Real or Fake???

As I read the blogs I keep seeing the word "Forgeries"

I have been thinking about opening an autograph business {website and retail store}. I have done lots of research and the things I found really concern me. It seems most people in this industry are scumbags {not all} and will do anything to make $$$. Just look at "Ripoff Report, Hall of Shame!! Even the major Authentic Companies have major issues!! It seems the only way to know you have a "REAL" autograph is to stand in front of that person and what them sign it!!! Scary!!! Thanks

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Comment by Rich on May 10, 2013 at 8:42am: It certainly can be frustrating to figure out, but there are ways to make sure you run a tight ship and keep your company's nose clean. It depends on a number of factors, starting with what types of autographs you'd like to deal it.

If you're talking about modern sports, there are certainly pleanty of safe avenues. These athletes do public and private signings all the time. It's actually really quite easy to get authentic sports autographs from top sports stars with top notch authentication (Steiner, Tri-Star, Mounted Memories, Upper Deck, etc). You can also just go to the shows/signings yourself . . . or even run the events yourself.

If you're talking about vintage or historical sports or celebrity items, then you do have to start learning your signatures - or hiring people that do (preferably both). I don't think there's any way around it.

If you're talking about contemporary non-sports celebrities, that's where things can really get wild. There are some top-rate collectors out there, but many of them seem content to sell on their own on Ebay. And other than the handful of Ebay collectors and well-known names I'm familiar with, I wouldn't really know who the good collectors are vs. the bad. Nor would I know how you'd find them. I guess that's something you'd have to learn as your are entering the hobby as a businessman. Top US Dealers like Autograph World and JG Autographs obviously know how to play this game quite well, hence their solid inventory of authentic autographs and good reputation. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how their business model works, and I don't think it's something you could mimic overnight. Other similar business who likewise have a big inventory haven't necessarily had the same level of success as far as a good track record of authentic inventory.

There are rock solid ways to get the celebrity items yourselves. Obviously there are comic cons, sci-fi/horror conventions and other celebrity autographs shows you can go to and get whatever you want signed right in fron of you. But that would also limit you you stars that likely aren't on the A-list, at least anymore.

Comment by jay lee on May 10, 2013 at 10:47pm: Hi Rich, thanks. You named some great dealers any info on the following:

www.autographwarehouse.com ,millionairememoriblia.com, millionairegallery.com

www.sportsmemoriblia.com, Athlon sports, mounted memrios

www.rockstargallery.com

thanks, Jay

Comment by Rich on May 10, 2013 at 11:14pm: Rock Star Gallery is notorious for selling trash. There are many threads about them on this forum. Stay away.

Autographwarehouse and sportsmemorabilia.com are sometimes talked about on this forum. To me they seem to be big, bloated companies that sell some good items (Mounted Memories, Steiner, etc) and some bad (items that come with their own COA often look bad). I don't know much about Athlon other than I think they're legit off the top of my head. Mounted Memories is excellent for sports memorabilia.

I'm not familiar at all with milionarememoriabilia or millionairegallery, but I don't think I'd buy from either. I spot checked a few things. Millionairememoribilia definitely had some authentic sports items at high prices, but I didn't see anything that looked good from Millionairegallery.

For sports, some top, rock-sold sellers off the top of my head are: Radtke, Schwartz, Denver Autographs. I buy a lot of my sports items off of local sellers Waukesha Sports Cards and Legends of the Field, since I'm a Packers and Brewers fan.

Comment by jay lee on May 11, 2013 at 1:35am: Rich, I value your help!!! I have many questions can I get your regular e-mail to makes it easy to communicate?? you can reach me at jaylee98765@gmail.com

Thanks, Jay

Comment by Jeffery Kite on May 11, 2013 at 5:40am: Hey Jay, just to throw out the name of a guy I have done business with and attended shows of, Bob Presley of BP Sports in Marietta, GA. Deals mostly in Braves stuff, though, but still has and can probably get some other things, too. Check out his website: http://www.bpsports.com

Comment by Rich on May 11, 2013 at 7:47am: Jay, I sent you a message. Any time you have questions about a seller, you can also just post an inquiry on the forum or do a search. Many different sellers, good and bad, have been discussed before on this forum.

Comment by Josh Board on May 14, 2013 at 4:49pm: It's not a good business to go into. Think for a second, and you'll realize all the reasons why. For example, you might not mean to sell a fake, and then you do. You'd lose all credibility. You...let's say...get a big name athlete to do a signing. You pay him $15,000 to sign for two hours for you. Then you find out -- people aren't shelling out that much for a signed photo of a baseball player from the 70s, who was great, two time all-star, but not a Hall of Famer. Basically, you should collect because you love it. It's really as simple as that. If you someday need to put your kid thru college, and selling that signed Rolling Stone guitar does that -- great. Sell the guitar. But other than that, it's just a silly business to try and get into.

Here's another example. I've seen these "dealers" spend 3 hours waiting at the venue. Then the star says "not signing today" or "You're a dealer," and nobody gets signatures. You'd make more money working those 3 hours (and the time it took those people to park, etc).

Or, take our favorite authenticator on this site, from Signed, Sealed, Delivered. He's the best in the business at authenticating, sells all real signatures. Well, he has a signature of Mick Jagger on a guitar that looks like a 5 year old. It's real, but who believes that? Or better yet, who wants that? A Stones collector will feel weird slapping it on his wall. Imagine that was you, running a business, and you have product like that you can't sell. Hell, I had Todd Rundgren once sign a photo I had of him and Ringo Starr, but he started writing "Starr" on it, before saying "Oh crap, what am I doing??!!" I just laughed, and don't mind. But do you think somebody would be able to sell that? They would think I tried to forge a fake Starr signature to go next to Rundgren.

Comment by jay lee on May 15, 2013 at 9:06pm: To Josh Board

Thanks for your feedback I appreciate. Your points are well taken and make sense. 99% of people in this industry are scumbags. IF I move forward my goal is to find the 1% {Tri-Star, Stenier, Mounted Mermories etc}

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I have heard bad things about them!! tHANKS, Jay

Comment by jay lee on May 15, 2013 at 10:58pm: To Don Hakka,

Don, thanks for your feedback!!

Well, I went to his site and looked at Beatles three autographs of Paul M. Also the Rolling Stones Signed guitar Mick Jagger and Ron Wood autograph, I am no Expert but all those autographs really concern me the way they look!! Have you seen them??? Thanks, Jay