Authenticity is Everything
Grad Collections vs PSA and JSA
Do letters of authenticity from Grad Collections bring in the same value as letters of authenticity from PSA and JSA ?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jason H
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One issue with Grad is he authenticates preprints, and or, the seller could make a reproduction associated with a Grad authentication. I see it as a money grab while he's building a quick opinion business while becket is conveniently under maintenance.. as a buyer, ill never take an item authenticated by him seriously.. but then again, I don't trust any TPA. have to research everything yourself. People who know how to authenticate will know if your item is real or not without authentication but it must be inspected in person to be sure its not a reproduction. Grad can not be relied on for this. But honestly none of them can..
9 years ago I purchased a JSA authenticated Ghostbusters cast photo for $500. Thought I could finally put my ultimate quest to rest. It arrived. JSA sticker looked legit but the photo was a preprint. Had to fight for my money back. It was difficult at first but the seller caved and made it easy in the end. It broke my heart. Hopefully Bill Murray will cooperate with me one of these days but thats another story.
I honestly don't care if things are authenticated or not but may pay a little extra to have the authenticated one vs an identical non authenticated item because (as of now) it future proofs reselling for my family if something happens to me..
I'm probably not the right person to answer this honestly but I know there are others like me.. I also know every TPA has its own fanbase and this includes Grad.. so the value will increase if one of his fanboys are interested in your item.
Short answer to your question, its basically yes and no. Depends on the item, depends on how its sold.. a lot of items sold the right way I believe will fetch the same price without any authentication at all.
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Permalink Reply by DR Dougherty
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Thanks for the reply. I understand that someone could make a copy of the letter, but why . The picture of the item is on the letter and it would be almost impossible to duplicate the autograph item who's picture is on the letter. Let say it's a Mantle autographed ball. How would they make an exact copy of the Mantle ball to match the letter. Plus you can look up Grads letter of authenticity online to make sure the item matches the letter. So sure they could make their own copy but it would never match what's loaded on Grads site. Just like your experience with JSA did you check the online JSA site to make sure the item you received matched the picture on the JSA site? Thanks again for your response.
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Baseballs are tough but not exactly impossible. I can give you info on how this can be done over DM. Wont post it on here to give ideas to others.
Also, of course I checked the JSA website. The exact same ghostbusters item was pictured. It was either a very good replica of a sticker, the seller figured out how to peel the sticker clean to place on a reproduction, or JSA made a mistake. Ill never know.
Photos are easy. Reproductions are always the first thing I check for any item purchased online regardless of authentication. I study fraud heavily over the last few decades especially. My wife is an artist who sells prints of her art and other creations. I run the machines for her in the background. I stay up to date with the newest technology so she can make the best creations. I predicted an autopen that would eventually have different pressures as soon as silhouette and cricut machines came out because pressure on them can be adjusted. The only thing missing is holding a pen on an angle and running the correct software that adjusts aspects on the fly.. and now we have such autopen machines. The question is, who will get their hands on them? Preorder releases can be compared with each other for now but how will TPAs combat the one off signatures created with these machines using perfect templates? Seriously, this hobby is in trouble and anyone using these machines could potentially kill major aspects of this hobby.
I have figured out ways to reproduce most items including art cards because of my knowledge with printing and the different types of papers available on the market. I refuse to be a victim again so i think like a criminal but reality is, Im an honest guy. Swore to myself when I was a teen id never forge an autograph in any way because I didn't want some other kid feeling the way I felt when I found out I wasted my money on a forgery.. a B.J.Armstrong rookie card.. haha.. the Bulls meant the world to me back then. I was just starting out. Glad I didn't have the money to spend on Jordan yet. It would have been a waste until I gained enough knowledge. I was conned a few more times. The last being 2008 when I purchased a James Cameron autograph and blanked once it arrived on if it was a reproduction. I set it aside and when I got back to it, the time ran out to contest on ebay. I was so mad at myself.
Im confident I haven't been fooled on ebay purchases since but im always going through my collection to be sure every now and then.
Preorders are a different story and why I try to help fight them as much as possible. Im just swamped these days. Actually thought I was done collecting in general this summer but im not sure how to stay away. This is what I know and I love researching when I can.
Sorry I went on a bit much but this hobby is what I love and im very passionate about it.
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I agree, with the new printers and a little knowledge no letters of authenticity are safe from certain people making copies and cheating people. For someone to copy a JSA letter along with the the item only proves nothing is truly guaranteed. Thank you for your imput. Sincerely Don
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The only thing I know for sure is to stay away from those Facebook groups who charge people money for their opinions on autographs. Those Facebook guys are constantly making mistakes and have no formal training. They use AI and sometimes I think they flip a coin when it comes to verifying autographs.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin
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Grad is an extremely good authenticator. If you see a preprint with what looks like his authentication, it's highly likely fake authentication.
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Hi Steve
How are you? I hope you are well. I've already used Steve's new service several times and I'm extremely happy with the results
Here's a couple of items that Steve authenticated for me.
Sincerely Don
Screenshot_20260808_180627_Gmail.jpg
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- Hi Steve
How are you? I hope you are well. I've already used Steve's new ser
vice several times and I'm extremely happy with the results
Here's a couple of items that Steve authenticated for me.
Sincerely Don
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This thread is starting to feel as its playing out like a commercial.
Grad has a lot of knowledge. I won't deny that. He has vast experience. But this post is comparing authentication specifically and Grads service has flaws. We can all see it.. I wouldn't say as bad as GAI stickers, where its a coin toss if real or fake, but his authentication service can be manipulated much easier than the other TPAs.
His opinion is worth something, but as far as his authentication attached to items, ill never take it as seriously as others. Hes good for a quick opinion only for those who can not authenticate themselves. I would love to know what resources he's using behind the scenes, but that goes for all of them. It seems very fishy that beckett quick opinions are down at the same time Grad is trying to make a name for himself.. if these two arnt connected, why would Beckett give up this service while another service corners that market? I'm not a part of that world but as an outsider looking in, something seems wrong with that picture.
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Permalink Reply by JK
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And people need to realize that the Grad review is not really a formal authentication. It's a "digital review" and the letter is a "letter of verification".
I'm not saying that the process does not have value, but, expertise aside, it is not on the same level as the other services it's being compared to.
To me, it's a high end quick opinion.
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Hello, What Steve does is exactly what JSA does when they show up at sport cards shows to verify people's autographs. The guy running the JSA booth IS NOT AN AUTHENTICATOR. All he does is take pictures of your autographs and send the pictures through email back to a real authenticator and he makes the call genuine or fake totally based on the pictures he was sent. Steve does the exact same thing. You send him high resolution pictures and he decides if your autograph is real or fake. The only difference is JSA takes weeks to send out you letters of authenticity, while Steve Grad emails your letters of authenticity in a few hours. JSA has been doing this way for years and nobody questioned them. So why is Steve different. Thank you for your imput. Have a wonderful weekend. Best regards Don
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I've never used JSA so I am not familiar with their process or the training of their staff, but atleast they have viewed the actual item. Grad does not.
And you keep referring to them as LOAs, but even he doesn't call them that.
The service is what it is, but it is also not what it isn't.
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