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COA serve a purpose. But not for the reasons they were designed for.

Seems in today's world little matters except who issued the COA. It's one of those feel good ideas that sound great in theory but does not work well in the real world applications. In an imperfect world why do so many "collectors" value them so much?

In my eyes they serve one purpose; one clue to solve the mystery of "is it real?". We live in a culture where too many people either do not have the desire to study the hobby well enough to have a clue or are just too darn lazy.

COAs are simply a marketing tool created to sell autographs. And now there is a whole industry charging big dollars to provide a service that is only slightly better, in most cases, than what the average person can figure out if they just did a quick Google search or asked a few questions.

Just a thought. Before you buy, be slightly more diligent and save yourself a lot of grief down the road.

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Permalink Reply by Abcd on September 9, 2018 at 6:46am

My thoughts exactly. A COA should form part of your research and not a reason to buy. For example, if a Michael Jackson signed item was sold by RR and it had a PSA COA and a REAL COA, would you buy it without extensive research. Most people would. Would you?

Would you handle a poisonous snake without extensive training and research, no. Think of MJ as that snake. His autographs are just as dangerous. Without research, it will come back and bite you on the ass! And you'll be HIStory (sorry, I couldn't resist)

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Permalink Reply by Thurston bell on September 9, 2018 at 7:06am

Wouldn't want to be bitten on the ass by a snake or mj!

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Permalink Reply by Abcd on September 9, 2018 at 7:44am

Well, you wouldn't be the first.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on September 9, 2018 at 9:33am

a service that is only slightly better, in most cases, than what the average person can figure out if they just did a quick Google search or asked a few questions.

Sorry, but I strongly disagree with this.

How does a Google search provide verified exemplars? How does an average collector know they are using good examples through a Google search?

The “average collector” are the same people buying slowly drawn mass produced fakes on eBay all day long. They come here every day and explaining why something is a fake is often an excercise in frustration. And these are the obvious fakes.

Now try it with skilled fakes of the Beatles, Elvis, Ruth, Apollo 11...

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Permalink Reply by Abcd on September 9, 2018 at 9:42am

Steve, those are extreme examples. Experts can struggle with that lot.

Joe, was just trying to put a point across. Do your research before buying. I totally agree with this statement.

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Permalink Reply by Abcd on September 9, 2018 at 10:14am

Joe said most and not all. I agree with this statement. There are thousands of people offering these things. Experts, like yourself, are in the minority. Tell me I'm wrong..

And just one more point. He was talking about COAs and not authenticators.

The problem with the people buying the squiggles is they are casual buyers and don't see it as a hobby. If they can't be bothered to do the reseach, they won't know who to trust. You need to do a lot of research to find people you can trust. So it's a lose lose situation for these people. Autograph collecting is not for the faint hearted.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on September 9, 2018 at 10:37am

I don’t disagree for the most part. The wisest collectors do their own research and educate themselves. And an expert opinion can be a valuable tool in the overall tool kit.

My main contention was with the notion that the average collector can do a little Google research and essentially have the skills they need to effectively authenticate. It’s simply not realistic and has a high probability of being a recipe for disaster.

No human is perfect. But the most reliable authenticators are backed up by years of hobby experience and daily research. There are no shortcuts in my opinion.