Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rich on October 17, 2013 at 5:20pm

If collectors want to trust these companies, that's up to them.  I'm sure they will likely end up with more good than bad items.  Again, I feel there are many safer avenues than just looking for that sticker, but if they don't feel like doing the legwork at all, I suppose PSA and JSA are decidedly better than just winging it on Ebay with no idea what to look for.

But suggesting that studying autographs is an impossible feat for the average collector is just not accurate.  I've seen several examples of diehard fans and collectors who know individual autographs as well as if not better than the "pros" because it's one of their passions and among a limited number of autographs (or perhaps the only autograph) they're acutely interested in.  

As an example (and I've posted this before).  Here's where I go if I have questions on a U2 item.  It's primarily a forum for posting fan-obtained examples over the years (and between this FB page and their other website, I guarantee you they have a better database than PSA or JSA).  There is enough knowledge there where I consider it the best place to get the most conclusive opinions about authenticity.  And it's all free, fueled just by collectors' passion for this band and their desire to help fellow fans avoid getting burned.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/175579025807080/

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Permalink Reply by Chad B on October 17, 2013 at 12:46pm

I agree. I would love to know what exactly happens to a signed item they receive. Knowing the process, how thorough they are, what they do to detect forgeries, who looks at a given item, the amount of time spent, etc. (without giving away trades secrets) would possibly give collectors some peace of mind and faith in them.

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Permalink Reply by Ian Baldock on October 17, 2013 at 4:52pm

How does presspass collectables have so many authenticated pieces? It seems like big customers are getting preferential treatment when it comes to "authenticating" items. Whats up with that?

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Permalink Reply by Rich on October 17, 2013 at 4:55pm

That's part of the problem I have with them.  

As far as Press Pass goes, there are some threads on this forum with insight on how that company operates.  

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Permalink Reply by Randy on October 17, 2013 at 5:19pm

They obviously have very deep pockets or either are getting consignments from many customers. They have over 19,000 items currently on Ebay. Try to find 190 that you are absolutely positive are not authentic with PSA/DNA or JSA LOAs. That would equate to 1%.

I doubt if any one on this forum who really knows autographs can find 190 that they believe are not authentic. I am not claiming these authentication companies are 99% accurate but the opinion on this forum seems to be that they are terrible at what they do and that is not the case. They are probably accurate 95% of the time overall which is pretty good. Are they better on sports than entertainment, probably.

Do they make legitimate mistakes? Of course they do. Can an average collector do better than them? Absolutely not. 

By trying to discredit the few good authentication companies, collectors will be driven to the really lousy authentication companies and we all know who they are.

I totally agree forgeries are a huge problem in the market place and on Ebay, but PSA/DNA and JSA authenticated items are a very tiny part of the problem.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on October 17, 2013 at 5:39pm

Press Pass is selling the following Bono autographs that JSA rubber stamped. I'm not sure who submitted them and why JSA thought they were legit, but whoever certed them either didn't know what he was doing or wasn't paying attention.

All of these are fake, signed by the same person (not Bono).  Had the authenticator actually taken a step back and looked at these instead of just relaying on the honor system, it would have been pretty easy to spot.  This is a prime example - on that I've cited before - of why I'm not a fan of these companies, because lazy practices like this now set up fans to get burned for hundreds of dollars.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on October 17, 2013 at 7:25pm

I don't know Bono's autograph and you apparently do so I defer to you on these 7. Maybe JSA has a bad exemplar but I bet they have one that they believe is legitimate that closely matches these signatures. They also use Roger Epperson as a consultant for music autographs although I have no idea if he looked at these or not. 

At any rate, only 183 more bad ones to find to get to a 1% error rate.

You stated in an earlier post that stickers by either JSA or PSA/DNA gave you the confidence level of "Yeah, Maybe."

What % of the items they authenticate do you think they get wrong?

"Yeah maybe" to me indicates the flip of a coin. Is that your opinion of their proficiency?

Permalink Reply by Rich on October 17, 2013 at 7:30pm

You're being pretty dismissive of a bunch of valid arguments, so I'll stop my end of this conversation here.  If you want to love these companies unconditionally, that's up to you.  

Permalink Reply by Jason D on October 17, 2013 at 8:12pm

Presspass for some odd reason has a lot of bad signatures authenticated by both JSA and PSA they defiantly have someone in their pocket.

Permalink Reply by Rich on January 13, 2017 at 9:59am

Posted this in another thread, but I'm curious how something Press Pass was selling at a premium price ends up in Mexico with a $9.99 starting bid.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bono-Signed-8x10-Photo-JSA-COA-U2-Autograph...

Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on October 18, 2013 at 8:57am

No chance are they 95% on music and entertainment pieces. They are not even 75% on them. If searching A list stars they are even lower then that.

 

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Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on October 18, 2013 at 8:53am

The guy who sells as Presspass Collectibles is from here in Arizona. His reputation out here is very poor. Many collectors here that I know wont deal with him on anything.

Somebody I know that used to collect with him says he is really good friends with a couple authenticators from PSA and JSA that work large shows. Not sure if this is how he is getting all that crap passed but it might be.

This guy knows there are tons of threads here about him yet never comes in to defend himself.

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