LOS ANGELES — Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill and a California legislator have teamed up to combat a problem that any collector dreads: bogus autographed memorabilia.
Hamill has seen the trouble up close, with fans showing him movie posters they believe were signed by the “Star Wars” actor.
But many are fraudulent.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Hamill is working with Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang to extend protections that apply to sports memorabilia to all signed collectibles sold by dealers in the state.
The Diamond Bar Republican wants to require certificates of authenticity for signed memorabilia sold by dealers, and entitle duped consumers to as much as 10 times the cost of a forged item in civil court.
Hamill says the public is being swindled on a daily basis.
