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Permalink Reply by David on April 15, 2017 at 6:57am

I paid $286 at auction back in early 2016 for it.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 15, 2017 at 7:33am

David,

That does not look like 2Pac in my opinion, sorry to say. A Wakefield Auctioneers & Appraisers COA is a warning sign to me.

I'm not alone. Here's a link to a Google search on them:

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&...

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Permalink Reply by David on April 15, 2017 at 7:45am

Here's a link to some information on Alex De Luca from a site that was online (www.sigsfromthestars.com) selling the autographs associated with these COAs earlier last year (the site is no longer online, so I had to use archive.org).

https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20160721052945/http://www.sigsfrom... (once the site loads, click on the 'OUR EXPERTS' yellow tab.)

Here's what the archive.org says:

"Alex has been in the autograph and auctioneering business since the early 1980's. He has authenticated for many major auction houses before starting his own private auctioneering and memorabilia authentication company, "Wakefield Auctioneers and Appraisals".

 

His love of autographs started with going to his first Comic Convention in 1982. He has made numerous business contacts since then; meeting new people every year and creating new business opportunities. He works very closely with our suppliers in authenticating the autographs obtained at the comic cons. In addition to the comic cons, he also authenticates and auctions items obtained through other private signings. "Authenticity and Quality are the key to success in this business, there is so much bad material out there and so few of us helping to battle it" Alex decided to take a step down from the auctioneering side of his business to focus on authenticating the items he loves.

 

Although he has kept his company name for the sake of business. He has become so well known at authenticating items from comic cons and other private signings. If you see a VIP list for a comic con, you will be sure to see his name there. Alex is the only source to trust for any autographs supposedly obtained at a comic con. "The autographs signed at a comic con are much more different than those obtained on the street or on the move". "Celebrities take their time and usually add extras with their autograph". "Forgers try to fake subtle difference to increase market value, but I can spot these forgeries from a mile away".

Alex is a key factor in the success of our suppliers."

There appears to be someone named Alex De Luca who registered for San Diego comic-con in 2014:

https://comiccon2014.sched.com/adeluca

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Permalink Reply by David on April 15, 2017 at 7:53am

Here's some correspondence I had with the original seller of the item on eBay:

New message from: inkredibleauthentics (49)

Like I said previously, I'm an entertainment guy (movie and television) and that is 99% of what I sell. I sell only that because it's what I am knowledgable in. I can personally say that anything entertaint related that came with a letter from Alex was all 100% genuine with the exception of 1 star Wars poster from 1977 that featured forgeries from a South florida forger (one of the best Star Wars forgers on the planet). They tricked Alex but he was quickly notified about it and those items were removed and any buyers were refunded from what I hear. I am not 100% accurate with 2pac. I have looked and compared and they all look good to me. Again, I am still studying, but if this comes with a letter from Alex, I personally have complete faith and trust in his ability with these items. Again, pay the fee with global authentics. Why take a chance not doing it? Wouldn't it be worth the peace of mind knowing your purchase is good? Maybe give Drew Max a look as well. Or both? His site is http://www.authenticautographsunlimited.com/ or global at http://www.globalauthentics.com

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Permalink Reply by Rich on April 15, 2017 at 8:06am

AAU and GA are two of the biggest cancers in this hobby, companies whose apparent objective is to empower forgers. I guess it's fitting he'd mention them.

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Permalink Reply by David on April 18, 2017 at 6:36am

Interestingly enough, I found another extremely similar signed photo on liveauctioneers.com which appears to be sold by http://www.christianaauctiongallery.com/.

https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/44595845_tupac-shakur-signed-p...

Does this one look anymore authentic to you guys?

Attachments: No photo uploads here

• 44595845_1_x.jpg, 72 KB

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Permalink Reply by Rich on April 18, 2017 at 7:12am

Another one that was probably signed by the same guy (not Tupac).

All of these look brand new. That should be a massive red flag.

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