I am writing this guide because I'm tired of seeing so many bidders being fleeced by sellers with no conscience. As I write this I see that some poor soul is spending $261.37 + $7.50 S&H for a fake "Sitting Bull Autographed Playing Card Souvenir".

My best advice is that people do their homework before bidding. You can visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center's website for important information about fake Buffalo Bill & Wild West items. I reprint the following with their permission:

The Buffalo Bill Museum has received numerous examples of souvenir playing cards with Wild West performer signatures; however we believe the items we have seen are undoubtedly fake (see image to right). Here’s why. First, there are several anomalies in the circular stamp. There are no known authentic usages of that stamp. The name of the show was always "Buffalo Bill’s Wild West." Never in any of the advertising or show papers was it called "Buffalo Bill Cody’s" or "Wild West Show."

Second, we know of no similarly autographed playing cards existing in any collections or appearing on the market before 1998. The image to the right shows examples that have been given to the museum to validate our case. In other examples we have received, the cards all have the same stamp with the same date for the year 1884; especially note worthy is an example signed "Sitting Bull." Sitting Bull was with the show for only one season - the summer of 1885.

Third, there are anomalies in the card itself. For example, the symbols are not uniform. Considering the soiling of the card, the signature seems to be unnaturally fresh. Also, for a card showing so much wear and soil, the edges and corners show none of the rubbing or chipping that one would expect. The Buffalo Bill Museums at Lookout Mountain, Colorado, and at North Platte, Nebraska, received copies and inquiries independent of those that came to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. So far, no letter or statement of authentication from a reputable collector or dealer has been shown to us, and none of the cards has been offered, so far as we know, with demonstrable provenance. Like the supposed Annie Oakley tintypes that appeared on the market a few years ago, these cards, and others like it, cannot, in the absence of clear proof to the contrary, be assumed to be what they are purported to be.

The oval stamp is a dead giveaway for all the fakes. For one thing $1 was a lot of money to pay for a souvenir back in 1884. I've even seen it used on the back of a CDV. It's incredible how many inventive ways people use to scam someone.

The unscrupulous buy reproduction Faro Card decks to antique using coffee grounds, tea or whatever. They have had rubber stamps made for the "oval" and other official looking markings. They scribble the "autographs" with an old fountain pen. I was especially amused with the following cards pretending to be Annie Oakley souvenirs. The signatures seem to be copies of one by Gail Davis who played Annie Oakley on the old TV show instead of Annie Oakley herself.

I frequently offer a set of "faux" or facsimilie Wild West souvenir cards myself with an opening bid of $6.99 and no pretense that they are genuine. They are sold only as decorative items. Frequently the sellers of the fakes play dumb concerning the authenticity of their cards. They usually say they picked them up at an estate auction, an antique shop, a flea market or from grandma Maude. The say they don't know if they are old or not, but they look old. Sometimes "a friend" thinks they are really old. Mr. P.T. Barnum once said there is a sucker born every minute. Don't be one of them!

"Caveat emptor" (Let the buyer beware) is especially good advice for anybody wanting to buy antiques on eBay. If you are looking for Buffalo Bill collectibles I recommend getting a copy of  "The W.F. Cody Buffalo Bill Collector's Guide With Values" by James W. Wojtowicz and using the Buffalo Bill Historical Center as primary resources to make "educated" decisions when placing bids.