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Mickey Mantle, Duke Snyder and Willie Mays

Obtained this from AAFES and am now concerned they may not be authentic. Authentication certificate is by TTA Authentic, Ted Taylor.

[Click to enlarge.]

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mickey.jpg, 2 MB

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on May 12, 2011 at 10:37am

"The Mick" passed away almost 16 years ago and yet this garbage continues to come out of the woodwork. Look at that horrid, Willie, too.

Another masterpiece "authenticated" by Ted Taylor.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on May 12, 2011 at 11:24am

Sorry to report I agree this is an absolute fake. Not even well done. Whoever the forger is, can't even get a straight baseline. The Snider is absolutely pathetic and unconvincing... looks like "Duke" signed it on a rollercoaster with that wavy baseline.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on May 12, 2011 at 11:32am

BTW, thanks for the super high-res scan. It makes it very easy to see how slowly the Ms were drawn. The real Mick would whip through the Ms so quickly it often left the signature a bit "streaky." The Ms should be as smooth as silk... no wavering in the loops.

Now, wouldn't you think any decent authenticator would be able to see a tell-tale sign like this? Just what is TTA looking at?

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Permalink Reply by John C. Block on May 12, 2011 at 11:54am

Great. I feel like an idiot. This is a military site soI thought there would be a little credibility. PT Barnum would be so proud.

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Permalink Reply by John C. Block on May 12, 2011 at 11:57am

I guess I can kiss my Ted Williams good-bye also.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on May 12, 2011 at 12:18pm

No need to beat yourself up. While to experienced collectors these are pretty obvious fakes... they are convincing enough to fool casual collectors. Plus you were buying them through a source that most people would think is totally legit. Blame the scum who do this... not yourself. :-)

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on May 12, 2011 at 12:21pm

I agree with, Mr. Zipper, do not beat yourself up.

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Permalink Reply by E.B.G. on May 12, 2011 at 7:44pm

I'm the same way. I can't tell the difference. Those Operation Bull guys were pretty good at it. When it comes to sports I always love to get a well known authenticator to look at it.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on May 12, 2011 at 12:47pm

John,

Please don't beat yourself up. The sale of forgeries is a confidence game, meant to deceive even the smartest people. These people think nothing of shooting soldiers protecting this country in the back. They should be dropped off at Osama's last stop.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on May 12, 2011 at 11:57am

It's unfortunate the soldiers who are purchasing this garbage, are led to believe that they can flip it for a huge profit. I've seen sellers on Ebay trying to sell junk like this for over $1,000.00.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on May 12, 2011 at 12:14pm

Mr. Block, with all due respect, what persuaded you to make those purchases? Are you an autograph collector? Or were you just looking to flip it for profit?

Thank you for your time.

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Permalink Reply by John C. Block on May 12, 2011 at 1:15pm

My initial plan was to hold on to them for a while. I like the older plaers. I thought that in about 2 - 3 years I would be able to sell them. Obviously thats not going to happen. I appreciate all the comments and help.