Describing Autographs For Sale in Auction Catalog Form

You may come across a website listing autographs for sale where they use abbrieviations in their description; this is the same form used by Autograph-Auction Catalogues to help describe the type of letter or document that is being offered for sale.

• AD: Autograph Document (hand-written by the person to be collected, but not signed)

• ADS: Autograph Document Signed (written and signed by same individual)

• AL: Autograph Letter (hand-written by the person to be collected, but not signed)

• ALS: Autograph Letter Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

• AMs: Autograph Manuscript (hand-written; such as the draft of a play, research paper or music sheet)

• AMsS: Autograph Manuscript Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

• AMusQs: Autograph Musical Quotation Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

• AN: Autograph Note (much shorter than a letter)

• ANS: Autograph Note Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

• AQS: Autograph Quote Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual; poem verse, sentence, or bar-of-music)

• DS: Document signed (printed, or while hand-written by another, is signed by individual sought to be collected)

• LS: Letter Signed (hand-written by someone else, but signed by the individual sought to be collected)

• PS: Photograph Signed or Postcard Signed

• SP: Signed Photograph

• TLS: Typed Letter Signed

• TNS: Typed Note Signed

• folio: A printer's sheet of paper folded once to make two leaves, double quarto size or larger.

• octavo(8vo): A manuscript page about six-by-nine inches. (Originally determined by folding a printer's sheet of paper to form eight leaves.)

• quarto(4to): A manuscript page of about nine and one-half by twelve inches. (Originally determined by folding a printer's sheet of paper twice to form four leaves.)