Reagan Memorabilia Galore Online
The Great Communicator's popularity is evident on eBay, with more than 11,000 pieces memorabilia of the late President Reagan for sale at the online auction site - although it's likely some are not genuine.
Cufflinks, cowboy hats, golf balls, baseballs and a $39 set of parfait glasses with the inaugural seal all jostled for bids Friday as entrepreneurs tried to capitalize on ubiquitous coverage of Reagan's funeral and legacy.
More than two dozen people were hawking plaques or other mementos of Reagan's 1987 speech in Berlin, when he implored Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" A full-page newspaper advertisement from 1951 featuring a youthful "Bedtime for Bonzo" hunk endorsing Jeri's Antiseptic Hair Tonic was going for $7.
Two sellers hawked framed strands of the two-term president's hair, allegedly taken from locks shorn by White House barber Milt Pitts. Priced at $150 and $350, neither offer had any bids Friday afternoon.
San Jose-based eBay Inc. didn't keep track of Reagan listings before he died June 5, but spokesman Hani Durzy said the number mushroomed in the hours after his death - similar to what happened when Bob Hope died in July.
"EBay's become a cultural barometer, whether it's for something as serious as the death of a president or something more fluffy," Durzy said. "Right before the president's death, we saw a big uptick in items related to Smarty Jones - not to compare the president and a horse, but it shows that eBay tends to mirror what's on society's mind."
Nearly 150 listings claimed to include Reagan's autograph, but experts in collectibles sounded notes of caution. A high percentage are likely fakes, particularly with Reagan.
According to research by the FBI's San Diego office, at least 50 percent of sports stars' autographs are fake. Political and historical figures' autographs are even more likely to be forged.
"The odds of getting ripped off are quite high," said John Hickey, operations manager for Dallas-based Heritage Galleries, which auctioned $240 million in coins, comic books, sports memorabilia and historical relics last year. "It's a financial minefield if you're uninformed."
Compounding the problem for Reagan buffs is the relatively simplistic signature of the 40th president, who wrote with few frills, loops and stylized letters.
"I think Reagan was a great man, but let's face it: He had the signature of a seventh- or eighth-grade boy," said Hickey, who has authentic autographs from Amelia Earhart and Janis Joplin, and whose wife owns a Bible signed by Mother Teresa. "If you have some artistic skill, a pen, and larceny in your heart, you can forge this stuff."
Reagan's death also increases sellers' profit motive. The value of a famous person's signature usually jumps after their death, Hickey said, but increases can range from 20 percent to 200 percent, depending on circumstances.