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5 DIFFERENT MICKEY MANTLE STYLE SIGNATURES AUTHENTICATED BY G.A.I.....3 AUTHENTICATED BY MIKE BAKER

All of these autographs were authenticated by G.A.I which raises the question....how the hell could one company authenticate 5 different style Mickey Mantle signatures ?!?!?!?!...Mike Baker authenticated 2 of these items which the one on top is actually authentic in my opinion....he actually authenticated that one...

The second Mantle I am really not quite sure about...is that a bad authentic Mantle or better then usual forgery ?...that middle Mantle really has me scratching my head...also authenticated by G.A.I. I don't like it...good or bad...its off to me

The third Mantle we all know about....garbage all day all the way...also authenticated by G.A.I. I do admit that I have seen some authentic Mantles popping up lately....were there coming from is beyond me since the great Mickey Mantle has been deceased since 1995...16 YEARS...

The fourth Mantle is really the closest I have seen in a long time...this will by far be the style that really ruins a extremely tainted hobbie already !!!! Iam guessing the guy that did the second Mantle also did the forth one also authenticated by Mike Baker !!!!!

The fifth one has my baffled...WTF is going on here !?!?!?!?!

JUST LIKE MY MAN CLINT EASTWOOD....I REFER THESE AUTOS AS THE GOOD...THE BAD...AND THE UGLY...and now THE REAL UGLY

Feel free to post any G.A.I Mantles good and bad...let me know what you guys think...

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on September 12, 2012 at 3:55pm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110948085978?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2...

Looks okay to me. It is not textbook perfect as the second M has a nasty hiccup, but otherwise looks fine IMO.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on September 12, 2012 at 4:05pm

wow, this one is plain ugly. it probably is real, but who would want it? the K is also funky, as is the N. the first M bottom look is really untypically oversized. He must have had a few before he signed this one.

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on September 12, 2012 at 6:31pm

Zipper, I agree with you, if you scan thru the hundreds of PSA or JSA authenticated Mantle balls on ebay, you would be hard pressed to find a questionable one.

but I have to say this one is a little strange:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MICKEY-MANTLE-SIGNED-AUTOGRAPHED-PSA-DNA-BA...

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on September 12, 2012 at 6:37pm

Agreed. It is a little "loose," even moreso than the one John Klancher pointed out.

But when I look at it, despite the atypical traits and sloppiness, it has the right "look & feel." I would be surprised if it was not authentic.

That's not to say I'd want it in my collection. Why pick the dented can when there are so many nice ones on the shelf?

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on September 12, 2012 at 6:53pm

I would lean towards authentic also, but just pointing it out as an "odd" ball!

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on October 21, 2013 at 7:54am

I don't like it

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Permalink Reply by Null on October 21, 2013 at 7:57am

This is abnormal but no question authentic.

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Permalink Reply by Tyler Johnson on October 20, 2013 at 10:19pm

But here is the million dollar question I have. So lets say I have a Mickey auto and it has been authenticated by PSA/ JSA as the real deal... If it is fake what does it matter then? I mean I have a ball that has been authenticated and hologramed by the "top 3rd party authenticator" who is to say any different and why would any buyer question that. You see what I mean, i bet there are ppl everyday saying that an auto is fake but right there it states that a reputable party says its real and worth the money. What does one do, really?

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Permalink Reply by Randy on October 21, 2013 at 5:26am

If you buy a Mantle ball authenticated by JSA or PSA/DNA, the liklihood that it is not authentic is very small, perhaps 5% and probably less.

You can resell it in any major auction and it will be accepted as authentic. Authentication is not a science but a learned art through the use of known authentic exemplars for comparison.

At present, they are most widely accepted as the best at what they do. That does not necessarily mean they are the best but because of publicity and the fact that almost all major auction houses use one or the other for authentication, they have that reputation.

They are very accurate on their authentications on stars like Mantle. They do however make some mistakes and based on opinions on this forum they are less proficient on entertainment than on sports. It has been suggested on this forum that they may be as low as 75% accurate on some entertainment stars. I doubt very seriously if that is the case but my expertise is only in sports and they are very proficient on sports in my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Tyler Johnson on October 21, 2013 at 7:49am

ok thanks guys. Like I said I am green at this and am trying to get educated so I dont by forgeries and support the forgers out there.

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Permalink Reply by Null on October 21, 2013 at 6:37am

PSA/DNA and JSA have certed their fair share of forgeries. (Although I have not seen any Mantle forgeries certed by them, I have seen some questionable Joe D's)

One should know something about the autograph they are purchasing, and/or ask their peers.