Featured Book signed by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor

I've been doing research on this angle. AppraisalLoft was an appraisal management service. It appears that they got in trouble and closed down due to contracted appraisers complaining that they were not getting paid.
I haven't found any details about the owner's Ponzi scheme though I do find mention of it, of course.

 

It seems they did:

Duke & Duchess of Windsor-signed Menu | Antiques Roadshow | PBS

And:

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor sign their autographs for torpedoed... News Photo - Getty Images

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson’s signatures revealed in old autograph book | Royal | News | Express.co.uk

I do wish I could read the book owner's penciled signature in the front of my book. That might be a helpful angle to research... though whomever owned the book in 1886 may not have owned the book when it was *possibly* signed by the D&D of Windsor.

 

Thank you! I am now corrected; had no idea that they did so although I do know that they did other things for renumeration. They were "paid guests," for instance, and could be hired for dinner parties.

Debora

 

They did anything that earned money.

 

Without provenance, the signatures in my book will always be suspect.
I just need to decide whether they are likely enough to merit the purchase.

 

I also see Booth, first name Deirdre? I looked around a bit but didn’t find the name but I am in the US.

 

*”remuneration”

 

Maybe the pen belonged to the owner of the book?

 

the color of ink certainly follows some rules.
in the old Prussian rules the green one was for the ruler or highest person working on a document; then came the red for state secretaries, the purple for secretaries and at the bottom blue or brown for the normal "Gov't Mules"...

 

"netflix"...

 

Maybe nitpicking but I find it odd that the London based office of the appraisers would spell George Eliot's name incorrectly.

 

Agreed. The appraisal is pretty worthless. But does that necessarily mean that the book is, too...

 

I've expressed concern over the authenticity of the signatures to the seller, who immediately offered to take the return and issue a refund.
Poll: Shall I accept?

 

yes.

 

Well, it was fun while it lasted...

 

The word, "Duke", appears to have been written with a fountain pen, if that means anything?

I'm not so sure they didn't sign it for a souvenir for a fan. The second name appears to have been signed while someone else was holding the book out, as it does not appear to be "fluid" but messy and irritated. I do think it's them, but of course I don't know what you have into it!

 

‘Most probably from Wallis Simpson’
Would a professional appraisal say that? Sounds like a leap of faith to me but I am ignorant of such matters!.
Without submitting it to an autograph expert I’d be very suspicious.

 

I agree the appraisal is worthless. It's from an appraisal management company that contracted appraisers and was likely just a low-cost option to get something "authenticated". But... that doesn't necessarily mean that the item itself is fake, just that the then-owner chose cheaply/badly for an appraisal.

 

I'll go ahead and reveal that... $200 US.

 

Oh my. THAT^^ would be my point of quandary too then!
While all of this and that are suspect, something intangible in me thinks the sigs are more "on the level" than the appraisal!

The appraisal does it little to no justice. Maybe makes it less believable.
Were it mine, I might return it for having come with shoddy paperwork!