Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Gregory on February 26, 2015 at 9:15pm

Susan, good topic and firstly always buy an autograph based on the autograph not because it has a sticker. Although unlikely imagine in 10 years that PSA go bad and are classed as the equivalent to Chris Morales, GAI or Drew Max then your collection is worthless.

Authenticators make mistakes and just because it has a sticker does not mean it is real. If you are collecting simply for the love of it and no to resell then authetication is not required. Sadly if looking to sell most items need to have or receive authentication to achieve the maximum price so it's a vicious circle.

I love collecting and did it as I just love having items from sports, movie and music stars from various generations and have collected etc for many years and it takes time to learn and study signatures and know the traits, pen pressure, letter spacing, size of the letters etc to know a real one from a fake and sometimes it really can be very tough to tell.

There are many items without authentication that are real and a lot cheaper to buy.

If you are after a particular item then post a photo or link and people on this site will help and steer you away from forgeries and help you collect good items.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Thames on February 27, 2015 at 6:01am

thanks so much Dan..I liked what you had to say! and I have been trying to "study" some particular autographs, and compare and look for subtle nuiances in that persons particular writing style and signature.Its very interesting to me to try to decode and decipher all the elements that make it "it"! - its like trying to figure out the pieces of a puzzle (literally) and I do think with experience comes a more trained eye for this art! =}

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 27, 2015 at 6:22am

On some of my favorite musical acts, I KNOW that I'm infinitely more competent than PSA/DNA or JSA, so their opinion is entirely irrelevant to me. For most entertainment/music items, I keep a running list of what I strongly believe are rock solid sources (not a long list, but they have nothing at all to do with any TPA).

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Permalink Reply by Susan Thames on February 27, 2015 at 7:53am

that is way cool Rich, and it sounds to me like you have a trained eye for authentication and that you rely on that and a "gut instinct"  to help you determine an autographs authenticity and worth.You also rely on reliable sources to deal with (which IS super important) which keeps it as real as you can get!  KUDOS! and these are some valuable and instinctive practices that you are passing on to us "novice"s - thank you for that - its all a learning experience and it does help to keep these good tips to keep in mind!  =]

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Permalink Reply by Rich on February 27, 2015 at 7:55am

It's not a wide range of stuff (and not necessarily the biggest names).  I've found instances of big fans being much more competent in a celebrity's autograph than the "pros."

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Permalink Reply by Susan Thames on February 27, 2015 at 10:00am

I bet! The more time and attention you pay to 1 certain star, the better you can be!!

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Permalink Reply by James on February 26, 2015 at 10:15pm

Let me first start by saying, if there's any group of people that should have neat penmanship, it's doctors. You know...their instructions can just mean the difference between life and death! But anyway, on to autograph collecting. I have friends (and some family) that think like your family - that spending money on autographs is just wasting money. But we here know they're wrong. All you have to do is tell them to go on eBay, or look at major auction house sales, to see the big amount that many autographs sell for.

Also, the simple fact is that MOST people collect something, if not autographs, maybe hot wheels, or comic books, coins, stamps, belt buckles, hats, watches, or whatever. I have read where we'll over 50% of Americans (and that probably applies to other countries as well) collect something. Personally, I think autographs beat everything. So when someone says you're wasting your money, just ask them what they're wasting their money on! ;0)

As far as PSA and JSA go, my friend Dan is absolutely right, you can't just rely on those stickers. Certainly more often than not, they get it right. And if you don't have a lot of time to study signatures, you might "play it safe" to a certain extent and go with the sticker. Plus, if you ever want to re-sell it, you'll already have it authenticated. But as Dan said, if you're primarily collecting and want to get a less expensive (yet authentic) item, yes, by all means post a pic here and get opinions on one that is not authenticated yet. What you could do is get opinions here, plus do a PSA/DNA quickie, and if both result in a thumbs up, you're probably good to go.

But also keep in mind that it can be hard to tell if something may just be a copy or reproduction from just a pic. That's why, when you send an item in to PSA and put it in their hands, they can usually pretty easily make sure it's not a copy. But even they have been fooled on that account. For example, you can read about the laser-printed copy of a Ty Cobb cut sig that they encapsulated as real! But anyway, just remember, you're taking part in the greatest collecting hobby there is!

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Permalink Reply by Susan Thames on February 27, 2015 at 6:22am

Thanks for your reply James! That's funny, "ask them what they are wasting their money on!" -that one made me laugh for sure,because it is quite true!

- and also the importance of Dr's orders - I know,I totally agree and "if" I personally could not make out the order,or on concuring with someone else -if they couldn't also? I would HAVE to call the Dr. to find out - because the orders are seriously important!.The Dr's (for the most part) don't like it, but I figure that's "tough tarts" since they wrote the order so poorly, that it is illegible! You cannot guess when someone's life and health are in your care and when you find a Dr with beautiful penmanship? - it is a rare and beautiful thing indeed!!

and I agree on bringing photos to display here for others opinion's, for the more skilled eye to assess the autograph in question and also including a psa quick opinion (on top of the other)  might give you a little more leverage and peace of mind in regards to the signature's authenticity.I have wondered sometimes too - could it be a reprint, but I wouldn't know? and I'm sure with the advent of technology,printing and copying that this business is seeing buku more forgeries (which is a shame)to think that people purposely try to dupe others - and don't just let an actual autograph be out there, to "shine" in its own right!!  - Let it Be =)

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Permalink Reply by James on February 27, 2015 at 10:20am

Yes, I was unfortunately duped on four autographed photos last year. I started to wonder because the seller had too many of a fairly difficult signature, and the prices were too good. I finally knew for sure when I realized one that appeared to be signed in paint pen did not have the "paint" rise above the photo. It was part of the photo! I should have known better because of the prices right off the bat, but you live and learn as they say. Those "autographs" have been permanently taken out of circulation, however. P.S. - Glad you don't mind "bothering" those doctors!

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Permalink Reply by Pete Bendu on February 27, 2015 at 4:45am

Dan said it best, and James agreed, so do I. This is the place for you. I have 10's of thousands of autographs in my collection, and I can count on my two hands the number of stickered pieces in my collection....and every one of them was submited for authentication before I owned it.

The stickers may bring better money at auction, but real collectors will know real autographs without needing to have the "nice fuzzy stickered it's real" feeling. 

If you like an autograph and want to buy it "sticker free" check here.

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Permalink Reply by Susan Thames on February 27, 2015 at 6:32am

Sounds good and ty for the feedback Pete!

And I'm wondering why it seems that there are more men than women interested in collecting autographs? Maybe its like "ham radios" or "baseball cards" - just something that guys get into more -it's funny how certain sexes get more drawn into certain fields and things - but on pondering this I can say that I am left handed (like my mother) -so maybe that explains it a bit! - Right Brain dominant - ]

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Permalink Reply by Susan Thames on February 27, 2015 at 8:16am

I do think this is a cool site because people are all interested in the same thing and autograph collecting is a very "subjective" field ==> it all boils down to interpretation! And therein lies the rub....Because you might have a difference of opinion (from say 2 separate authenticators), BUT then when you take into consideration that if the majority agrees (say at least 4- 5 people or more) on an autograph, then its probably a safe bet to have a good feeling about it! =]

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