Sometimes the Valentino Items find you!!

Hello all, please forgive me for my absence.  I just spoke with my fellow Valentino collector friend, Jim Craig you asked where I have been.  He told me it had been almost a year since I have posted.  Which is ridiculous!  I am still very much a collector and fan.  I have been so busy with work, a small business and family!

Anyway, I have a great Valentino Collectible story to share with you.  About 5 years ago I purchased a cut signature on ebay.  The wording of the listing was a bit confusing and I assume the seller was unaware of what they had.  Long story short, I purchased the signature for about $100.  I was ecstatic and could not wait to get my new autograph in the mail.  I was hesitant and wanted to examine it up close!  After a week or two I grew impatient and was curious where my autograph was.  I contacted the seller who told me it shipped and provided me tracking information.  The tracking stated my package had been delivered!  I contacted the post office....nothing, checked with neighbors....nothing.  I was so upset that my autograph was no where to be found.

Fast forward a few weeks ago.  I went out to our subdivision garage sale.  I walked across the street about 4 houses down, went into their garage, looked down.....and there it was!  My cut Valentino signature with a sticker that read  $10.  I literally picked it up, held it in my hand and began laughing.  The man, who's house I was at, looked at me funny.  I looked at him and said, "you are not going to believe this; but this is mine."  I went on to tell him the entire story.  He seemed "busted" to say the least that he had received my mail and not returned it to me.  He quickly said, well, uh, I got that in the mail, I did not know what it was and simply threw it aside.  I said look, I will pay your $10; but this is mine.  He quickly said, no, no, I feel terrible.  Take it, it's yours.  He then asked me why would I buy this in the first place.  I said because I was a Valentino collector.  He obviously had no idea what he had.  He proceeded to show me a few baseball cards he had for sale which he bragged were worth $10-$20, which he had looked up online.  How fortuitous for me that he failed to type in Rudolph Valentino autograph!  With my autograph tightly in hand I quickly left his home, walked 5 houses up and brought home my "find" 5 years later!  I was more shocked than upset that I actually got back my autograph!  Unbelievable!  Anyway, it was the best day I have ever had at a garage sale!

Signed Copy of Monsieur Beaucaire Book

This is a rare example of a movie tie-in book signed by Valentino.  The book is Monsieur Beaucaire, which was made into a film Valentino made in 1924.  The inscription reads: Cordially Yours, Rudolph Valentino, Strand Theatre, August 16, 1924.  I assume this was obtained by a fan or possibly the theater owner.  Valentino may have been there promoting the film.  This is a fantastic example of Valentino's signature along with an inscription.  This would be a fairly valuable piece.

Candid Photo of Valentino with Secretarial Signature

This is a rare, candid photo of Rudy dated 1925. This candid snapshot is signed, "To Lyle, Sincerely Rudy, 11-14-25." After some great feedback and taking the time to review the photo closer, this is definitely not signed by Valentino. Thanks for the call-out! I would be very interested in finding out who signed this on his behalf, a secretary, Pola, George Ullman, who knows?. Valentino appears to be wearing the same ensemble from the film Cobra. Candid shots of Rudy that were not mass produced are extremely desirable. Donna gave some great background to this photo, thank you for that. The photo was taken at Pola Negri's home, with different variations appearing in Donna's book. The fact this is not signed by Valentino obviously brings the value down. It is still a rare photo and these types of items do not surface very often.

1922 Personalized Autographed Photo

This is a fantastic example of an autographed photo of Valentino, it is dated 1922. He personalized it to Hazel, The Will O'the Wisp. Thanks to Fiferstone for the update on the term Will O'the Wisp, which I originally misread as wisdom. There are many terms to define this saying, the most interesting I found was "Ghost Lights," or "Orbs." Knowing that Valentino had a spirit guide and had an slight interest in the occult makes this autograph very unique. When I save photos to later post on the blog I often save any information, I have with the photo, in this case I saved the name, Hazel Beamer Miles. I assume this is the Hazel he addressed on the photo. I was unable to find any information on her. I am unsure if she worked in the business, or was simply a friend of Valentino's. If anyone has any further information, let me know.

Hand Written Letter from Valentino

Bryan, who is new to reading the blog, the owner of the Monsieur Beaucaire Coat I posted a few days ago has sent me some absolutely fantastic photos of items from his personal collection to post. This is a hand written letter from 1923 as they set sail for Europe. It is addressed to Mr. Rosen, I believe thanking him for a basket he had sent to the Valentino's. It is written in Valentino's favorite green ink on the ships stationary. This is yet another "one of a kind item." Yes there are other letters out there but each one is obviously unique. This one is wrote in the green ink, it is dated, and signed with his full name. Overall, a truly fantastic and valuable piece! Congratulations Bryan and thank you so much for sharing, we all really appreciate it!

Rare Alberto Valentino Autographed Photo

This is a rare find. It is a Henry Waxman photograph of Rudolph Valentino signed by his brother, Alberto Valentino. The photo reads:

To Mrs. Pearl M. Smith, In memoriam of my beloved Rudy, devotedly, Alberto Guglielmi Valentino, Sept. 1927

It is not common to find Alberto's signature on one of Rudy's photos. This makes this piece more unique and more valuable. The value would not bring as much as Rudy's signature but, would still bring a generous amount. As I have previously noted, it is amazing the similarities between the handwriting of these brothers, especially the way in which they both sign Valentino.

Rudolph Valentino Autographed Page

This is a great Valentino autograph, most likely from a scrapbook of some sort. This particular signature is unique in the fact that it is dated and shows where he signed it, London. This is when he went to Europe in 1923. This would be a great piece if it was framed and mounted with a few photos of Valentino from this trip!

Personal Note Hand Signed by Rudolph Valentino

My favortie part of this note is when he talks about someone who brought him "vile red wine." He states that if he tried to bring him this wine again he would shoot him. He also wanted a note with some fresh fruit that reads: Ton Querido. I looked this up, Ton is French for Your, and Querido is Spanish for Dear. Valentino spoke fluent Italian, English, Spanish, and French. I have read that in most of Blood and Sand he spoke Spanish, in most of Monsieur Beaucaire he spoke French. This is a one of kind piece that would be very valuable.

Rudolph Valentino's Personal Make-Up Case

This is a fantastic one of a kind item. This is Valentino's personal make-up case. He signed his name of the top of the case. This recently sold at an auction house for a few thousand dollars. This is a fantastic item!

Signed Checks

These are four great examples of checks Valentino signed. I find the first one to be the most valuable and interesting it was addressed to Nazimova, who he co-starred in Camille with. They are very valuable and desirable. Autographed photos are more desired and more valuable; however these still go for $1000 and up.

Self Portrait Signed Painting

This is a one of a kind self-portrait painting of Valentino. He signed the photo in the bottom right corner of the painting. As far as the value, name your price. Just an unbelievable piece.

More Autographed Photos

These are three more great examples of Valentino's autograph. Sometimes he signed R. Valentino, sometimes he signed Rudolph Valentino. In the first photo notice it was signed with a green pen, it has been said that green pens were his favorite. Most of his autographs are personalized. Not extremely rare to find, just very, very expensive.

Autographed Photo of Rudolph Valentino

This is an excellent example of a personalized autographed photo, these are getting more and more difficult to find. The prices on these autographed photos are starting to go up in the thousands, even over $10,000. I would say the average range is $1000 to $5000. It all depends on the photo, the condition of the photo, the size of the photo, if it is personalized and if the signature is still bold or faded.