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Martin Luther King Jr. Signed 1964 TIME Man of the Year Cover — GFA Authenticated
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
SIGNED TIME MAGAZINE COVER
$4,999.99
✓ GFA AUTHENTICATED · CERTIFICATION #GFAA-11271
Seller: AutographTreasure has been an member for over 26 years with 100% positive response. We specialize in museum-quality, authenticated signed memorabilia spanning history, music, film, and pop culture.
Original January 3, 1964 TIME “Man of the Year” cover, boldly signed Martin Luther King Jr. in blue ink across the upper portrait area.
A DEFINING ARTIFACT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT — SIGNED & AUTHENTICATED
Authentication: Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators (GFA) — Certification #GFAA-11271. This item is accompanied by a full GFA Letter of Authenticity and matching Certificate of Authenticity, both signed by Stephen Rocchi, President of Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators LLC. The signature has been forensically examined and is guaranteed genuine by GFA. Buyers may verify the certification number directly with GFA.
This is an original copy of the January 3, 1964 issue of TIME magazine — the issue that named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as its 1963 Man of the Year — personally signed on the cover by Dr. King himself. It was the first time TIME had ever bestowed the honor on an African American, and it came at the very height of the civil rights movement, months after the March on Washington and Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
An authentically signed piece from Dr. King is among the most historically significant autographs a collector can own. His signed material is genuinely scarce, and a signature displayed on the very TIME cover that recognized his leadership unites the man, the movement, and the moment in a single object.
◆ ◆ ◆ THE SIGNATURE — FORENSIC EXAMINATION
The included GFA Letter of Authenticity (dated 7/21/2023) records the examined signature as Martin Luther King Jr., GFAA No. 11271, on the January 3, 1964 TIME “Man of the Year” magazine.
Ink type: Blue ink. Medium result: Affirmative — based on the approximate date of manufacture, this item would have been available to sign. Signature result: Affirmative — based on review of natural writing, slant, size, letter relationships, connecting and ending strokes, speed and flow, and letter formation, GFA examiners give the opinion that this signature is authentic.
GFA notes that style, line quality, slant, size, proportion, spacing, base alignment, initial and terminal strokes, character formation, idiosyncratic characteristics, medium and ink all display normal characteristics consistent with known exemplars.
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY
The matching GFA Certificate of Authenticity card carries certification number GFAA-11271, signed by Stephen Rocchi, President and CEO of Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators LLC.
Per the certificate, GFA has forensically examined the signature and guarantees that the item is genuine. The item has been marked with GFA’s tamper-evident certification number that fingerprints the item in the GFA database and matches this COA.
The LOA and COA share the same GFAA number (11271), tying the letter, the certificate, and the magazine together as a single authenticated set. Both accompany the item to the buyer.
◆ ◆ ◆ 1964TIME Man of the Year 1964Nobel Peace Prize 35Age at Nobel — Youngest Then 30¢Original Cover Price DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. — THE MAN AND THE MOMENT
Born: January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia
Died: April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee (age 39)
Age when this cover was published (January 3, 1964): 34
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the foremost leader of the American civil rights movement. Grounded in Christian conviction and the nonviolent methods of Mahatma Gandhi, he shunned violence as a means of change. His first major campaign, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, helped end racial segregation on that city’s public transit and established him as the movement’s most prominent voice.
He went on to lead numerous nonviolent campaigns and deliver some of the most consequential speeches in American history. His work for jobs, freedom, and equal opportunity — including the 1963 March on Washington — reshaped the nation. Over the course of his life he was arrested 29 times in the cause of justice. He dreamed of a day when every person would be judged by their character and ability rather than the color of their skin.
Just months after the events that defined 1963, TIME named him Man of the Year — the first African American ever chosen. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, at the time its youngest recipient. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39.
WHY THE 1964 “MAN OF THE YEAR” COVER MATTERS Detail Issue dateJanuary 3, 1964 Volume / NumberVol. 83, No. 1 DistinctionFirst African American named Man of the Year Honoree age at publication34 Original cover priceThirty cents
TIME’s “Man of the Year” recognition of Dr. King captured a turning point in American history. To hold that specific cover — signed by the honoree — is to hold a physical record of the moment the nation acknowledged the movement he led.
An original January 3, 1964 TIME “Man of the Year” cover, personally signed by Dr. King and accompanied by a full GFA Letter of Authenticity and matching Certificate of Authenticity (#GFAA-11271). A defining artifact of the civil rights era — history you can display.
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SHIPPING & POLICIES
Note: To prevent claims against recent claims of loss / theft / porch piracy, you MUST follow the below protocols:
1) After you submit the winning offer, and BEFORE you pay, we will reach out to you to update your address to reflect the nearest FedEx pickup location. We will search for this using Google, your zip code, and the nearest FedEx location.
2) Once your address is updated to reflect this FedEx location, we will then communicate together for you to purchase this item.
3) Your item will be SAFELY waiting for you for pickup at this FedEx location nearest to you. You will then be required to pick up your item, with a Government issued ID, to confirm your identity. Hi-res cameras at the location will also confirm your identity.
4) This is the only way we know to ensure against claims that the package never arrived, someone stole the package, the package did not get delivered, or someone somehow other than the buyer signed for it. To ensure you receive this safely and without dispute, we ship exclusively to FedEx Office locations for in-person pickup with government-issued ID. We will coordinate the nearest FedEx location to you prior to payment. This protocol protects both buyer and seller and guarantees chain-of-custody documentation for an item of this significance.
This item is fully insured for its declared value during transit. Chain-of-custody documentation is maintained throughout shipment.
All serious, reasonable offers considered.
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
International shipping is to FedEx Office locations ONLY (no home or office delivery internationally). International buyers must collect the item in person at a FedEx Office — or, where a FedEx Office is unavailable, a staffed FedEx Station with hold-for-pickup — presenting a valid government-issued photo ID. Hi-resolution cameras at the location provide third-party verification of the pickup. This is a condition of sale for all international orders.
