One of the first things I bought on Ebay was a Michael Jackson autograph for $20. Considering the size of the photo, I figured it was a bargain either way. Fake or not. Then came the allegations. And despite his descent into infamy, I was still a fan, although I did keep that poster tucked away in the back of my closet for quite some time.

March 2009 saw the announcement of the comeback tour. “This is It” – 50 shows in residence at London’s spectacular O2 arena. For a guy who’s been lucky enough to see most of his musical heroes up close and in person, this was to be the concert to end all concerts. The first shall be the last, for indeed, it was the one and only Michael Jackson who first inspired me to dream big. Hell, I wanted to grow up to be black at the time!

So there I was, back on Ebay to buy floor seats for a once in a lifetime Michael Jackson performance (or so the promoters would have had you believe.) And I did. Choice seats. On the floor, slightly stage-left. I was absolutely ecstatic! Planning for the adventure was to commence immediately, all systems go.

I was at work on Thursday, June 25 when I got word that Michael had been rushed to the hospital. Knowing full well Mr. Jackson’s penchant for keeping himself in the press, I shrugged it off with a smile. PR, I thought, as my professors had so excellently trained me to do. Ten minutes later he was gone.

Shock.

Three months removed from the media circus, two semi-public memorials, the tabloid stories, and all the relative hoopla, I recently received word (or rather trusted professional opinion) that my Michael Jackson autograph seems, indeed, to be authentic. But it didn’t come easily. This article aims to shed some light on the perils of autograph collecting, third-party auto authentication, and the dark underbelly of a hobby that is as old as it is shady.

Once I got my money back for the concert tickets, my attention quickly turned to the autographed poster hiding in the back of my closet. Let’s face it, if it was real, my $20 investment could potentially yield thousands of dollars on the free market. As of today, legit MJ autos with verifiable proof are still selling on Ebay for 1K and then some. But first, I had to find out if it was real.

Naturally, I couldn’t locate the original seller. All I could remember was that the person had told me they worked at Sony and thats where they got the autograph. I know, semi-sketchy, right? But to my untrained eyes, poring over God knows how many examples of Jackson’s signature online, I still believed that mine was real. But the uncertainty was driving me mad! I was about to dive headlong into a quest for truth that would ultimately consume the better part of the next three months of my life. Sad, I know.

When I first started researching third-party authenticators, I was quick to notice that the market is flooded with “experts” and hacks. Worse yet, the experts spend a lot of time slinging mud at one another online. In fact, a simple Google search of the top companies in the game reveals multiple websites devoted to debunking the aforementioned claims of expertise. Without naming names, let’s just say that you should thoroughly research any third-party authenticator you plan to do business with, because after all, you’re really only paying for somebody else’s opinion. Did you catch that? Always remember that at the end of the day, unless you personally witness the signing, you are paying for somebody else’s professional opinion – no more, no less.

Third-party authentication is a business and they are in it to make money. That said, they make mistakes. And who’s to say they even care enough about your business to give your item the time and attention it deserves? Don’t believe me? Do the research and marvel at tales of rubber stamps authenticated and items returned damaged, or even worse, not returned at all!

But what about that Certificate of Authenticity, you ask? Well, let’s see. Do you have a printer at home? Can you scribble a bogus signature so that it looks official and yet largely indecipherable? If you answered “yes” to either of the above questions, welcome to the crazy world of third-party authentication. Seriously. That’s about all it takes to pull the wool over the eyes of a very large percentage of the general population. The sad truth is that any COA is only as good as the reputation of the person who signed it. What good does it do you to have A COA signed by Joe Blow if Joe Blow isn’t a well-known, trusted name in the industry with a verifiable history? Bottom line, if you can’t dig up anything by doing a basic Google search on your authenticator, that COA isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Unless of course, you’re looking to fleece someone yourself.

But there are respected and trustworthy professionals out there. You just have to do your homework. Which is the real lesson here. Do your own research. Use common sense. Compare your autograph to existing authentic examples already on the market.  If you have a modicum of doubt, you’re probably looking at a fake. Which is fine if you don’t care to know the truth or have no intention of re-selling. But when you buy fake autographs and do business with “expert” authenticators whose only concern is to make money, you’re simply driving yet another nail into a hobby that is quickly being overrun by thieves and tricksters.

Finally, don’t be fooled by claims of expertise or qualifications that don’t necessarily make sense. Make a phone call or two. Ask questions. Be persistent and get as many opinions as possible without shelling out large sums of money. One of the things I did was to attend trade-shows where you can gather multiple opinions quickly from people who deal with autographs every single day.  Follow these simple tips, trust your instincts, and I promise you, you will sleep much better at night.