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Authenticity is Everything
Autographs and authenticity
I'm looking to get some opinions on this. My grandparents ran an auction barn and antique store in the 50s-80s. When they passed, my father kept some of the cool stuff, which included cut signatures from sports figures like Ruth, Gehrig, etc. Nothing was authenticated. He passed away last year and I now own them. In doing my research on authentication, I believe this industry is almost counter-productive. Here's why:
1) My father got three or four of them authenticated. He went to some of the lesser known companies because he was, well, cheap. They came back authentic. These are companies on the banned Ebay list and that have been run down on here. After doing my research, I've come to the conclusion I'm better off selling them as is with the authentication I have then to spend more money to have JSA or PSA authenticate them too, or, in the worst case scenario, have them found to be fake.
2) I own a ton of autographs, some I know are real because of in-person signings and such, others that are questionable. Why would I want to spend $200 to have a Ruth autograph looked at? If it comes back a fake, I'm out $200. I could sell it now as is and make money, without anyone ever knowing if it's real or fake until someone pays to have it authenticated themselves.
It seems to me that if the industry wanted to get rid of fakes, it would offer cheaper fees if the item comes up fake. And with JSA and PSA also known to have made mistakes in the past, who says either one is even right when they make a decision on my items. Again, I'm posting this not because I want to rip someone off. I want to understand why in the world it makes sense for me to risk paying $2,000 to get 20 autographs looked at when they could all be fake and I'm out $2,000? All I'd have to do is put them up on Craigslist for sale, or a local auction, and make money and move on.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by J.Seah on
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I can see your dilemma in spending the money for getting your autographs autenticated by a 3rd party authentication company. It gets expensive. I usually post pictures of the item that I want to buy to get opinions and feedback from fellow members or I spent $15.00 to get Roger Epperson Quick opinion. If I sell an autograph that I have already confirm that is authentic but without certification. I will alway have a full money return policy stating that if the autograph does not pass a 3rd party authentication company PSA/DNA, JSA or REAL. That is the best assurance a buyer can have witout the authentication paper. Then it is up to the buyer to decide whether they want to get it certified. This forum has save me lots of $$$$ in authenticating autographs fee.
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Permalink Reply by CEE GEE on
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OK...Darrin...some of your comments really are completely wrong morally...selling something that is questionable to someone for them to find out is fake down the road is just a disgusting way of thinking for collectors or even worse seller's in this industry...as a buyer I know this first hand buying stuff thinking it was good just to find out its not and then being out thousands of dollars because the seller did not guarantee it for life which ALL SELLERS OF AUTOS SHOULD DO...if you got all of these autos for free passed down from your fathers collection...then you should by all means if your looking to sell them spend the money on real certs from respected authentication services...ok if its $2000.00 and the Ruth and or Gehrig comes back good...THEN THE REST OF THE SALES IS BASICALLY ALL PROFIT...IF YOU SOLD THE RUTH OR GEHRIG FOR 2K which if it had a cert from either PSA and JSA you could put an even higher asking price on it...and don't go the cheap route getting stuff authenticate by ACE or GA...cheaper yes...but there authentication reputation is horrific...and ALL COMPANIES HAVE MADE MISTAKES...but if your items come back authenticated by PSA or JSA...not only will that increase your value of these questionable autos...but you will be doing the right thing morally by all collectors and sellers...by the way...PSA is now running a great deal on single signed baseballs so if you have anything now is the perfect time to do it and its even half off...you selling stuff not knowing its good to the next guy is just down right wrong...
Put it this way...its like spending 100's of dollars on Lotto tickets...its not a sure thing...but if it hits...your Rich...the comparison of spending 2K to get your items signed is a drop in the bucket of what they can sell for if in fact you have all of these great autos...you can go about this so many ways before robbing the next uneducated guy....either get quick opinion on your items which will cost 10 bucks each or post pics of your items on here and with out a doubt you will get rock solid educated collectors telling you what they think on them with years of collecting experience including myself...
DO THE RIGHT THING !!!!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Dane on
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I think something lost in all of this... you could always submit the signature for authentication by Richard Simon. He charges $75 to authenticate any Ruth single signed item.
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Permalink Reply by Mike P on
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I think this is simply someone who is reluctant to put up scans of his pieces, because if they are deemed unlikely genuine by our well-educated members, then he will have legitimate proof against him if he chooses to sell them. Especially since eBay seems to respect the opinions of AML's members.
It's just my opinion, but it seems like that is the only reason. Why else would you not put up scans to show? Authentication is an investment, and like multiple people have said, it will affect the value of your items in a positive way if deemed likely genuine.
Like always, selling a piece that you know is bad is just plain wrong. Regardless if you are religious or not, it's just not right.
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