Autograph collecting has always been a popular hobby with children. But adults are even more caught up with what has now become a very lucrative industry. There's a great deal of money involved particularly when it comes to autographs of the rich and famous. Signatures of historical characters are also in great demand.

Collectors of celebrity autographs have spawned a huge industry.  But besides the historical interest of these autographs, do these collectors actually appreciate how much information can be extracted from their documents?

When an autograph consists of a signature and a paragraph or two of writing it's much easier to form a realistic picture of the writer.  However, a signature on its own is much more difficult to interpret accurately. The reason for this is that a signature is really a graphic indication of how the writer sees himself.  Often it shows how he would like to see himself.

Autographs of celebrities can be very revealing of their self-image. Clearly, a  signature can't tell us everything but it does reveal a lot about the writer's self-image.

For example, you sometimes see a signature with very large, inflated and ornate capitals that contrasts markedly with the rest of the autograph. This shows an individual who feels insecure but tries to hide it with a display of importance.