What's the Scoop on Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators, a New Authentication Company?

Could it be real... as in they know what they are doing?

http://gfaauthenticated.com/guarantee/ could it be that TPA's have some competition?

If authenticity is determined under such “Guarantee Resubmission” procedures to be found non-authentic, GFA shall pay the purchase price for the autograph in question or at the owner of the signature’s option to replace the signature with a GFA authenticated signature of the original signer of similar item and value. GFA will also refund the reauthentication fee and postage and insurance costs incurred by the signature owner in sending the signature to GFA. It is understood that GFA will replace the signature or refund the purchase price after reexamination and a verifiable receipt of price paid is supplied to GFA.

Of course, it would be nice to know what the procedures for determining non-authentic are..

Service pricing model seems reasonable;

http://gfaauthenticated.com/services/

Since it's headed up by Steve Rocchi could there be another player in town?;

Since 1991 Stephen Rocchi former PSA President, and founder, a former President, CEO and Founder of Global Authentication and was responsible for hiring JSA authenticator Jimmy Spence also a former PSA authenticator. Stephen Rocchi has been instrumental in bringing the three largest authentication companies into the sports world.”

Since it stands for Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators (GFA). and so long as we keep certain FDE's out of it - wouldn't it be nice.

Tags: GFA, GFA-Authentication

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin-Moderator on January 30, 2012 at 9:08am

DB,

I tried to reach Steve Rocchi after I found out about GFA Friday. He's an old friend, but we haven't talked much since the early 2000s. Last time was a few years ago.

There's no phone number or address listed on the site, so I called Steve's cell but the number I have said the holder wasn't accepting calls, so it may not be current. I emailed Steve and then his partner, Jackie, at the email addresses on GFA's site, and they bounced back. Same thing this morning. So I don't know what's going on,

But John Gorajczyk, their Forensic Document Examiner, is Board Certified by both the Assoc. of Forensic Document Examiners and Board of Forensic Document Examiners, and highly regarded. In fact, he was the first president of the AFDE. If he is actively authenticating for GFA, I think he's the only board certified FDE specializing in the authentication of autographs for resale. I emailed Gorajczyk Friday at his City of Phoenix work email address that I got from the AFDE website but I haven't heard back yet. I don't know if it's outdated.

GFA's pricing, though, just doesn't make sense. No more than $30 for a forensic examination AND a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. They're going to guarantee a 5-figure Babe Ruth ball for a total of $30? And how can you do a real forensic exam at that price?

But look at Gorajczyk's resume and compare it to the resumes of Morales, Frangipani, Drew Max and Frank Garo:

John Gorajczyk

A retired police officer from the Phoenix Police Department, John specialized in forensic science as a forensic document examiner. His career in law enforcement started in 1973 where he held positions as a patrol officer, evidence technician, chief identification specialist and autograph authentication consultant. John received his degree in Criminal Justice from Lewis University in Joliet, Illinois.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Association of Forensic Document Examiners (1987)
Association of Forensic Document Examiners First President of AFDE (1987)
American Society for Testing Materials
Board of Forensic Document Examiners (Administrator)
International Association of Identification (Lifetime Member)
Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists
Pan American Association of Forensic Scientists
International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators
The Fingerprint Society

CERTIFICATIONS

Board Certified – Association of Forensic Document Examiners (2000)
Board Certified – Board of Forensic Document Examiners (2003)

PUBLICATIONS

“A Technique for Restoring Obliterated Serial Numbers on Plastic Cards” – Identification News, November 1980, page 7

“Stabilized Cyanoacrylate” – Identification News, March, 1985

“Reverse Thin Layer Chromatography for Ink Examination” – Reprint, Journal of Forensic Document Examiners, 1987

“Photocopier Examination and Identification” – American Jurisprudence, December 1993

“The Effect of Alcohol Concentration on Handwriting” (Abstract) – International Journal of Forensic Document Examiners, Jan/Mar 1996

“Handwriting is a Science” (Abstract) – International Journal of Forensic Document Examiners, Jan/Mar 1998.

Developed Document Section of DuPage County Crime Laboratory in 1980.

Developed and wrote Standards Operating Procedures for Document Section for Accreditation by ASCLD.

Developed Document Section of Phoenix Police Department Crime Laboratory in 1993.

Developed and wrote Standards Operating Procedures for Document Section for Accreditation by ASCLD.

COURT QUALIFICATIONS

Testified in over one-hundred-seventy (176) Federal, State and Local Courts in Cook County, DuPage County, St. Clair County, McDonough County, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Massachusetts and Texas.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin-Moderator on January 30, 2012 at 9:35am

I'd like to read his publication from 1998:

“Handwriting is a Science” (Abstract) – International Journal of Forensic Document Examiners, Jan/Mar 1998.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Fields on February 15, 2012 at 6:53pm

Is Drew Max in the same category as Morales? I thought he was the Pawn Stars guy? Is he a bad apple too?

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Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on February 16, 2012 at 5:05pm

Let's just say that Pawn Stars has a less than sterling reputation for..."reality".

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin-Moderator on February 16, 2012 at 5:30pm

He was about the same as Morales. He seems to have become better since December for some reason.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Williams on February 16, 2012 at 5:37pm

Steve, why would you write "He seems to have become better since December for some reason.?"

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin-Moderator on February 16, 2012 at 6:03pm

Because someone opening an autograph gallery in Florida bought something like 40 framed autograph displays from Antiquities for her new store. She asked for them to be authenticated by AAU/Drew Max, as she always had. Drew Max has been Antiquities' authenticator of choice for years, so they said great. She got a call a couple weeks before Christmas that he failed all but one of them. I never heard of them failing anything from Antiquities before.

Oh...and they refused to refund her money!