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Which authenticator can I trust?

Hey guys

At the time there are so many companies out there to authenticate your stuff. Is JSA the best or Beckett, or something else.. Who do you trust?

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on April 2, 2019 at 5:13am

Proceed with caution. I've looked long and hard at these big name authentication services. I do not care or trust the one size fits all approach. I find the authenticators that specialize in specific areas are much more reliable. Experienced collectors are better than TPA services.

I would not invest a pug nickel into a TPA service unless I was intending to sell immediately and believe it would enhance the bottom line. Nobody knows what the future holds and a good reputation can go south very quickly.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on April 2, 2019 at 7:01am

The self appointed tpa's!

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Permalink Reply by Paul on April 2, 2019 at 7:01am

The ones that ask for money

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 2, 2019 at 7:21am

I don't use any and do my own work - it is fun and my chosen hobby - why pay someone else to enjoy it/understand it? And I don't need them to sell thankfully. But that's is me - JoeW is right - there is no one size fits all approach.

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Permalink Reply by TheThinWhiteDuke on April 2, 2019 at 7:24am

yea sure that's a good point, but I don't know every signature out there, and there are also so many fakes out there so I want someone who knows the sognature to have a look over it...

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 2, 2019 at 7:28am

Agreed! No one can. I only claim to know a handful very, very well. When I want a new signature I learn it best I can over time and ask questions and collect exemplars etc. I look to see what sells for how much where/when. I want to at least be "in" on the decision - if not making it - if I can't "see it" I don't buy it. I often ask opinions as well from others - like you. :)

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Permalink Reply by Paul on April 2, 2019 at 7:30am

The witch from the Wizard of oz!

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on April 2, 2019 at 7:32am

That was my first answer but I could not remember if East was one of the good ones - Glinda?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on April 2, 2019 at 7:40am

There is no one-size-fits-all answer in my opinion. If you can elaborate on the subject area of the autograph, you may get some helpful feedback.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on April 2, 2019 at 8:21am

15 dollars please

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Permalink Reply by Rich on April 2, 2019 at 7:58am

These TPAs - even the best of them - sell themselves as something they're really not, which is all knowledgeable. In the same of business and profits, they also inevitably submit themselves to bad practices and lazy habits. Since there's really no one to keep them accountable, they can get away with more than they should. Therefore, even the best of them aren't really that good, which makes them, in my opinion, largely pointless.