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PSA/DNA Authenticator Changes: Grad & Sobrero Depart, Keating & Corcoran Hired

On Friday, PSA/DNA announced that they hired sports autograph dealers Kevin Keating and Bill Corcoran as full-time authenticators.

Friday was also the day that authenticators Steve Grad and Brian Sobrero departed PSA/DNA, reportedly to start their own autograph company.

I wrote a little piece about it with links to Sports Market Report interviews with Keating and Corcoran:

Kevin Keating & Bill Corcoran Join PSA/DNA as Steve Grad & ...

Big news in the autograph field. What do you think?

Tags: corcoran, grad, keating, pawn stars, psa/dna, psadna, sobrero

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I don't know. Bruce. Right now, I assume that Zach Rullo will be.

While Kevin and Bill are highly respected, both are currently full time autograph dealers and I seriously doubt if either of them are giving up their business to authenticate full time for PSA/DNA.

Selling autographs and authenticating for a 3rd party is a conflict of interest in my opinion. PSA/DNA forced Jimmy Spence out of the autograph business many years ago for this reason.

I think PSA/DNA will use these guys on high end items and they needed some instant credibility with Grad leaving and they give them that.

I seriously doubt they will be doing a significant volume of authentication.

So, what's the conflict? Who else would work for an authenticator? A full-time expert? Maybe, but Kevin and Bill have integrity, and I assume they will not authenticate their own stuff. That would be a conflict.

The real problem is getting some one to stand firm against the pressures of a large auction business wanting authentication of expensive items.  It takes integrity. 

Offering an LOA from PSA/DNA for the items they sell is the conflict I was referring to. That is what Jimmy was doing when he was still selling while authenticating for them. He eventually had to give up the dealer part of his business.

Perhaps, they will not do that with their items. If so, I agree no conflict.

We'll see how quickly Kevin's 2 page ad in SCD that has run for years disappears. I doubt that is any time soon. Maybe he will just use someone to run his autograph business while he authenticates but I cannot see him walking away from it.

Same with Bill IMO.

PSA LOAs are dated.  I would be uncomfortable with Kevin and Bill using a PSA LOA that is dated after they started working for PSA, but why shouldn't they use the old LOAs?

My bottom line is nothing is perfect, and any improvement is welcomed although it won't be perfect.   

Old LOAs are fine.

Jimmy was issuing PSA/DNA LOAs with his signature on his items and then selling them. I know because I bought something directly from him with their LOA.

As long as they don't use the PSA/DNA name to help sell their existing material or future acquired material with an LOA signed by them, there is no problem.

Kevin and Bill are full-time authenticators. They didn't say how dealerships will be handled. Maybe they get to see how it works out before they close them.

Here is a new COA Card / Sticker from Beckett (possibly just issued from Steve Grad?)

Thanks, Bruce. Grad did the show last weekend on his own, he's probably the one who certified that.

That sticker has an unusually large amount of unused negative space and is a distraction. They should be designed to be less of an eyesore, and always on the Reverse. Always. My item is not a permanent rent-free billboard.

totaly agree if the put that onmthe front off my poster i would kill them

 Ids there some cosmic law that these stickers have to be shaped like a football? Even in coins...wonder when there will be a 4th party sticker like the CAC coin sticker. I suppose we have that now.

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