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| History and Press Michael Wehrmann first began his pursuit of autographs in 1979 at the age of 13. Hanging around Shea Stadium and hotels in New York, he began collecting signatures of his favorite athletes. His interest turned to the arts and he began obtaining signatures of movie stars and music personalities at various venues in the New York City area. By 1984 autograph collecting was still in its infancy and consisted mainly of a small group of older autograph collectors who got signatures on 8x10 photos and autograph books. Early encounters with such classic stars as Greta Garbo (outside whose home Wehrmann became a fixture), Cary Grant and Richard Burton were always exciting. But after obtaining a large number of autographs from music superstar Michael Jackson in February 1984, Wehrmann decided to see if it was possible to make a living doing what he loved. Taking the Michael Jackson and some other contemporary signatures to an autograph show he was mobbed by dealers and went home with more money than he had ever made. In 1986 he began spending his winters in Los Angeles in order to obtain signatures of some of the older star who seldom left the West Coast. As the 80's turned in the 90's, Wehrmann employed a staff of assistants to help him obtain signatures at events, hotels, airports, etc. often obtaining multiple signatures from the most famous people in the world. In the early 1990's, things began to change. Up until this time Michael Wehrmann was the only person obtaining and selling autographs in quantity. His only competition at airports and hotels were paparazzi photographers. As autograph collecting became more popular the monopoly which Wehrmann held on the contemporary in-person autograph market began to fade. The old guard of autograph wielding older "stage door johnny's" was replaced by a new breed of younger, more brazen autograph dealers. By the mid 90's it was not unusual to see car chases and crowds of fans hanging around hotels in search of autographs. The celebrity autograph business was booming and many celebrities began to change their signing habits as they realized their autographs were being sold. At this point Wehrmann began contacting agents and arranging private signings at which the celebrity would sign a large amount of items and be compensated. Wehrmann saw this as a much fairer (and easier) way to obtain signatures. He continues to obtain signatures from rock stars on guitars and still enjoys getting certain celebrities at events, but sees private signings as the future of the business. As the new millennium begins, he continues his lifelong quest of making authentic signatures available to the public. Michael Wehrmann has appeared on numerous television shows including "20/20", "Entertainment Tonight", "Inside Report", "9 Broadcast Plaza" and countless foreign TV shows. He has also been featured in many magazines and newspapers - click a cover to view
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