Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rich on February 12, 2015 at 12:20pm

That's too bad that these two bloated, mistake-prone companies are the final authority for a high-end collector or anyone else for that matter.

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Permalink Reply by David Seideman on February 12, 2015 at 12:26pm

Yes, everybody should do their own homework and not be lazy. I recommend Ron Keurajian's Baseball Hall of Fame book. 

Thanks, Rich.

David 

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 12, 2015 at 12:29pm

In all fairness, I'm sure they're still effective in the sports department, particularly so with vintage items.  But I've seen too many bad practices, from rubber stamping to spotty record keeping, for me to hold them in high regard.  I recently wrote JSA a blunt email after they "authenticated" the ONLY forgery of my favorite band on Ebay.

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Permalink Reply by James on February 12, 2015 at 9:24pm

Here is an interesting and somewhat shocking read from THE NEW YORK TIMES regarding big mistakes made in the autograph authentication process. Here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/12/nyregion/charges-forgery-betrayal...

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Permalink Reply by Null on February 12, 2015 at 1:51pm

The main reason for that is because of how difficult RESALE will be without PSA/DNA or JSA approval. The few times I have sold autographs with no COA I get flooded with messages "Does this have a COA?". The "high-end" rollers are at least smart enough to demand PSA/DNA or JSA, but still foolish enough to think they are the "end all" when it comes to knowing an autograph.

If I was spending 5k+ on an item I would definitely want a nice LOA to come along with it even if I knew it was 10000% authentic. It's sort of like buying a car and making sure the person has the title, if not it seems a bit sketchy, even if you're quite knowledgeable on the car... 

What I don't like is the INSANE amount of power it gives PSA/DNA or JSA. As I mentioned in Josh's Shoeless Joe Jackson discussion, their "LOA" can literally turn a scribbled forgery into .5 MILLION dollars... 

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