Charles Hamilton

Charles Hamilton was born in Ludington, Michigan, and raised in Flint, Michigan. At age 12, he collected his first autograph, that of Rudyard Kipling. During World War II, he served in the US Army Air Corps. In 1952 he began to specialize in identifying handwriting and autographs. In 1963 he opened an auction gallery called Charles Hamilton Galleries in New York City. He wrote many books, including The Signature of America: A Fresh Look at Famous Handwriting (1979). He became a leading handwriting expert, known for his ability to spot forgeries, and he became engaged in several notable controversial cases.