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Baffled by PSA Finding ?

Third Party Independent Authentication is very important in the genre of autographs which we all know is rife with fraud. And, it is no surprise forgers and less ethical dealers loath a service that might "out" their unscrupulous activity or lack of skill in vetting genuine vs fake signatures.

Now that I got that out of the way, on occasion I am baffled by findings of authentic by one of the two reputable authentication services (i.e. PSA or JSA).     So this PSA Certified Marlon Brando that sold last night at Iconic auctions has me scratching my head, "what were they thinking?"...     There are so many reasons why this should never have been certified genuine.   For one, 90% of his signature is missing ?   SO all we have is an "M' and a "B".    And what's with all the squiggly circles at the end ??

But, even if PSA dug up some legal document with a similar exemplar, it is so uncharacteristic; I would question the legal document (i.e. proxy signer).

But , forget all the "yeah but.." arguments that they might retort with.... Why would any authentication service whose reputation is worth more than their annual revenues, stick their neck out to stamp this authentic?   Very Bizarre??

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Permalink Reply by Xwiesy on March 29, 2015 at 12:44pm

Holy cow. Wowsa, what an oddball signature.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on March 29, 2015 at 12:53pm

Perhaps Marlon Brando as a result of working on The Godfather had entered an Al Pacino phase during this time of his career and his signing habits suffered as a result. All kidding aside, this is in fact very strange Kevin.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on March 29, 2015 at 2:26pm

Maybe this was signed during Brando's whacked-out phase while he was filming The Island of Dr. Moreau. :-)

In all seriousness, who would want this even if it is authentic?

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Permalink Reply by kevin conway on March 29, 2015 at 3:43pm

Exactly Steve,

How does a dealer explain to a customer , "Yeah I realize it doesn't resemble any genuine Brando's , but PSA said it is real". I'd never be able to look them in the eye.. and if I were PSA, I'd be embarrassed to put this out on the street....

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on March 29, 2015 at 6:09pm

These guys to me have lost all their credibility.

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Permalink Reply by kevin conway on March 29, 2015 at 6:15pm

Ian,
I personally wouldnt go so far to say theyve lost all credibility, as compared to all other authentication services I find JSA and PSA get it right far more often.. However, they are human and they do make mistakes and/or get careless as in this case.

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on March 29, 2015 at 6:26pm

The most damning thing to me is when they "authenticate" squiggles and lines and circles. Personally I rely on my own expertise but for uneducated collectors to take any of these guys word as gospel makes me cringe. P.S. just my personal opinion.

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Permalink Reply by kevin conway on March 29, 2015 at 6:34pm

Yes, in this case I also "cringed"... how anyone can authenticate "nothing" is bizarre to say the least...

I also feel the same way with most contemporary signatures.. as many of today's celebrities are so consumed in their egos, they feel no one is deserving of a REAL signature so they just scribble like Al Pacino or Kevin Cosner...... which is why I have no desire for contemporary autographs...

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Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on March 29, 2015 at 11:48pm

Both companies have sold out. Their credibility is shot.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 29, 2015 at 9:19pm

I agree... I don't get this one at all. I would love to know why they authenticated it. There must be a story behind it that gave them confidence in it, because I've never seen a Brando like it.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 30, 2015 at 7:54am

Steve do TPA such as PSA-DNA and JSA actually tell you who on their staff authenticates a particular autograph? I have never used one. I have a few I have autographs I bought that had their stamps but usually I just have little card that goes with it. I do not like that particular Brando and personally would want a more typical autograph in my collection.