Another Prince autograph - real or fake?

Hey guys - another autograph to get your opinion on. I'll preface this this with the fact that Roger Epperson has already given his quick opinion and thought it was likely not authentic. That being said, unfortunately I was caught up in the moment and had already purchased it! If it is indeed fake and if f I'm to get my money back, I need to get as much ammo as possible.

I found this poster at Art of Music at MGM Las Vegas, who are apparently known for sometimes being less than honest. It's supposedly a Lovesexy concert poster signed by Prince himself in 1986. (Edit: This could be 1988, I honestly don't remember what the dealer told me. It's been noted that Lovesexy came out in '88, so for the sake of argument let's just say "it was supposedly signed by Prince on the Lovesexy tour." Thanks to Bjarne for pointing this out.)

I appreciate any and all feedback. If the general consensus is that it's a fake, any recommendations on who best to involve or how to proceed would be most welcome. Thanks in advance, and much appreciated.

-Brian

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 4, 2019 at 6:03pm

Isn't there a thread where someone got their $ back from Art of Music?

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Juice on August 4, 2019 at 8:21pm

Legal action may be your only option. These people are crooks -- they've been selling forgeries for many years and they know it. They will do anything possible to avoid giving you your money back. They will never do the right thing until they have no choice.

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Permalink Reply by Brian D. on August 4, 2019 at 8:35pm

I have a feeling that it will probably come to that, but I am fully prepared to take this as far as I can, whether it's lawsuit, police report, etc.

What honestly amazes me is that enough people apparently either don't care or maybe there's no real recourse...how are they still in business and so blatantly selling forgeries? I'll admit, I was star struck by the poster and the autograph itself, to the point where I knew better but I bought it against my own good judgement. That being said, I'm not willing to hide my head in the sand and just assume that it's authentic. Maybe that's what AofM counts on? There has to be some reason why they can stay in business, in 'reputable' hotels and in plain sight, ripping people off!

Sorry, I'll get off my sandbox now. The more I research this, and of course talking to you guys, the more pi&^$# I get :-)

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Permalink Reply by Brian D. on September 19, 2019 at 5:00pm

Just wanted to post an update here in case anyone runs across this thread.

It took a bit of time but I did finally get all of my money back from Art of Music. The lady I dealt with was cordial and understanding for the most part. She saw the point I was making, in as much as I couldn't find even *one* authenticator to validate the poster (or another Star Wars cast signed poster that was purchased at the same time). That being said, she made her own points about the autograph industry that made a lot of sense to me - authenticators who work for auction houses, who in turn recommend those same authenticators. Lots of room for unethical behavior on both sides, but basically the autograph doesn't really mean much unless you get the right person to sign off on it.

In any case, the short version of my story is this - I didn't threaten legal action so much as mention that my next steps would be contacting the credit card company and ultimately pursing legal action if we couldn't come to an agreement. They offered to take back the posters for either store credit or basically wait 30 days for a full refund.

Of course I chose the refund. I don't trust any of them at this point. I didn't now until today whether they'd be true to their word, but in fact they did refund 100%, and they paid for return shipping as well.

Not exactly a horrible experience, but not one I'd wish to repeat. I'm out a handful of cash for some "quick opinions" but ultimately it could've been much worse. I don't personally know how many pieces Art of Music sells that are authentic, but it almost doesn't matter - their reputation is such that their CoA means essentially the opposite of what it's intended to. This entire experience has also made me question the "big guys" as well. Who is really telling the truth? Unless you actually saw the person sign the autograph with your own eyes, which is of course impossible in my case with Prince, it all comes down to who you trust.

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Permalink Reply by just some dude on September 19, 2019 at 5:08pm

Study and become your own expert - the material is out there, if you choose to put in the time.

Im not saying that with any sarcasm - your eyeballs work as good as anybody else’s right? Nobody becomes an expert unless they study. So why not do the work yourself? It can be very rewarding if the passion is there.

Im glad you got your money back. I dont wish it upon anyone, but Having that experience is actually a good thing - you know a heck of alot more now than when you bought it, right?

Many never find out the sad, horrible truth, much less get their money back.

And dont put too much stock in their “deflection”. There are good guys and bad guys in all walks of life - you just have to know who the good guys are -and is more meant to confuse/muddle and deflect.

This community is full of fine eyes and knowledge. Soak it in!

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on September 19, 2019 at 5:52pm

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Permalink Reply by James on September 19, 2019 at 5:31pm

That’s great you got your money back. I’m very happy for you.

Dude is right. The Art of Music lady is mostly trying to confuse, muddle things up. Yes, there is, of course, the potential for abuse by the so-called legitimate authenticators. And they make their fair share of mistakes. It’s not an exact science. But by and large, the so-called “legit” authenticators have earned their reputation over time.

Third-party authenticators with an overall good reputations are: PSA/DNA, JSA, BAS (Beckett), REAL (Roger Epperson), and a few others.

Ones to avoid: GAI, Drew Max, Christopher Morales, and generally any so-called Forensic Document Examiners, GFA, and many others.

And of course, as Dude says, studying the autographs yourself is rewarding, enlightening, and a method of self-protection.