What's In A Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

A few of iTaggit's members have been writing lately about old books they have had or found. Some are first editions, some have valuable signatures, and some have no idea what they are looking at or how valuable it is. Well, if you stumble upon a book, or even a piece of paper, that happens to have William Shakespeare's signature on it, you have tremendous luck or a very interesting heirloom on your hands. Although in modern times, it seems two hours can't pass without someone needing you to sign your name, in the past it was much more rare, even if you worked with a quill and parchment on a daily basis. For all the writing Shakespeare did, his signature is one of the most scarce to find. Today, there are only six of the playwright's known authenticated signatures in existence, making his one of the most valuable in the world. The known ones can be found on a conveyance for a house in London, a legal deposition, a mortgage document, and three are in his will. Any one of those has been quoted at a value of $3 million. That amount makes any name sweet.