"A mechanical device capable of faithfully replicating a person's signature, the auto­pen has been used by every President since. Lately, it's been the subject of considerable controversy: Joe Biden is facing multiple investigations and the ongoing scorn of his successor, Donald Trump, for using an autopen to sign scores of pardons and commutations in his final days in office. And Biden is hardly the first President to take flak for the practice."
"'For us collectors and dealers, it is,' Bomsey says. Indeed, only wet-signature documents make the wall of fame in his home office-the centerpiece of which is a government appointment marked with George Washington's signature, featuring a distinctive small circle floating above the period after his first-name initial of G. 'I told my wife,' Bomsey says, ' 'If the house catches fire, grab that first.' ' Yet while robot signatures are a bane to collectors, Bomsey sees plenty of value in automation-especially at the White House."
Ed Bomsey began collecting autographs in the mid-1960s after acquiring a letter signed by Harry Truman, which he values as a genuine hand-signed piece. Autopens are mechanical devices able to replicate signatures and have been used by every President since Truman. The devices have generated controversy, including recent scrutiny over Joe Biden's use to sign pardons and commutations and historical criticism after Charles Hamilton exposed John F. Kennedy's autopenning, calling the device "accursed." Collectors prize wet signatures as superior, while some acknowledge autopens' administrative utility at the White House.
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