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Permalink Reply by Carl Ryan on May 10, 2014 at 8:51pm

The problem you are experiencing Daniel is a major one for new collectors looking for authentic items. The problem is, that as the bad dealers and authenticators are exposed, they try and get back at the good dealers by writing smear articles about them. And as common sellers are booted off of sites like ebay for selling forgeries, there way of getting back, is to write smear articles as well. Some have taken this to a new level. There are several dealers out there (some well known) who have gone as far as to make websites just to smear competitors, in which they fabricate ideas and twist statements to make anyone who exposes them look bad.  Its a horrible practice, and will ultimately end up coming back on them, but thats how the game seems to work nowadays.

But with experience, you can sort the good from the bad, and the BS from the truth. But it is hard learning who you can trust, and its something that you basically have to convince yourself of, b/c of all the dissinfo. When you consistently view a companies items and they are almost always good, then generally they are a safe bet to buy from, but you still must do your homework and compare to authentic examples, b/c everyone will make mistakes, even the best companies, and every now and then, you have a once great dealer, go bad.

Based on that, i can tell you 100 percent, that this site is the best autograph site on the net, with the most knowledgeable members. I have been to all the others and had paid memberships with many, and if you want accurate opinions from veteran collectors, this is the place to be, and i would ask the forum members about any items you are unsure of. You can bet you will find the correct answer here, more than from an authentication company.

But based on my experience, and the experience of most veteran collectors, here is what i have found from the guys you have mentioned, and a few you havent. 

1.) PSA and JSA. These are generally good services, although they do make mistakes. However, these companies get it right far more than wrong, and are the 2 leaders in the industry for a reason. They do seem to favor certain dealers in my opinion, and sometimes authenticate sloppy signatures that should never be authenticated, but i do trust there judgement in alot of situations. PSA quick opinion, in my opinion is a fantastic service for those situations where you need an extra opinion, and is great for beginners. They will stick on the side of caution though, and if they are unsure on the item, sometimes they fail it, rather than render an unable to comment opinion. But i recommend it, and use it myself frequently.

2.) GAI is a defunct company now, and from my understanding, the reason they went under was the masses of forgeries that were certed. My opinion on them is to look at any item certed by them with extreme caution. Some are good, but you hear far more bad than good. GA is the new company now, and my opinion on them is to be cautious as well. There Nascar stuff is very good, as Brandon Mysinger is top knotch, assuming that he looked at the GA item. But the other stuff i would do my research on and ask for opinions before purchase, but thats just me.

3.) AAU and Morales. Thats an easy one, in my opinion, i wouldnt touch anything certed by them without asking for opinions. Chris Williams will be able to fill you in on both these guys better than anyone. Morales, is in my opinion, probably the number one guy out there certing forgeries. Wether he knows it or not can be debated, but the signatures themselves, in most cases, cant. At least thats my opinion.

To me, be extremely cautious with any Forensic Document Examiner who is using that title to sell there authentication services. While there are certainly FDEs out there who are great and who could authenticate autographs. But, from speaking to several, a true competent FDE spends many many hours analyzing a document or signature. It is not a quick process and FDEs take far more time than the avg authentication company from what i have been told.  I have not come across an FDE yet that seemed to be competent when running an autograph authentication company, but eventually i am sure there will be one.

The best way to decide who is reliable and who is not though will just be research and your own experience. Everyone is going to talk, and for those who try and stick there necks out to expose crooked sellers, you will get bad stuff wrote about you. Thats just how it is. Take any ripoff report you read in relation to autographs with a grain of salt. Some are valid, but most are made up by jealous competitors. Ripoff report is open to anyone who creates an account, and you can pretend to be anyone. And in the case of Roger Epperson vs Cori Raiderman, Roger used the fact that apparently Cori was using numerous ripoff report accounts to smear Epperson at every chance they got, in order to win the case. 

But those are just my opinions on the issue. Guys who i trust on a regular basis: Roger Epperson for music, PSA and JSA (as long as i do my research on the sig and seller), RR auction as long as i research things, JG Autographs on ebay, Larry Rafferty of Mr. Bebop, Autographworld (as long as i do research on the sig), Golden State Autographs, and a few others. There are many out there, those are just ones that i use. 

But the best way to find out about an item or dealer, is to ask here, and im sure the members can help you form an opinion based on items sold from that dealer and the facts as they appear.

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Permalink Reply by Micko on May 11, 2014 at 1:12am

Really well put Carl, thanks for putting the time into writing this. Since joining this site, I have learnt so much and really value the opinion of the members her more than any other source out there.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on May 11, 2014 at 12:13pm

Thank you very much for all the information. This business is a mess, but im trying to learn what to do and what not to do. I appreciate all the advice and info and you taking the time for the response. Thank you very much

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