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Antiquities Caesars Palace, GFA/Stephen Rocchi and AAU/Drew Max Sued for Autograph Fraud

According to the Courthouse News Service, Mr. Daniel Odobas has filed a lawsuit against Antiquities Of Nevada (Toby Stoffa), Drew Max (Authentic Autographs Unlimited) and Stephen Rocchi (Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators for "Fraud, Deceptive, Trade, Misrepresentation, Unjust Enrichment, Conspiracy, Bad Faith, Breach Of Contract and Breach Of Warranty."

Immediately below are links to the story.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/08/30/vegas-memorabilia-house-ac...

http://www.inquisitr.com/3472565/vegas-antiques-and-memorabilia-dea...

In my opinion, this was a long time coming.

Drew Max of Authentic Autographs Unlimited, gives himself the title of Forensic Document Examiner (FDE).

What in the world does "Forensics" have anything to do with autographs?

Very, very rarely in my opinion.

I don't know of any Forensic Document Examiner who knows sports or music autographs

It is also important to know that COAs and LOAs issued by Forensic Document Examiners or by authentication companies that use them, are much less likely to be genuine.

I have yet to see an authentic autograph of Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams with a COA from Drew Max (AAU).

Not one.

Just below is a link to a thread I wrote on Drew Max and one of his performances on the Pawn Stores show as he Forensically Examined an FDR "Letter To Clergy."

http://live.autographmagazine.com/profiles/blogs/drew-max-forensic-...

Then, of course, there is Stephen Rocchi and his Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators (GFA) group.

In the six years since Rocchi started GFA, I have yet to see one authentic Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio autograph with a COA from GFA (Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators).

Also, since when does a Forensic Examination only cost $25.00?

Rocchi does all of the below for $25.00 and still can't get it right.

From Rocchi's website. Seriously?

You do not need "Forensics" to determine if an autograph is authentic or not.

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/ebay-mantle-dimaggio...

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/joe-dimaggio-forgeri...

http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/roger-maris-forgerie...

Just below is a typical Mickey Mantle forgery on a baseball with a COA from Stephen Rocchi and Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators.

It can be opined in less than one second as a forgery.

What is Rocchi thinking when he issues a COA for the below Mantle forgery?

Rocchi (Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators) has certed dozens of the below set of Mickey Mantle/Roger Maris forgeries on a reproduced Safe At Home poster.

A real authenticator would laugh and dismiss this garbage in a millisecond, but Rocchi has certed dozens of these as authentic.

These are, at best, laughable.

When will all of this "Forensic" madness finally end?

Tags: aau, antiquities, caesars palace, drew max, forgeries, fraud, gfa, lawsuit, pawn stars, rocchi, More…toby stoffa

9 members like this

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 4, 2018 at 5:18pm: AtAuction/Always at Auction sold obviously fake baseball and other sports autographs by the thousands to military personnel, their families, and veterans through military exchanges.

I don't think anyone feels that the exchange victims are to blame for buying them.

What makes buyers like Daniel different?

Comment by Ian Baldock on January 4, 2018 at 5:30pm: I don't blame the "victims". Criminals have always taken advantage of the weak,ill informed, innocents etc. Housewives,Grandparents picking something up for their loved ones. Now I wish a light would shine on a little business called Coaches Corner!

Comment by goodcat on January 4, 2018 at 5:40pm: Exactly Jason Charnick

I was thinking same same. No way I'd turn down the cash.... I be like show me da money and where do I sign, because my authenticity opinion means ZERO. And the fact they paid out, is an admittance of guilt anyway.

Comment by Rick Meyer on January 4, 2018 at 6:19pm: Michael, I may have been a little rough on your brother and I apologize. I am glad he got his money back. Very few ever do so that in itself is a win. I think when this came here I looked at it as a guy taking them to the woodshed for the betterment of the hobby and should have realized it was just for the refund. I know it isn't easy sticking your neck out against big forgery rings and places like Antiquities. Takes bucks and balls to take it that far I'll give him that.

Granted I was not in his shoes nor am I a filthy rich guy. I despise the forgery industry so to get me to admit something I know is a forgery or allow others to use my name in a quote as an authentication is not in my DNA. Not everyone thinks like I do and some times it bugs the hell out me. I've been in a position where I could have been bribed by a few bucks from a large forgery ring and I refused. Mostly so I could use the experience to be a pain in the a$$ and troll them which I did. I still do on occasion when I can. Pestering forgery sellers is half the fun of the hobby for me.

Comment by CJCollector on January 4, 2018 at 6:20pm: Rick and I share some of the same hobby DNA when it comes to forgeries.

Comment by Michael on January 5, 2018 at 9:24am: Thanks guys, I appreciate the clarification. Things run a little differently in Canada so the fact Antiquities is allowed to operate irks me. Up here they're pretty brutal on criminal fraud.

Comment by Fuddjcal on January 5, 2018 at 10:16am: I think it is important to victim blame to some extent. That's why it's so maddening because when you make a blunder of biblical proportions like this, you have to look in the mirror and blame yourself.

When I buy stocks, do I research the stock? Do I subscribe to Morningstar? To Barrons? YES. Do I treat the Market like a casino and buy because CNBC tells me so? No, I do some research and move forward after I learn everything I can. There is culpability for the dopey buyers. How about you do 5 minutes of research before you spend 750K....Very dopey, IMHO. This is one reason why I do not collect Autographs any longer and have moved on to fake cars, fake stocks and fake $100 bills. It's a very dopey business/hobby and very dopey dopes are ripe for the pickens. Dopes are woven through-out the fabric of America and that ain't changin' anytime soon. No disrespect for anyones opinions, I just live my life a little different and I would blame myself 100% for this if it happened to me. That would be where my anger would come from being mad at myself and I'm not letting that go once I start to legal game. Like I said, when I start, I finish PERIOD and I don't care about the money honestly. I guess I place too high an emphasis on Principal for my opinion to be accepted? But you know by now, FUDD CARES NOT. LOL

Comment by Danny Francis on January 5, 2018 at 10:34am: Jason, I agree 100%. If everyone who posted here united a dent can be made in forgeries. Chris is right on impulse and common collectors. However, they need protected also. There is no room server to say that the victim should share blame. EVER!!!

I hope one day that I can say I have contributed as much as ones on this post. Stay the course everyone. Sun Tsu said divide and you will conquer as well as the battle is won in the planning stages. It is time for a cohesive front.

In this case I do not blame the victim for settling. Who would not want the money back.

Comment by Joe W. on January 5, 2018 at 10:37am: If there is life lesson I have come to learn well. You cannot protect a person from themselves. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink.

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on January 5, 2018 at 11:23am: Many don't know Fudd from years ago—LOOONNGGGG ago, he's even older than me—but he's a good guy and has been an asset to baseball autograph field. He stopped collecting because he got fed up with the rampant forgeries. Even though he wasn't buying them, that so many people were and little was being one about it got to him.

Am I recalling it right, Fudd?

He's a major Mickey Mantle collector, and published a blog here with Mantle exemplars in 2011 that has 55 pages of discussion:

https://live.autographmagazine.com/profiles/blogs/mickey-mantle-aut...

Fudd is Fudd—that ain't gonna change—and a really good guy, even when he makes me want to bang my head against the wall.