Authenticity is Everything
Billie Holiday Autograph
I purchased this 78 vinyl record purportedly signed by Billie Holiday from an RACC trusted seller. I recently submitted the item to JSA for authentication, and unfortunately it did not pass.
I originally submitted it in person at a show here in CA a few weeks ago, and I was disappointed by how carelessly the item was handled during intake. When I received it back, there were fingerprints all over it. I contacted JSA immediately to report the condition, and they did expedite the review process.
Yesterday I received their letter confirming that the autograph did not pass authentication. I’m extremely disappointed and unsure what my next step should be, or if anyone here might be able to offer advice.
Prior to purchasing the item, I did my research and examined the signature characteristics—such as the looping of “Billie” and the shape of the “H” in “Holiday.” However, upon further inspection, the signature appears to have been written in ballpoint pen. Additionally, the Blue Ace label is known to be a bootleg label, and this particular pressing seems to have been released slightly before the time of her passing.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Wolfson
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The pen ink has a slightly more blue hue in person. The paper and ink appear fairly consistent with the photo and show signs of age.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin
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If the pen ink is a bit bluer then I'm not concerned.
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The hue appears slightly black in photos when shown against a background. Without a background, it appears more blue, which is consistent with how it looks in person. I noticed the JSA letter describes the ink as black, but that is not accurate. Their conclusion is based solely on photographs, as they never examined the physical piece.
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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo
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You got a letter by sending scan? It was it QO or?
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One individual was taking photos at a local JSA event inside a small memorabilia shop and transmitting them to the office for review. At one point, he held the 78 up in the air and said, “Hey Greg, check this out—it’s a Buddy Holly autograph.”
They mailed Letter of opinion.
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Permalink Reply by a pug called eva
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In your original post you said that you gave the 78 to JSA at an event and weren't happy about how the 78 was handled during the intake process. You also say that when you got the 78 back later you were surprised to see finger marks on it. In your post above you say that JSA never examined the original piece. I'm confused. Did you mean you received it back later that day? In any event, someone from JSA obviously did see and photograph the original piece.
Do JSA generally charge $150 for a "photo only" authentication with boilerplate opinion?
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They only took photographs at the event. The individuals at JSA responsible for determining authenticity never examined the physical item; their decision was based solely on those photos.
Depending on signee, price varies. Holiday is $150 regardless of whether mailing item or photo-only review.
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OK. Thankfully, I've never had or felt the need to engage the services of an authenticator. I suppose if I ever wanted to sell a higher-priced item I might have to use one but I'd let the auction house sort all that out. Even if I had more faith in authenticators, the thought of shipping items from Switzerland to the US for authentication is not an appealing one.
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I know it definitely feels uneasy, shipping these items.
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I just had a look at the JSA site. It's a mystery to me why the fees vary per signer. The work should. be the same whether you are authenticating Monroe ($300 - $500), Lennon ($250) or Billie ($150). I suppose they are looking at the potential added value generated by the authentication but that overlooks the importance of what has been signed (e..g. plain album page vs. record album cover).
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I believe all TPA are similar with their fees. Doesn’t make sense.
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I had a thought while out on my morning constitutional with my flatmate pugs (Lily, Elsa and Frida). If JSA do a photo only authentication how do they sticker what they've authenticated? They would need to do this to register the COA properly and the customer would need this prove that the item had been authenticated.
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