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Authenticity is Everything
Authentication Ethics and the "Gray Area"
When you send something to PSA/DNA or Roger Epperson for example you will get some of two responses. Likely Genuine or Likely Not Genuine. But should there be a gray area? I have only heard of 1 instance where PSA/DNA said they just could not tell and thus awarded the submitter a credit for another authentication (not a refund). I can see why they don't want to refund them, they did provide a service either way but I feel there should be more honestly from the authenticators with the sharpie age of signature because out of context a lot of them are impossible to tell if they are real or not. Case in point, Steven Tyler. This guy signs a ton these days and it isn't common for him to just put an S.T. or even Dave Grohl.... how can anyone say for sure that this autograph is real?
now, I know these are real as I know the sellers and they are 100% above board if I didn't have that context and I was an authenticator how could I know for sure when all I have is the image and no context?
So, should there be a gray area? Would you feel ok with an "We just can't tell"?
To me there is 100% slam dunk authentic and 100% slam dunk fake but often on this site I ask for the context because I can't sometime tell unless I see the source.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dan Gregory on
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Good topic. Some honesty and saying we cannot say or don't know would be quite refreshing.
I collect a lot of Olympians autographs and have a lot of New Zealand sports peoples autographs going back decades. I once asked PSA to authenticate them as I was looking to sell a few and they said they could not authenticate as they did not have enough examples on file. This was fine until a week later I saw someone else who sends lots of items for mass authentication selling items by some of the same people with a PSA authentication where you could not see the signature.
A 3rd answer would be good and might bring back some sense of confidence in authenticators
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interesting. I know from time to they don't authenticate certain people for one reason or another.
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Permalink Reply by Mike T on
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No TPA should authenticate anything that is not 100%, how can they? There is no possible way to say it's authentic, and they have no business guessing. But alas.. I'm just going to leave these here...
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oh Meg.... She signed a normal full name one for my friend one time. I saw it. But PSA would not authenticate it lol.
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LoL.. Probably because it didn't match their exemplars of random squiggle lines.
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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on
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A line on a Chinese ball ? Is it PSA? Chees its.
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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on
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The world is what it is. TPA have become important due to a loss of confidence in the individual dealers. And there's big bucks on the line.
I understand that nobody wants forgeries and secretarial signatures being sold to a rushed world that has no time to gain the skills necessary to authenticate autographs themselves. I know that it is no longer who I buy from that is important. I must now try to determine if a third party service will agree with me or be ready to suffer the wrath of an unforgiving public.
There is not one dealer I have done business with that I have not or cannot find someone to say it's not real from time to time. Some are big time UACC Registered Dealers. Try to get your money back from one of them!
Cleaning up the hobby clouds the issue even for the good guys. But someone has to be the final word. Like it or not it's better than a world gone rampant. Third party authenticators take a load off my shoulders. I do my best I can and let the chips fall where they may.
And, BTW, why would anyone buy a scribble as a Meg Ryan even if a third party authenticator says it's real. Geez!
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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on
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I absolutely agree that there are many signatures I have seen with TPA stickers that have no business being authenticated. they would command much more respect if they offered "not able to render an opinion" and sent the item and money back.
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I like your name for it better.
With Meg specifically how can anyone say this is or isn't real? Furthermore, how is this considered a signature anyway. If with exact proof all you are buying is a line she drew on something.
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I have had two episodes where JSA and PSA refunded me because they could not issue a decision one way or another. One was a Hank Aaron baseball and the other was a jersey signed by Tony Canadeo. The jersey was purchased from an auction house which offered with JSA "pre-authentication". When i submitted it to them, they couldn't authenticate it, just my luck!
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