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I NEED HELP! Is Sportsmemorabilia.com Legit?

Thru the years I've slowly tried to build a collection of football memorabilia, I'm a Cowboys fan and thought I had a pretty nice collection. A long time ago I built a nice collection of Wayne Gretzky stuff but I bought it right off his site, WG Authenticity and felt great about every purchase. My Cowboys stuff I've bought off Sportsmemorabilia.com and Prosportsmemorabilia.com and lately reading some reviews I just feel the whole thing is shady. Could someone please tell me if I've been taken for a ride AND what sites are the most reliable for buying the REAL DEAL? Please and thank you.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on January 24, 2017 at 4:44pm

Well-written, Steve.

It's all in the eye.

Permalink Reply by Lawrence Zelikoff on January 24, 2017 at 4:51pm

Thanks, Steve. I study and compare many signatures authenticated by the top recognized companies before I bid. I guess one can never be 100% sure unless you get it in person. Obviously that's impossible.

But on this Mantle autograph I can't spot anything that sticks out. Williams says it's an obvious forgery but he can't seem to tell me what's obvious about it. Implies I don't know autographs so I wouldn't understand. Hmmm.

Permalink Reply by AnakinAutos on January 24, 2017 at 4:08pm

You are absolutely correct

Look at the items and you'll find a lot of them on eBay for a fraction of the price.

When someone pays they then buy it from the eBay seller. I've seen another site do it too

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Permalink Reply by Lawrence Zelikoff on January 24, 2017 at 3:49pm

Just had an online "chat" with someone on sportsmemorobilia.com about an item they offer at $118,000 with the EXACT same item offered on eBay at $80,000. He knew I had him dead to right so he became very defensive with some BS reason. Told me if I trust eBay sellers he suggested I buy from them. Busted.

Not saying what they do is wrong or illegal. Far from it. Just saying buyer beware of what you're paying.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 24, 2017 at 4:18pm

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on January 24, 2017 at 4:22pm

Years ago Sportsmemorabilia was selling a ton of Derek Jeter forgeries (certed by Global Authentics) on their website.

I wrote a thread on those Jeter forgeries. Read the first page below.

http://live.autographmagazine.com/profiles/blogs/global-authentics-...

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on January 24, 2017 at 4:58pm

Lawrence, that Mantle is an obvious forgery to me.

Like I previously wrote, I have seen that-style Mantle forgery dozens upon dozens of times.

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Permalink Reply by Lawrence Zelikoff on January 24, 2017 at 5:06pm

But you can't tell me what gives it away to you. If you're an expert you should be able to give someone a clue. Never mind. I get the picture here.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on January 24, 2017 at 5:10pm

My "eye" gives it away to me.

If you look at enough authentic Mantle autographs and and a number of Mantle forgeries, your eye will differentiate.

It doesn't happen overnight.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on January 24, 2017 at 5:37pm

The Mantle is a cookie-cutter known forgery style produced in the many thousands. It has a distinct look, but explaining it is not as easy as it may seem.

I wrote this blog post back in 2012, but I think it applies here. Hopefully it helps:

Very often you'll see a collector ask something along the lines of, "How can I tell a real [fill-in-the-blank] autograph from fakes?" It seems as though the person expects to receive an answer such as, "If the third stroke of the M is more than 1.5 inches long, it's fake."

Of course, it is not that simple. There are no shortcuts or magic tells. Most anyone can identify grossly malformed fakes. But to be really good and identify the relatively deceptive fakes, you need to train your eyes to recognize the proper look and feel. And this is not something that can be accomplished overnight. In other words, it requires work and dedication.

So, how do you "train your eye"?

Look at hundreds of authentic exemplars. Look at them every day for a long time. And make sure you are using verified authentic exemplars!

Do side-by-side comparisons with known fakes.

Don't focus solely on "shape." Look at speed and pressure and other subtle characteristics. Good forgers can closely replicate "shape," but it's much more difficult to replicate the subtle characteristics.

Look for a loose, relaxed hand that intuitively and instinctively signed versus a tight hand "drawing" the signature with too much "thinking."

Network with experienced collectors and dealers to compare notes and ask questions.

Follow these steps and eventually the signature will "click," and you will see the difference between authentic and good fakes.