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A hoard of thousands Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams signed photos have flooded the market over the last few years. All authenticated by Global Authentication Inc., with COAs signed by former GAI executive Mike Baker.
The hoard has driven down prices on these legendary Baseball Hall of Famers by 50-percent or more, and it's not rare to find one for well under $50.
The problem?
Every baseball expert we asked is emphatic that they're forgeries. And they've had that same opinion since the hoard came out of Florida in 2008.
If the experts are right—and I don't doubt that they are—not only are thousands of collectors stuck with these worthless photos. Thousands more have unfairly suffered a catastrophic drop in the value of their genuine Mantles, DiMaggios and Williams due to the flood of fakes.
And as we all know, GAI went bankrupt in 2009 after certing thousands of forgeries of Mantle, Williams, DiMaggio, Koufax, etc.
Why Do So Many Think They're Forgeries? Let's find out!
If you're a regular collector like me, it's hard to tell good Mantles from decent forgeries. DiMaggios and Williams are easier, but I'd never buy without an expert opinion. So I thought it would be a great education for those experienced in these autographs—experts and experienced collectors—to show us why they're so widely considered forgeries.
I've included a few of the GAI authenticated photos to start with. Feel free to upload more. Ask questions, share your knowledge...and help make collecting these Hall of Famers safer for everyone!
Look at all this garbage!!!
Forged Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams photo. Laughable forgeries.
Forged Mantle, DiMaggio and Williams photo with a worthless COA from GAI. Look at this garbage.
Ugly and laughable forged Mickey Mantle with a worthless COA from GAI. I've observed hundreds of this-style forgery over the years.
Mass-produced forged Mantle, DiMaggio, Mays and Snider photo with a worthless COA from GAI. Ugly.
Forged and mass-produced Mickey Mantle. Ugly and laughable.
Forged Mantle, Williams and DiMaggio photo with a worthless COA from GAI. Horrid-looking forgeries.
Forged and mass-produced Mantle and Williams forgeries. Worthless COA from GAI and Mike Baker.
Forged and mass-produced forged Mickey Mantle photo. Pathetic.
This is one of dozens forged Mickey Mantle business cards that were "authenticated" by GAI and Mike Baker. Pure garbage.
GAI (Mike Baker) "authenticated" hundreds of Mickey Mantle forgeries on the below image.
Laughable Mantle forgery.
Here is a mass-produced set of Mantle and Williams forgeries.
GAI "authenticated" thousands of forgeries before they went bankrupt in 2009.
Tags: authenticate, authentication, baseball., dimaggio, forgeries, gai, genuine, global, hall, joe, More…mantle, mickey, of, ofame, ted, williams
ACE (autograph certification experts) authentications & COAs have been placed on the banned list on EBAY.
and as Aring relayed in another thread... which will be very amusing as when this individual goes to place the listing on EBAY presumably I can't wait for the reaction (wish we could see it in person as she thinks back to this conversation;
there were several people signing autographs there (Frank and Son Collectible Show) those were the only real autographs i saw though. and our boy, justin priddy, was there authenticating an "eagles" signed guitar... all same handwriting, all same marker on a fender squier strat. he gave it the thumbs up, even after i said hi to him and he asked me about the guitar (i told him i felt it was garbage.) then later ran into the woman who was getting it authenticated and she told me "i don't know what you said to justin, but he passed it with flying colors right after he got done talking to you." "JSA wouldn't pass it, but at least Justin did and that's all i care about." i did tell her that i didn't believe it to be real. so i guess he just completely disregards what i have to say. but it was obviously bad. so i'm sure you'll probably see that greenish/gray squier strat on ebay sometime soon.
I will say this LOUD and clear. Rick is a Loose Cannon. When Steve Sipe came on board Rick was let go Immediately. He followed up with on-line rants and even very disgusting racial slurs to the new President of GAI at the time Bill Dully ( a VERY respected higher-up at Upper Deck, and other trading card companies ).
I had to call and report Rick almost on a daily basis because he would try to step into the NASCAR pool even though he knew NOTHING about the sport much less it's star's signatures.
I was always told that Mike Baker's name was on the coa simply because he was an "official" member / owner of the company and not a private entity like I am. I fought long and hard with the old GAI team to get me my own Motorsports coas that listed my name as the authenticator so I could fully stand behind what I authenticated. They wanted no part of it. Sipe and Dully came along and it happened fast because it was the right thing to do for collectors.
Hmmmm. Giddings didn't cert them. Baker (whose name is on ALL of those certs) claims he didn't cert them. The truth is no one from the now defunct GAI is ever going to say anything. It's amazing that over 8,000 pieces of that garbage is being bought and sold every day. It's amazing that that every one of those GAI certs can be referenced in the still available old GAI database. All of those forgeries with GAI certs (with Baker's signature) mysteriously appeared all over the internet and somehow were entered into the GAI database. Below is a current auction running on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/MICKEY-MANTLE-DIMAGGIO-DUAL-SIGNED-8X10-B-W-PHO...
Below is a link to the GAI cert number that references the below item.
http://www.globalauthentics.com/certcheck/vintage.asp?c=338084
It's amazing that all of this happened at GAI and no one is aware of it. Yeah right.
of course you know caddy1229, the seller of 5-1o of these global fakes every week for 3 years.He always puts a disclaimer on these as you mentioned and can clearly see in his ad, he knows they are bad. He mixes these putrid fakes in with some of his real material. He gets prices on these that are sky high. I just find it interesting that he is from Pembrooke Pines, FL the home town of Steve Koschal???
It is Interesting that nobody knows??? It had to be an inside job if the certs ended in the data base. Who keeps this database open anyway with a so-called defunct bankrupt company???Anyone.... Zipper Lips??? How about you? That website should be shut down, if there is not a legitimate company attatched, Hence The GAI, Global, LLc Inc Whatever the F you want to call it....ONE IN THE SAME IN MY EYES. After 3 years, I still don't see the difference? Thanks Brandon for speaking up here, it means alot even though we don't agree. When the President of your company, Mr Steve Zipper Lips, starts to distance himself from this debacle and cleans it up, maybe his good will can do something to boost up your company. Right now it is House OF CARDS...and personally, if I was associated with the whole mess, I'd move on instaed of trying to sing the virtues of the NEW Company. Same Old, Same Old.
I really don't see what the big deal is about getting the information out here. E-bay obviously isn't smart enough to do anything as they have wrapped their hopes aroung Zipper Lips for 3 years now.
I do believe about 1-2 years ago, seeing some of these being pulled like Brandon said, but then they stopped? Why? So what happened? How can you be part of a security team and not pull bad material....and sleep at night? How can you do that Zipper Lips?
And Db, surely I do Gest....FUDD
Is there a range of serial numbers associated with these? If so, we'll set up an area for them where customers can check if they're in the listed range.
I'd like to make collectors aware a number of things, not just GAI. We need to get the word out to collectors and dealers. The Heston secretarials may be another, since services don't cancel COAs unless they're resubmitted.
I don't blame them for not doing it, but I do think that it's important to make collectors and dealers aware of authentications you think are mistakes after new information comes out.
Thanks Fudd - I was starting to worry for a moment....
I do concur however that the database s/b shutdown from any more entires but maintained online as a reference point otherwsie we will see an explosion of forged certs.
Again, I can't speak for anything but what I have from GAI that is ok noting my prior one on Brooks Robinsion. Now, I don't know who authenticated it nor never will know. Nonetheless, there are valid ones out there and has been pointed out and as I understand related to Priddy and others that just started handing them out along with whoever else was involved. The only thing I can see about Baker is that he failed on oversight as he is not an authenticator or so I have been told.
I also concur that GAI s/b removed from the status of "authorization"... Steve maybe u can send gonzales a note since you have a direct line and it would be helpful if Sipe or someone who is there "expert" start policing the GAI ones.
Actually, He spent a great amount of time doing this. Steve can confirm this by asking a mutual ebay friend.
However, How long should he do this since he is in now way responsible for GAI certs now? Mike Baker is still in business (or was still using GAI as a card grading service ). For Steve to keep doing this could actually cross legal lines now that he is no longer GAI.
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