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Did You Purchase an Item from Anthony Nurse or Charity Fundraising Packages? Please Let me Know...

I saw items at an auction recently that I believe to be forgeries. I'm in the process of trying to figure out if they are real or not, and would like to hear from others on experiences they've had with Anthony Nurse or his company -- Charity Fundraising Packages.

I remember being at a party 15 years ago, and somebody had a signed "Hotel California" album by the Eagles. It was fake, and I knew it was. I asked the guy how he acquired it. He told me an auction for his sons school. I didn't have the heart to tell him.

So, when I saw another fake Hotel California album at this auction, it made me cringe.

Anyway...please contact me if you purchased a forgery or ANYTHING from this company -- and I'll see if Steve and Roger can help me authenticate these items, and we'll move into the next steps involved (if, in fact, they are forged items).

It's bad enough if forged items are sold to unsuspecting people, but to do it in the name of a charity is just despicable.

(and a website that shows generic pictures of bands signing for 50 fans doesn't prove anything...neither does a photo of Anthony Nurse standing by Rod Stewart at a book signing).

At book signings, they don't let you bring albums, cds, or guitars. They sign THE BOOK ONLY. And having a photo taking with somebody, doesn't make any autographed item you sell "authentic." Most people don't realize that.

Anyway....contact me at: joshboard87@gmail.com

Thank you!

(or post your stories on this thread)

Tags: Anthony Nurse, Charity Fundraising Packages, Forgery, autograph authenticity, charity auctions, fake autographs

4 members like this

Comment by Josh Board on April 15, 2014 at 1:29am: Why is there a "30 day window"? In this whole incident, which got me "fired" from my "volunteer" position at the Make-a-Wish Foundation, this company of forgeries told the people at Make-a-Wish they offer a "life time guarantee" or something along those lines. Not a "30 day" guarantee. But...just think of how crappy that is. These doctors, lawyers, and rich folks that come to charity fundraisers and have the extra income to spend on items like this, also thinking they are helping a charity, don't usually look online for verification. They assume the charities got this done, because they see the fluff pieces on the news that show celebs signing for kids and taking photos. Yet in 25 years when they pass away, and their kids get the items and want to sell them -- guess what? They will be deemed fake, and it will be the charities that look like the bad guy, while Anthony Nurse (Anthony Barone) gets phat (and fat)...and makes millions. It's disgusting. Almost as disgusting as his fat face is on the one or two photos he actually has standing next to a celebrity (usually at a book signing, where ANYBODY can go stand next to them with the purchase of a book).

Comment by Josh Board on April 15, 2014 at 1:30am: Let me also remind anybody that has purchased an item from these jerks -- if as the COA that Gwen posted were really how they acquired the pieces, why not include the photo of them signing said album??? When celebs do sign for charities, that's the procedure. Photos taken at the time of signing. It's odd, because this is about the 20th Abbey Road album this company has had. Just when and where did Paul and Ringo sit down to do this "signing" for "charities."?

Comment by Gwen Thomas on April 15, 2014 at 6:37pm: Sorry, I'd rather not. They are a small charity and mortified over this whole situation.

Comment by Josh Board on April 17, 2014 at 5:07pm: Steve Viola -- how is it you got burned? And how were you not able to get your money back? I'm confused, because Make-a-Wish told me, they signed a contract that means if at ANY TIME something is deemed to be forged, they get the money back. There wasn't a "30 day" thing, unless they explained it wrong to me. And charities need to realize...it does NOT show them in a bad light (unless they continue to do business with these forging crooks). It baffles me the testimonial letters that are STILL on their website (i.e. Make a Wish Foundation), even after they've been alerted to these losers.

And when getting money back, please, please, please...take photos of the crappy item you got first, so we can later post it on here to warn others. This company has done about 50 Abbey Road albums, about 50 Hotel California albums, multiple Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton guitars. It'd be nice to let others learn from this horrible experience.

Comment by Stephen Mendenhall on April 18, 2014 at 6:42am: All, first and foremost, I would like to say a heartfelt "Thank you" for starting this thread. Otherwise, as stated earlier, I or my children would have been stuck with a very fake autographed Walking Dead picture. I contacted the company that hosted the event and they told me they would be happy to take it back and issue a refund. They then went on to try and reassure that CFP was a trustworthy company that has been in business several decades and that they had used them in the past. I explained to the guy, that at one point in time Bernie Madoff was a respected businessman too, but I wouldn't want to have been the person that introduced my friends and family to him.

I then went on to outline my concerns. 1) CFP Authentications didn't come up anywhere on Google and the address on the certificate was for an apartment building somewhere in New York. 2) Obviously there were a lot of signatures that weren't even close. 3) If you go to the CFP website, there isn't a picture of this guy anywhere and when you Google his name, you get just the crap from their website so that didn't seem right.

I recommended that before they send it back, they take it to someone who could try and authenticate it to verify what I was suggesting. They took the picture and told me they would, "Take it under advice."

I doubt they will, but I do know I have a standing invitation to this event so I will be interested to see if they have this crap there again next year. It will also be interesting to see if they have another Eric Clapton signed guitar. (Glad I wasn't the guy that paid $1300 for that or $1600 for the Jimmy Buffet guitar.) If that stuff is there again next year, I'm going to be tempted to send an anonymous letter to the local news agencies...

Comment by wascher on April 23, 2014 at 10:46pm: Thought I'd direct you guys to another discussion here: http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/mccartney-guitar-in-... (A-S, Autograph Store, is now d/b/a as Charity Grow) - although I didn't read every comment here, you guys may have already discussed this.

Comment by Janice Knechtel on April 24, 2014 at 12:14pm: I still receive emails from Autograph Store, advertising there auctions. The name Michael Tobin replaced the name Anthony Nurse, who originally sent out these emails. I was just wondering if anyone knows if Anthony Nurse is still with this company or did this Michael Tobin take over. I did see that they changed the name of there website to Charity Grow. Anyone know anything about this Michael Tobin??

Comment by Richard Booth on June 10, 2014 at 5:26am: These are all terrible!

Comment by Josh Board on September 14, 2014 at 11:59pm: Can everyone do me a big favor? The FBI seems a little slow in responding to this stuff, even though I alerted them. So...ANY CHARITY EVENT you go to, and see autographed items, snap pictures. As many close-up photos as you can. And find out from the event coordinator or whoever is there, which company provided the stuff. That way, we can really start documenting this. Because...at least if the FBI can't get involved yet...the charities will stop ripping off the fine folks that donate thousands and thousands.

Comment by Bruce Juice on November 21, 2014 at 4:40pm: Last night Inside Edition ran a story on Charity Grow and their bogus auctions:

Here is the print version: http://www.insideedition.com/investigative/9306-real-or-fake-rock-a...

and Charity Grow's laughable response: http://www.charitygrow.com/blog/

Roger Epperson and a few others may have someone else to sue...