Fred Frame, 1933 winner Lou Meyer and Rex Mays. SIGNED BY LOU MEYER who won the 500 mile race three times. 8 x 5in. £75 | |
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525. McLAREN M8 CANAM. 1973. David Hodges. Cars in Profile No. 8. Full background and technical description, race coverage. Colour aspect art. SIGNED ON COVER BY DENIS HULME. £95 | |
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494. NURBURGING / MOSS. Mint original race programme for the 1961 German Grand Prix. All usual programme detail. Entry list, track map, driver photos etc. SIGNED BY STIRLING MOSS who won the race that year, beating the might of Ferrari in his Walker Lotus. pp.44 £130 | |
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489. JESSE ALEXANDER MOTOR RACING PHOTOGRAPHS Exhibition catalogue from 1985/86 retrospective. 13 photographs from the 50s and 60s. signed on flyleaf by Jesse Alexander. 16 pp. 8.5x11 in. £35 | |
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366. MONACO/ DREYFUS. Colour postcard of 1930 Monaco GP poster SIGNED BY RENE DREYFUS who won the GP in a Bugatti. Guaranteed provenance. £80 | |
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295. JOHN COOPER. Modern glossy Mini Cooper S car and accessorry catalogue. SIGNED ON COVER BY JOHN COOPER. 8x12in. pp.24 £45 | |
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294. RICHARD NOBLE. Colour magazine published to celebrate Project Thrust taking the World Land Speed Record in 1983. 8x12in. pp.24 SIGNED ON COVER BY RICHARD NOBLE. £45 |
While
regularly updated, this list may not include the very latest items in the
catalogue.
Note
that new items are always being added at the top of the first page. Click
here to return to the latest items
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