Where Have You Gone, John Hancock?

When autograph seekers approached Steve Martin in the early 1980s, the comedian would produce a business card and hand it to his fans. The card, which included his handwritten signature, said, “This certifies that you have had a personal encounter with me and that you found me warm, polite, intelligent, and funny.”

Today, the coveted status of the celebrity autograph seems to be slipping away. Fans’ desire still lives, but as much of our media resides in digital form on our phones, the scrawling of a signature with an actual pen on actual paper seems quaint. Good luck finding something to write on if you spot Emma Stone on the street and she’s willing to indulge your request. Gone are the days of having a musician sign a record sleeve, and asking John Grisham to sign your Kindle would be awkward.