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ok... What kind of licenses do PSA, GAI and JSA possess???

ok.. this is a tricky one. I went to a Guitar buyer recently (they travel around and advertise that they are buying vintage guitars etc.). I'm looking to sell my autographed guitars and signed pickgards- i have too many autographs and not enough room to display them so my wife said to get rid of these- which i'm fine with- i'd rather just go back to buying vintage and concert used guitars anyway. 

so here's the story. Their ad said "WE BUY SIGNED GUITARS." as well as everything else they were buying. so i took a few over there to see what they were willing to pay and what they were buying. The items in Question:

1) Metallica signed guitar from 2008- a james hetfield model guitar Truckster from 2008 signed by the whole band.

2) a Les Paul special (fairly cheap gibson guitar) signed by Roger Waters

3) a les paul special (also a cheaper model guitar) signed by REM's 3 members. 

now i'm sure that they are just doing all this because they are really hoping someone will bring in something special that they don't know the value of. I already understood that this is a bunch of vultures hoping to pick on some people who are out of work and NEED the money (this area has lost over 400,000 jobs in the past 4 years) and will sell cheap. but i have a specific price i want for the items and i figured that if they came close, i'd be happy. but i don't NEED the money by any means and could hang this stuff in the restaurant in the bowling alley if i want to. so here's what happened.

There was a lady who met me at the door. her job was to greet and get people to fill out the form of what they were selling and provide a name and contact information. that was fine.. but then she started to explain something interesting.

"WE are looking for stuff that has been examined by a licensed authenticator." which really got to me.. who is a LICENSED AUTHENTICATOR? I had asked her, but she kind of explained to me that this is someone with a governed type of licensing. Like there's a Government agency testing and licensing signature authenticators. 

I did ask if she was talking about PSA DNA, JSA etc. and she didn't really know what i was talking about. She did know who PSA DNA was and that they take stuff that's been authenticated by them before. But I don't think that any of those guys are licensed to do anything? Are they? There's no licensing board or administrative board giving these guys licenses is there? this is the question I'm asking. 

in the end. I ended up spending a few hours with the buyers talking about autographs etc. they wouldn't sell me a guitar I wanted for myself because this was just a middleman service and they weren't there to sell guitars. after seeing my proof pics and seeing that you can see the precise autograph being signed onto the guitar they made me a few offers... basically- $50 per autograph above the cost of the guitar. they tried telling me that since everyone I had was still alive and not very valuable as a result (no one over there apparently knows how tough michael stipe or james hetfield are- especially on guitars). They tried telling me that the guys in Metallica are really only worth $10 an autograph- even after i told them that I sold a James Hetfield 8x10 on ebay for $80.

Then a guy came in with a guitar signed by The Eagles- complete. with a letter of authenticity from Ballpark collectibles. he had no proof pics and no licensed authenticator letter. and when they tried to call Ballpark collectibles, every phone number didn't work. so they didn't even make an offer.. 

 

After all this, i'm sure they were just hoping to unearth some kind of treasure like a guitar signed by buddy holly or something and get it cheap... cause i saw what kind of guitars they were buying and some of the stuff they turned down was pretty nice too.. i didn't see another autograph come through the door though. 

AGAIN THOUGH. DO PSA DNA, GAI, JSA HOLD ANY TYPE OF LICENSE OTHER THAN YOUR STANDARD BUSINESS LICENSE???

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by sling on July 14, 2011 at 8:02pm
The NJ Sopranos are in the autograph business?
Permalink Reply by James R. Altmann on July 14, 2011 at 10:05pm
I can see the traffic jams now. Philadelphia and Long Island are so rife with autograph forgers that the un-desirables will be in there every day trying to see what they can sneak by 'ole Snake Eyes. 
Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on July 14, 2011 at 7:47pm

Steve -

In all honesty, you have a vested interest in PSA, so perhaps you should "recuse" yourself from any comment on this thread, no?

 

As for PSA bringing their level of "expertise" to the East Coast, well... there's a lot more talent here than on the Left Coast...and more opportunity for them to embarass themselves. At least when Alexander screws up, we admit it. PSA and JSA have been silent on this board for months. 

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 14, 2011 at 7:56pm

Bill,

I have NO vested interest in PSA. Zip.

But PSA and JSA have never commented on this site at all. Ever, as far as I know.

Permalink Reply by sling on July 14, 2011 at 8:11pm

when Alexander screws up, we admit it?????

Lets see, I consign some stuff to you, the auction is delayed over 1/2 year, and 2 years after the auction I am still waiting for unsold stuff to be returned, including a lot which your own document shows you wrongly held from me.  And my last two emails to your people on this were ignored.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 14, 2011 at 8:53pm

Bill,

Let's have some realism here. I have told you again and again for more than a year that I have no vested interest in PSA. I've called you on this time and again but you keep bringing it up. 

And regarding this comment of yours: "At least when Alexander screws up, we admit it. PSA and JSA have been silent on this board for months."

The only employee of PSA or JSA that has ever participated on this site has been Steve Grad, and he hasn't posted anything on this site since December 2009. When he did, he never spoke for PSA and I don't recall him ever getting into any discussions regarding third-party authentication. But go to his profile page and look for himself.

A little honesty could go a long way here.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 15, 2011 at 8:46am

Bill,

You're wrong about where virtually all of my income comes from, but why would it matter in any case unless you question my ethics? If that's the case, please feel free to discuss it openly here.

 

Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on July 15, 2011 at 9:38am

Ok, Steve - Following our telcon, we cleared up you're lack of any financial involvement with any authenticating company. Mea culpa.

Thanks also for your clearing up the fact that PSA/JSA hasn't responded to any allegations (or anything else) on this board. That's the point I was implying.

 

Finally, "pet slin" - Peter S. How cowardly to use an alias (which I will expose).  

Haven't we finished with you yet? We (and the FBI and local law enforcement) have already dealt with you and your insane issues, complaints and accusations. Now that you are out of the hospital for your physical issues, you should start considering tending to your mental issues as well...before you develop legal issues. 

Permalink Reply by sling on July 15, 2011 at 1:11pm

I tell ya Bill, dispite what you owe me, you still highly amuse me. I haven't seen such Ad Hominum tactics used since out by the swingset during  middle school. 

 

Please, expose my alias since it is so well hidden. 

 

Didn't that FBI guy tell you that you (like all people)  are not to use your aquaintance with him at the FBI as a means to intimidate and spread rumors on customers that you have a dispute with which has nothing to do with the FBI?

Insanity? Often grounded in fiction.  But, gee, the signed memos I have from you guys  backing me upare not fiction and are real.  You say the word and I will post them here.  Months ago, I also asked your people about those Alex documents backing me up on the subject and never heard back.

 

Mental issues?  I tell you what,  I don't make money in this business, but as a casual buyer I have learned what everyone else has-this business will drive you crazy with its intrigue!

 

Course, there is entertainment value here too.  I have never seen or heard of an industry with this type of overt, disfunctional, corrupt, counterproductive name calling, conflict war. I come to this site for education yeah,  but it and AA are highly entertaining-like watching a reality show where things are actually real- 

 

Of course,my  laughing is helped by having no stake in the game-other than being the victim of the usual schenanigens that go on in the auction business,

 

So, how about getting your people to actually respond to my civil emails?

Permalink Reply by Kyle M. on July 15, 2011 at 2:39pm

"I have never seen or heard of an industry with this type of overt, disfunctional, corrupt, counterproductive name calling, conflict war."

 

AGREED!

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 15, 2011 at 1:37pm
Hey you two...get a room.
Permalink Reply by Peter Lougheed on July 15, 2011 at 10:20am
Why do most of these discussions get so negative, and, ultimately get personal and off-track from the original post? I don't have an extensive backgound in Hollywood autographs (I'm more of a sports guy), so I depend on experts such as PSA and James Spence to help me with any purchases in areas I am not familiar with. The negative comments on this and other discussion threads make the whole autograph community look like thieves, liars, and hate-mongers. No wonder people leave the hobby.

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