Autographs used to be a way of proving you had really met a famous person--the way a signature in a hotel guest book could prove that Abraham Lincoln had actually slept there. Today, however, most autographs that are collected either disappear in a drawer and or the trash, or they end up in collectible stores or online auctions like eBay.

"I remember whenever I got good grades in school, my mom would say, 'Congratulations, do you want to go to What's on Second?' [a local sports collectibles store]," says New England Patriots' Superbowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady. "I'd always say 'Let's go!' The card market is pretty amazing. When you have something signed by someone you admired as a kid, you feel like you have a little piece of them. It's just continued to grow, mainly because people seem to have a fixation; they like to buy baseball cards. We're asked to participate in a lot of card shows, and it isn't until you get there that you realize how big a deal the card industry really is. Shoot, the whole memorabilia industry is amazing now. To think that Luis Gonzalez's gum went for as much as it did, that's amazing to me."

Luis Gonzalez's gum really did go for a large amount of money on eBay--over $3,000--leading Seattle Mariner's reliever Jeff Nelson to try and sell bone chips from his elbow on the service soon after. Unfortunately for him, eBay has a rule against selling body parts, so Nelson's auction was soon cancelled.

An autograph can just as easily be junk as it can be treasure. Brady knows this from experience, having had to tell more than one memorabilia store owner that a football in their possession supposedly signed by him was really a forgery. "When you talk about how big of a business autographs is, and how much money is involved, you can understand why people are trying to cut corners. I know I'm a little apprehensive when I see older guys standing outside waiting for my autograph."

The only way to be sure that your piece of memorabilia is genuine, whether it comes from an actor, athlete, musician, or serial killer (yes, people collect autographs from them as well) is to make contact with the person yourself (well, maybe not the serial killer). This can be difficult with some celebrities, but others are very easy to track down and are more than willing to offer you their signature for your collection. If you're smart, sane, and prepared to do a little home (and leg) work, you can contact just about any celebrity out there and let them know how much you appreciate their work.

In-Person vs. Mailed or Sold

Not everyone seeking an autograph is a real fan. Many people are professionally employed autograph seekers, and some spend hours every day in pursuit of a celebrity moniker, earning up to six figures a year in the process.

An "in-person" autograph seeker heads to places where celebrities are known to hang out--a store or a hot restaurant--and they'll wait... and wait... and wait. When they finally do spot a celebrity, the most hardcore autograph hunters will go to their car and delve through some of the thousands of headshots they keep on hand--just in case--to find the right ones and try to get the star to sign them for them.

Other times they'll work in concert with people in other businesses like limo drivers, bell boys, or maitre d's who will call and let them know when someone famous is inside. But not every celebrity is willing to sign, especially when they know they're dealing with a professional who is going to make a lot of money off their name. Stars like Tobey Maguire, Cameron Diaz, and Britney Spears have been notoriously unlikely to put a pen to picture, with stars like Sean Penn and Edward Norton making a scene when they say no.

"I can always tell a genuine fan and an eBay junkie," Ewan McGregor reportedly told London's Daily Star adding that he might not bother signing any more autographs in the future since so many show up on eBay. Some stars like Madonna and Julia Roberts only sign autographs for charity. Yet, others like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie seem to be more than happy to sign a photo when asked.

In Person

Spotting a celebrity at the mall or on the street can be an exciting experience. Just remember, for the most part, they are people, too. They're not wild animals that have just escaped from the zoo although I'm sure they feel that way at times). Here are some basic points to remember when you do spot your favorite celeb out and about:

Stay calm. You don't want to frighten your celebrity away!

Smile. People always respond to smiles since it makes them feel more comfortable (unless you're Jack Nicholson in Batman!)

Be informed. Know who it is you just spotted. If all you have in mind is, "Aren't you the guy who played that guy... ," then you should probably not approach.

• Don't interrupt. If the celebrity is on the phone, eating, in the bathroom, or talking to someone else, just leave them alone. If they happen to be with their children, don't bother them (especially their kids) either.

• Keep moving. Don't hang around and freak them out. Step back and talk to someone else until you see there's a lull in the conversation or they're about to leave.

• Be real. As J-Lo likes to point out, she's still "Jenny from the Block." Whether you believe that or not, try and talk to them with respect and courtesy like they're real people.

• Stay low-key. If you talk loudly or cause a big scene, the celebrity will most likely be out of there faster than Gigli was out of the theatres.

• Be creative. "Would you mind signing this for my kid" usually seems to work--even if you don't have a kid. You didn't hear that from me.

During the past few decades, there have been thousands of incidents of stalking turned ugly. Tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by a German fan. A fan of Brad Pitt's broke into his house, slept in his bed, wore his clothes, and was found with a book of witchcraft and a long needle with ribbons around one end. (We don't want to know what that was for.) Madonna's fan chose the wrong superstar to mess with when he climbed over the wall to her house and was shot three times by her security guard.

But you don't have to be a complete psycho to be accused of stalking. Many people have been accused of invading a celebrity's personal space for being just a little too persistent. The tips below will help make sure you don't meet your favorite celebrity... in court.

Good: Spotting a celebrity on the street and asking if they'd mind having their photo taken with you.

Bad: Taking the celebrity's photo without permission as he or she eats dinner at a restaurant.

Ugly: Taking the celebrity's photo without their permission as they head into their plastic surgeon or therapist's office.

Good: Sending a letter to a celebrity telling them about your favorite movies they've been in.

Bad: Sending 18 letters to a celebrity telling them about your favorite movies they've been in.

Ugly: Sending 18 letters to a celebrity telling them about the voices in your head that tell you to kill.

Good: Showing up at a book signing and purchasing the book that the celebrity recently wrote then asking them to sign it.

Bad: Showing up at a book signing with an unauthorized biography about the celebrity that he or she didn't write and asking them to sign it.

Ugly: Spitting on the celebrity at their book signing because you disagree with his or her past actions. (This actually happened to Jane Fonda at one of her recent book signings!).

By Mail

Since the odds of running into your favorite star on the street are somewhat low, here are the best ways to reach him or her by mail:

Most celebrities receive fan mail every day. Some get thousands of letters each week, which is why sometimes other people employed by the celebrity will handle their mail. These people come in the form of personal assistants, managers, publicists, and agents. When mail is received, the person opening it usually sorts it into three piles. These include things to be discarded, requests for autographed photos, and "special" correspondence that are usually letters from people who claim to know the celebrity or letters that tell a good story which might interest the star. Sometimes it includes letters from people who have simply put in a lot of effort. This last pile is the one you want to get your letter into.

So how do you make sure your correspondence gets noticed?

There's a fine line between making a letter personal and meaningful to a celebrity and sending something that freaks them out and puts you on their list of potential stalkers. (Yes, these lists really do exist.)

Here's the difference between meaningful and creepy.

Meaningful: Discussing how you're a friend of the celebrity's uncle.

Creepy: Telling the celebrity how you slept with his or her uncle.

Meaningful: Stating how you've always respected the person's work.

Creepy: Telling them you have 18 copies of their first film.

Meaningful: Including a nice photo of you waving hello.

Creepy: Including a nude shot of yourself.

Including your photo is a good way to get noticed enough to have something personal sent back. When the celebrity or celebrity's assistant can put a face with your letter, it's less likely they'll treat it like the 1600 others in front of them. Remember Rosie O'Donnell's talk show where she'd always talk about a letter she received from a "cutie patootie?" That's what I mean. Or watch Ellen DeGeneres' talk show and notice how she mentions things people have sent her that almost always include a photo.

Professional autograph hounds usually include an unsigned 8x10 photo of the celebrity and some unsigned index cards plus a Sharpie pen and a self-addressed stamped envelope to make it as easy as possible for the star to sign the photo and send it back. Doing this, however, sometimes makes the celebrity or assistant think the signed photo will only end up on eBay, which they don't like.

Instead, be personal. Reveal how the celebrity's persona or work has had an impact on you. Did they get you to exercise more? Explore a different culture? Treat your kids better? The easiest rule of thumb is to think "if I received a letter like this out of 100 others and didn't know the person, would I take it to heart?"

Follow the rules below and you'll find yourself getting signed photos back in the mail in no time:

Be polite. Whether you're requesting an autograph in person or through the mail, remember they may be famous but they don't owe you anything.

Be original. If you use a form letter, it will be obvious from the start that you don't really care about them.

Be personable. Tell the person what you admire about them, but don't fawn. Concentrate on things the celebrity has achieved that make them proud instead of parts in films that brought them money but little satisfaction. For instance, if you're writing Angelina Jolie, talk about how much you admire the fact that she donates so much time and money to orphanages in Cambodia and has adopted two children. That will most likely get a better response than. "I loved you in Tomb Raider."

Be positive. Don't touch on negative things in the person's life, and try to steer clear of your own problems unless the story you're telling depends on it. If you lost your leg in a mosh pit at a Marilyn Manson concert then by all means go into great detail (he'd probably like that). But trust me... Martha Stewart does not want to hear about your enlarged prostate or the guy that dumped you. And she especially doesn't want to be reminded that she went to prison or is a convicted felon.

KISS. No, not the envelope. KISS is short for "Keep It Simple, Stupid". No celebrity wants to read five pages of handwritten scrawl about your dog Muffin. Well maybe Ellen does, but she's the exception.

Make it clear. Use a word processing program like Microsoft Word to type and print your letter. Celebrities are busy--they do not have time to decipher your handwriting.

Make it easy. Include a folded 9x12 manila envelope with postage affixed (this is called a self-addressed stamped envelope or SASE) inside a 10x13 envelope. If you're not sure how much postage to include, ask your local post office or use an online service like Stamps.com to calculate and print exact postage from your computer. Celebrities may have a lot of money, but they're not going to pay for postage to reply to every fan letter they receive.

Also include your own photo of the celebrity. This can be a photo torn from the pages of a magazine, or there are many places you can buy them online. A great place to get quality unsigned celebrity photos is http://www.AmazingCelebrityPhotos.com. Most stars have headshots and still photos from their most recent film they can sign and send you, but if they've run out, including one of your own will make getting a reply that much easier.

Keep it short. Your letter should be one to two pages typed, double-spaced.

Give a good reason. If you want the celebrity to write you back, you have to give them a reason. Asking a question is a great way to do this, especially if the question relates to something the person loves. When I was younger I wrote a letter to Kathy Bates asking her what the word "Towanda" meant that she kept yelling in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.

She wrote me back on pig stationery (a nod to her role in Misery) that the word was a battle cry for an African Queen named Towanda, and that the scene where this had been explained had been cut from the final version of the movie. (It's now included on the Collector's Edition DVD.) She also included a full-size Fried Green Tomatoes poster. At the time, Kathy Bates had just won an Oscar for Misery, so don't think that just because a celebrity is famous, they won't write you back.

Ask for what you want. If you don't ask for a signed photo, you probably won't get one.

Be complete. Make sure everything you send has your name and address on it in case your material gets separated when the mail gets opened. Put your details on the envelope, on the letter, on the back of the photo, on the index card, on the SASE, etc. Put it on everything--just in case.

Be cheap. Don't send anything valuable that can't be replaced. There's no guarantee you'll get it back. Maybe you'd really like Ben Affleck to sign that Good Will Hunting poster you bought, but when that huge package gets delivered to his agent's office, it becomes more of a problem than a favor--especially with increased security regarding packages from unknown people. (This is true even if you send something via UPS or FedEx.) If you want Hilary Duff to sign a CD, just send the liner notes, not the entire disc. Remember, if an item cost you a lot of money and it gets lost in the mail because you sent it to a celebrity, that's your problem.

Be reasonable. One per customer--do not send 15 items to be signed or even three index cards. This is supposed to be about a fan connecting with their favorite star and that star doing them a small favor, not making a fortune on eBay. Though you won't get killed for selling an autograph to make money (like an old one you no longer want), being respectful and courteous is always the best way to get a reply.

Be professional. Spell check, spell check, spell check! (Checking your grammar couldn't hurt, either.)

Be patient. Getting a reply normally takes six to eight weeks, sometimes sooner--sometimes later. If the celebrity is filming a movie on location and away from home, it can take a while. Some celebrities take up to a year to send back a reply. The key here is to be patient. Remember, good things come to those who wait!

Clubs & Associations:

Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC)