Anne Frank’s Diary: The Ballpoint Pen Myth and Forensic Proof
Claims that Anne Frank’s diary was a forgery written with a ballpoint pen spread in the 1980s. Forensic science proved the diary’s authenticity and ended the myth.
Bart Baggett- Ask a Forensic Handwriting Expert
Articles by Bart Baggett.
Bart Baggett- Ask a Forensic Handwriting Expert
Articles by Bart Baggett.
Tag handwriting expert
Adolf Beck: The Handwriting Error That Changed British Justice
Adolf Beck spent years in prison for crimes he didn’t commit, all due to handwriting evidence and mistaken identity. His case changed British law forever.
Why Most Americans Can’t Read Cursive Anymore
Most Americans can’t read cursive handwriting. Here’s how volunteers in the National Archives’ Citizen Archivist Program are making history accessible—one document at a time.
Robert Durst’s ‘Cadaver’ Note: The Handwriting That Ended Decades of Denial
Robert Durst’s handwritten ‘cadaver’ note, sent anonymously to police, became the evidence that helped convict him of murder after years of denial and speculation.
Charles Manson’s Disputed Will: The Ongoing Battle Over His Estate
Charles Manson’s 2002 will, produced by a prison pen pal, has sparked years of legal battles over his estate. The authenticity of the will’s signature remains unresolved.
Kerouac’s Mother’s Will Ruled a Forgery: The $20 Million Signature Dispute
In 2009, a judge ruled Jack Kerouac’s mother’s will a forgery after an expert found fifty differences in the signature. The $20 million estate’s future was left in limbo.
Anna Anderson: The Anastasia Impostor and the Handwriting That Fooled Experts
Anna Anderson convinced experts she was Anastasia using handwriting evidence, but decades later, DNA proved she was not the lost Romanov.
The Jack the Ripper Diary: When Handwriting Tells the Real Story
When a Victorian scrapbook surfaced claiming to be Jack the Ripper’s confession, handwriting analysis—not chemistry—revealed it didn’t match James Maybrick.
Howard Hughes and the “Mormon Will” Forgery Case
When Howard Hughes died in 1976, a handwritten will appeared out of nowhere, splitting his fortune in unexpected ways. A Las Vegas jury called it a forgery after a dramatic trial.
The Lindbergh Ransom Notes: How Handwriting Shaped a Historic Case
The Lindbergh kidnapping case turned on thirteen ransom notes and a controversial handwriting analysis. Eight examiners agreed on their findings, but the way exemplars were collected still shapes forensic practice today.