Elvis Presley and The Beatles Top List of Most Forged Autographs of 2012

They say fake it till you make it.

Legendary rock stars Elvis Presley and the Beatles sit at top of the list for most forged autographs of 2012, memorabilia authenticators PSA/DNA said Thursday. They also nabbed the top spot two years ago, joining the likes of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and late pop star Michael Jackson, according to Reuters.

Director of entertainment and music memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles Margaret Barrett says faux signatures began when secretaries and assistants received huge influxes of fan mail asking for autographs.

"Back in the day, the kids would write to the movie studios," she said. "There was absolutely no financial gain 50 years ago and secretaries and assistants just wanted to make them happy. A lot of times people stumble upon an old box of signed photographs in grandma's attic and don't know they're forged."

But for avid collectors who want to verify their memorabilia is true blue, Barrett says to check against reliable documents. "A good rule of thumb is to compare it a signed contract," she said. "Sometimes (celebrities) would have secretaries or other sign photos and letters but they couldn't have a contract signed by a proxy."

Via: Yahoo! News