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A question about authenticators...

Here's a question bound to stir up some more controversy on this site. I suppose the best way to put my question forth is by way of example:

Dealer Joe Schmoe provides his time to PU Authenticators, a publicly held firm, by viewing historic artists' autographs on their behalf. His job is to determine whether an item is authentic or not. When he "passes" an item, the owner is charged a fee by PU and in turn receives a certificate signed by Schmoe. In exchange for his services, Schome is allowed to authenticate his own material, and sign his own PU authentications on the same form that the company uses for all other authentications.

On a regular basis, Schmoe consigns his own material to B&O Auctions. His lots are sold bearing his own signed PU certificates of authenticity, and bidders are of course unaware of the fact that Schmoe is both the owner and authenticator of these lots. They auction house boasts that the item has been examined by an independent third party authenticator.

I have to ask myself about the propriety of this kind of situation. B&O Auctions claims it is offering "third-party" authentications, when in fact it is the consignor who has authenticated his own material: he's not wearing his "PU Authenticator" hat when he sends the material in for auction. This places an awful lot of power in the hands of the consignor/authenticator, and in my mind, temptaion beckons and any impartiality could easily go out the window.

Some may fault me as a hypocrite, as a small fraction of material in Alexander Autographs auctions is owned by the firm. The distinct difference is that we acknowledge that we alone authenticate 99.5% of the material consigned to our auction, and in any event ownership is never an issue.

What say you?

Tags: Alexander, authentication

0 members like this

Comment by Anthony Bautista on December 11, 2010 at 10:10pm: The authenticators will probably be in the back where you cant talk to them . The people who are usually standing at the booths accepting the autograph merchandise to be authenticated are usually the workers who have no idea about autographs in general at all. Hopefully you do get the answers you are looking for though .

Comment by Bill Panagopulos on December 12, 2010 at 2:16pm: Frankly, I would insist on knowing the qualifications of whomever I was paying...

Comment by Anthony Bautista on December 12, 2010 at 5:09pm: Look at what Rez wrote , numbers 5 - 10 . It sounds easy to do . But I personally dont think it is .

Comment by john reznikoff on December 12, 2010 at 5:55pm: Thanks Anthony....I truly appreciate what you have said. What I forgot to say was that if anyone thinks they have the qualifications (and acceptance by the powers that be) and desire to take my spot, they can have have it! Good luck!

Comment by Bill Panagopulos on December 16, 2010 at 9:51pm: Travis - Why waste your time? Didn't you learn a long time ago that you should...

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!!

Comment by Michael Kasmar-AutographPros.com on March 7, 2011 at 10:40am: AACS Registered Dealer RD208 - Expelled 02/11 for numerous violations of the UACC Policies and Code of Ethics.