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Authenticity is Everything
THE AUTOGRAPH AUTHENTICATOR REPORT
I would like to share with everyone a major problem I have been seeing around Florida for the past few years. For a while you would only see these signature on photos or on multi signed 500 Home Run or 3000 hits baseballs. A year or so ago P.A.A.S. starting receiving these Autographed White Panel Baseballs, "Official League Baseball" , signed in blue ink on the sweet spot. They would be submitted one or two at time, and mostly from collectors that obtained them at local Florida shows or Flea markets. In the last 4-5 months we were receiving these almost exact signed baseballs for autograph authentication from around the country. Last month a local Florida dealer brought in 70 of these pure white single signed baseball for autograph authentication. I held the submission for a few days, so we could document and photograph the signatures for our files. When the dealer returned for his baseballs, I asked him where he had obtained these signed baseballs? He explained with a straight face that he has had them for over 7 years. He said that he waited on lines at autograph shows and sent some of the baseballs to autograph shows around the country to get signed. I then explained to him that they are not authentic and that I have been aware of these forged signatures for years. I also showed him enough proof that he had nothing further to say and admitted that he purchased the baseballs at a Miami Flea market for $10 per baseball. The scary part is he told me that a sports memorabilia dealer friend of his from North Carolina purchased over 300 baseballs and a dozen Muhammad Ali signed gloves. This is becoming a wide spread problem and I have been seeing these same baseballs on many websites and auctions. Please take note of these examples and study the signature patterns. You may notice a few different variations of the same signature, this is done by increasing or decreasing the size and width of the autograph. Besides not being authentic I am sure some of the readers will see some interesting similarities with these signatures. I would like hear some opinions and receive some input. There are additional names and signatures and we will continue to post them.
Thank you for your time,
Michael Frost of P.A.A.S. can be reached at specialagent711@aol.com
Tags: Authentication, Autograph, Frost, Michael, P.A.A.S., PSA/DNA
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on
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Agreed. For once, Bill.
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Brandon Mysinger:
I asked Sipe about this... it was a management order from the top down. Baker did not do them. Rocchi ran point and Ault/Haas were behind doing the deal with these guys ultimately and then they never got paid a dime from the customer.
Thanks, Brandon. Could you please explain this for those of us not that familiar with Global? I'm confused, and others may be too.
What do you mean by it being a management order from the top down? What effect did that have on the authentication, if any?
Who are Ault/Haas? What was their role in the company and involvement?
Was Steve Sipe one of the authenticators?
What about Bob Gryder?
Thanks for your help clearing this up. I really appreciate it.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on
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Sounds like the old "we were just following orders" defense.
The subordinates claim they were just following orders, the senior staff claims they didn't know what the subordinates were doing. Plausible deniability.
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Let's wait until we get the entire story from Brandon...or Steve Sipe if he wants to join in. Having Sipe join in would make the most sense. It pulls Brandon out of the middle.
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Mysinger on
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I appreciate that because it's not my department and nothing I would have agreed to ever.
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What happened that you would never have agreed to? We've never been so close to finding out the truth, so please tell you what you know if Steve Sipe won't.
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taken a directive to " make a deal happen "...which is what Sipe heard occurred from the ownership of GAI at the time to Rocchi.
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Permalink Reply by DB on
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Regardless, that is what chain of commands do everywhere however nowhere does it say that the "authenticators" should simply slap COAs on non-authentic items. Now if there is a memo, email or some other documentary evidence that suggests otherwise or suggests pressures were exerted for "financial" reasons to look the other way then that would be telling.
What would be more interesting if there is a serial of sticker numbers that can be isolated that were handed out on these non-authentic items presuming those sticker numbers are still in play and haven't been replaced.
Brandon, thanks for obtaining some additional information on the subject.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Panagopulos on
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WHOSE sticker numbers?!?!?!
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Steve, you aren't confused about it. The company was Global Authentication Inc. ( Steve Rocchi & Mike Baker's Company ) Not Steve Sipe's Global Authentics LLC. Please clarify clarify when stating this!!!
I have no idea what type of order was handed down, this is the information that was given to me from Sipe, based on what he knew at the time. Was it to certify anything? I have no idea, those players aren't talking.
Ault was the owner of the company at this time. He bought the company from Haas. Ault directed Rocchi to get the deal done. This was supposedly the "savior" for the company. They never got paid, and Global Authentics Inc. closed down.
Baker's name was on the Certs, But Rocchi was the lead man on the deal.
Steve Sipe was in Business Development with Kevin Hammond ( The old CEO ). Not in authentication at this point.
Per Sipe, Gryder was not involved. Rocchi came up with his own team of "authenticators" for this deal.
Please make sure you use the company name Global Authentication Inc. This was the company that certed the items.
There are other companies and so called "experts" who certed the same material. All from the same source.
One of these experts was Richard Simon the Cert #'s are AD258 ( Ted Williams ), AD257 ( Ted Williams ), AD260 ( Mantle ). I am getting images of these items so you don't think that I am picking on Mr. Simon.
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As promised, Here are the Richard Simon certified items, AND a PSA certified item...ALL from the same source as the GAI items that are noted as being bad.
PSA Item from the same source:
Now, I am in NO WAY attacking any expert of company, I have no idea if these are good or bad...Just as I have no idea if the items with GAI coas are bad. I'm not a Baseball autograph guy. However, all of these items came from the same source. The certified items shown here were "authenticated" earlier but still from the same source.
So, if the GAI items are bad, are these also bad?
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