Why It Matters

If there’s one thing I hate to see molding in the bins it’s autographed albums. The ones that really get me are the nobodies, the artists who never achieved anything resembling success. I imagine that signing their one and only record made them feel so proud, so seeing their peak reduced to two dollar clutter breaks my heart.

Clearly that isn’t the case with Liberace. From age 20 until his death at 67, Lee was a star. When he signed this album in 1972, he was a Las Vegas icon. Thirty years after his death he still is.

Marion must have been thrilled when Mr. Showmanship signed her record, and to personalize it? Swoon! He drew a pretty nice looking piano, too, but that’s not uncommon with Liberace autographs.

And then what? Did Marion die? Was she heartbroken when the news broke that her heartthrob was gay? We’ll never know, but somehow Marion’s treasure ended up at a secondhand record store. Now it rests in my stacks next to all of the album covers signed by struggling musicians who never tasted the high life that Lee enjoyed.

The album itself is a dollar item at your local charity shop, but the autograph might trade in the 20 dollar range. Chances are I wouldn’t have found this in the bins if it were signed on the front cover and not personalized. Happy hunting.