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More Fake Items from Heritage Auctions.....Mantle Williams Dimaggio

Take a look at Mantle, Dimaggio, Williams, signed photo. Item #42110.

Link: http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=151246&lotNo=42110#Photo

Who in the world is checking these items over there?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 17, 2012 at 10:34pm

Steve,

The auction it's in doesn't open for a couple weeks, and Heritage does a lot of their authenticating in the open. I'm not that familiar with the process but we've seen this kind of thing before. I'd be shocked if it wasn't removed before the auction went live.

I can't remember if the Mantle you posted a while back was from an open auction or not. I think you said it was open, but I'm not sure.

I wish they did it differently, because a lot of collectors use auctions to learn about authenticity, and their presale process confuses them.

Steve

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Permalink Reply by CEE GEE on October 18, 2012 at 4:27am

This is pretty bad...wow...those are just disgusting forgeries...

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Permalink Reply by Steve on October 18, 2012 at 7:00am

Steve, the previous Mantle was from an open auction. I agree with you about others using these signatures to learn about authenticity. Either way they choose to do it at Heritage, it is not tight, in my opinion, to list or per-list items without verifying their authenticity. I can only bring attention to items I am familiar with, but I cannot comfortably bid without having doubts about items I am not familiar with

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Permalink Reply by Stewart Huckaby on October 23, 2012 at 3:12pm

We removed this lot from the auction on Saturday.

As Steve Cyrkin implied, we were waiting for the authentication review to be completed. We often remove several lots per auction cycle after review. Every autographed lot that we have ever sold is archived and comes with a LOA from either PSA/DNA or JSA.

If you have concerns about anything in our auctions, I invite you to contact me directly at stewarth@ha.com.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 23, 2012 at 4:01pm

Stewart,

Thanks for replying to this discussion. Steve Kahldon is sharp, so please consider what he said about how confusing your public vetting process is. If there's a way to at least make it clear and obvious that something hasn't been authenticated yet, that would help, as would not saying something was pre-certified before it was.

Your current process isn't just confusing for collectors. It makes you look to some like you're not as careful about authenticity as I know you are.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on October 23, 2012 at 6:14pm

Stewart,

Thanks for your reply. I did contact Heritage right away and heard back a few days later. My concern, as well stated by Steve Cyrkin, is that when I see items listed by an auction site, I am to believe that they have been thoroughly checked/verified. Why would I think otherwise? If nobody chooses to comment or complain about a particular item, then am I to believe that an item won't be removed at that point? That's like saying you are going to hire someone for a job, then go back and find out if they are qualified after the fact. Now, knowing that Heritage will list a possible item without verifying authenticity, in my mind, it will call into question every item I see listed that I am not familiar with. I should be able to go through your site and be comfortable, knowing that all items listed have been verified.

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on October 23, 2012 at 7:04pm

Every autographed lot that we have ever sold is archived and comes with a LOA from either PSA/DNA or JSA.

Is this really true?

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Permalink Reply by Steve on October 23, 2012 at 7:45pm

You would think that would be specifically mentioned in the write up of each item. Some items mention PSA or JSA certification, but there are many that don't.

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on October 23, 2012 at 7:51pm

I noticed that too, and was really surprised to read that statement.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on October 23, 2012 at 9:05pm

That's a good question, Ballroom.

PSA/DNA used to issue auction LOAs, but they don't anymore...they pre-certify. I think JSA still does. Heritage either recently started getting full LOAs from PSA, or that may be an outdated clause. This is something that Stewart Huckaby can answer for us.