Collectors have known about the Autopen machine ever since Autograph Expert Charles Hamilton first exposed President Kennedy’s liberal use of it throughout his career back in the early 1960s. From that time, through to the present day, the Autopen has been the thorn in the side of every collector who, when examining material they have valued for years, found some to be drawn by a machine.

The original Autopen design dates back to the 1780s with a patent by none other than Thomas Jefferson. His was a simple design that used an armature to move with the writing instrument you used and copy your writing to another sheet of paper. It was sort of an early way to have a copy of what you were writing. From this original design, the modern signature machines evolved.

The most recognized version is the Model 180, used by Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy as well as LBJ. It was capable of doing one sheet of paper or a photograph and fed manually. The model 180 was a staple with NASA and members of the U.S. Senate and Congress. These machines were placed on tabletops where administrative aids would crank out signed letter after letter, or signed photo after photo. Hitting or bumping into the table caused the pen to skip, which showed up in some signed items as tell-tale signs.

From the Model 180 comes a whole new generation of machines. Most of these machines can now sign numerous photos or letters by loading up to 500 items in a feeder and spitting them out in an hour. These new machines like the Model HF can even sign items other than photos and letters. Books, baseballs, DVDs—this machine can be programmed to sign a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

The Model AF Plus can pen a personalized note along with a signature. The new favorite darling of sports teams is the Atlantic Model. It is a small machine but able to place signatures on sports equipment, posters and use and type of pen or marker. This is probably the company’s most durable workhorse.

The Autopen Company was purchased by the Damilic Corporation fifteen years ago and has really emerged with a number of innovations in signing machines and signing computer software. Suffice it to say all autograph collectors will have to keep on their collective toes and be vigilant to ever changing technology.