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Elvis eBay Autograph From Our Member Steve Viola ???

There is a listing currently on eBay featuring an Elvis autograph that the seller says he acquired years ago from current Autograph Live member Steve Viola. I had a good look at the item and I'd like others to take a moment and do likewise.

The eBay heading is as follows...Elvis Presley Signed Autographed 11 x 14 Display..... As of this posting there are 4 days left to bid. Asking price is 25 hundred dollars.

If any of my fellow members want to post the link as a favor to me that would be appreciated !! I'm looking for your thoughts and your feedback on that item.

My thanks...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe W. on January 24, 2016 at 9:30am

:0)

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Permalink Reply by Adam Halloran on January 24, 2016 at 8:29am

Maybe perhaps I will be the one to take the unlikeable opinion on this with that I am sorry in advance, but I don't think it is Steve's responsibility.

I assume at the time he sold it (15 years ago) he believed it to be authentic. [If he had given the purchaser a lifetime guarantee then that is another thing altogether and should honor a return.]

If I were to purchase an item 15 years ago that had PSA on it and now if PSA went out of business for authenticating fakes...I wouldn't go back to the person I bought it off of expecting a refund.

Now if Steve were to contact the buyer and let him know any concerns he had, that would be a whole other story. I however extremely doubt the seller is going to lose out on the 2k he is going to get for it no matter what opinion is given to him now. I don't think Steve needs to buy it back or should be made felt that way, I think the new seller should do more due dilligence NOW before he resells it (since 15 years has gone buy and he could get it certed by a number of people).

Should the next buyer hold Steve accountable it as well since he was the one who originally bought it?

It is a strange game we all play with autographs we didn't witness being signed personally. I've said it before, who knows what the future will look like with greater technology on both the authenticating and forging side.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on January 24, 2016 at 8:37am

I agree totally. I can't imagine any of the big names that have been in business that many years ago offering money back either. Nothing I have seen so far indicates that Mr. Viola made any personal guarantees. All I see is him as a buyer and someone else who rendered a COA at the time of original purchase. If PSA/DNA or JSA authenticates a piece that someone sells with the TPA COA that later is determined incorrect. Does that make the seller liable forever? No way. In my humble opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Don Webster on January 24, 2016 at 8:48am

Great points Adam and my thanks for your contribution.

I've given this some thought and I'd like to propose the following. Would Steve Viola consider contacting the seller and offering to personally refund his money ?? A number of things could be accomplished by doing this...all of them good !!

The item comes off the market, never to see the light of day again. The seller, after learning of Steves newly found current concerns thanks Steve for his honesty and is made whole. And the entire hobby takes step forward. I have no idea what Steve sold the item for 15 years ago, and Steve may not remember, but I'll bet the current owner remembers.

It's a Mother Teresa moment...and everyone comes out smelling like a rose.

Your thoughts...

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Permalink Reply by Adam Halloran on January 24, 2016 at 9:00am

I understand your altruistic view on this Don (honestly I do.) to get it off the market would be the best outcome. I just don't see how it is Steve's duty. It would be (in my mind) the same to expect the current seller to take ownership to the newly discovered information that it is a fake.

He has neen the owner for 15 years, it isn't a rental program, it is HIS fake autograph that he either knows or doesn't know is fake. He has had at least that much time to get expert opinions himself to see if it were real.

I could understand if Steve sold it knowing it was fake (or if he had sold it to him within the last couple years MAYBE), ), then you demanding him take ownership of this issue I could agree with.

I think in this case all you can do is contact the seller and hope he does the right thing here. Once again that is just my opinion. It is a very interesting discussion and I understand your side of it for sure.

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Permalink Reply by Don Webster on January 24, 2016 at 9:16am

Well written Adam...and thanks.

Some points to ponder...

It's not like members of Autograph Live to stand around and do nothing...isn't that an unwritten rule ?? Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Ask yourselves who might best be directly involved in trying to right this obviously bad situation?

Is the current owner more likely to give credence to, and have a man-to-man email discussion with a complete stranger like Don Webster, Joe Blow or Steve Viola ??

Who would you suggest should step forward and do what is right for the hobby ?? If your answer is no one then perhaps I shouldn't be a member here...

Permalink Reply by Adam Halloran on January 24, 2016 at 9:32am

I don't think it is unreasonable for Steve to contact him with his concerns. I think the other issue is (sadly) you are going to need either Epperson or at least a PSA quick opinion (shudder) to show that they believe it isn't authentic.

What AML needs to do is bring more awareness to itself. It does a GREAT job helping those that find there way here. The bigger issue is conecting with those people who are bidding. They need the education. So the question is how do we reach them?

We all have to take a personal responsibility for what we buy. We can all get as many opinions as we possibly can, but in the end it is our descision to make the purchase.

As I said, I respect what you are trying to accomplish. maybe Steve will do what is morally right. I still do not believe that it is his duty to pay this seller back. 15 years is surely enough time to get educated on the item you have in hand. I don't think this seller cares to be fair (perhaps I am wrong) and hopefully we can broaden our reach so others can see these opinions before they decide to bid.

Permalink Reply by sling on January 24, 2016 at 8:46pm

There are going to be less rare autographs by actors, politicians, celebrities I think because these people are doing much more signing, even making money off it. celebrities seem to be signing much more today than prior celebrities.

For musicians, record sales are dwindling and paid meet and greet tickets, available to the public, are helping pick up the slack. Usually a signed item is in the repackage. I wonder when the public being offer meet and greet tix became common?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 24, 2016 at 10:23am

As a collector, not a dealer, who sold something 15+ years ago, Steve legally has no responsibility to refund the money of the person he sold it to. Just like auctions don't after a certain amount of time if they operated in good faith, unless they offered a guarantee of authenticity, and then only up to that guarantee term. As far as I know, the prestigious auction houses that used to sell tons of Joe Long forgeries in the '80s and '90s, most notably Beatles, aren't still offering refunds on them.

But let's go beyond legal responsibility. When a collector tells a fellow collector that they sold him an autograph that wasn't authentic, even many years before, it's often expected for the collector to refund the buyer's money once they're sure the piece is truly inauthentic. If the seller bought it from a dealer or an auction with a guarantee, they usually ask them for a refund, because guarantees are usually to the original purchaser. I've seen transactions go back through several collectors to the original selling dealer or auction.

I don't know if the eBay collector selling this bought it from Steve Viola or not. What I do know about Steve is that if he believed the Elvis wasn't real, he wouldn't have sold it to the collector. He would have gone back to Joe Long, if he could find him and gotten a refund from him.

I think that the best thing to do is for someone to tell the eBay seller about the authenticity concerns--it needs to be checked out by a pro--and point him to this discussion. Then hopefully things will unfold like they should.