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Authenticity is Everything
My Take On Authenticators
There are so many authenticators now it’s hard to keep up with who is better than who. It seems to me that PSA/DNA is no longer the same company without Steve Grad. I’m not saying they aren’t experienced just that they don’t have the names we’re used to. JSA still has James Spence (Also formerly of PSA) of course but they have lost others to their own new businesses. Beckett is the new power player in the business with Steve Grad heading them up. SGC (Larry Studebaker Formerly JSA) and CAS ( Mike Root Formerly JSA and SGC) are new players as well. Right or wrong it seems resale is better currently on PSA, Beckett, And JSA but I’m not sure SGC and CAS aren’t better... They are certainly cheaper since they’re fighting for business. It will be interesting to see on the coming years if any of the big three crumble without some of their former known and reliable names and if the new guys can wedge their way into what seems to be a pretty exclusive monopoly. As for myself I always look at what I’m buying first regardless of authentication, However I think most people in this hobby (Including myself) tend to stick with what we’re comfortable with even if they’re not the same company they used to be....
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on
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+1
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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on
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Stephen, I think you are trying to evaluate which TPA service will reap you the best return on your investment. Is that correct? Let's assume the eBay is your selling venue.
I would go with one of the two current top names in the field. PSA or JSA. Of the two I would go with PSA. The reason, eBay gives them more exposure because now they have a direct link to their quick opinion service.
If a buyer uses their quick opinion then, most likely, should they decide to send your autograph off for a certification it will probably be sent to PSA.
I buy and sell autographs all the time. Not to make a lot of money; simply because I enjoy it and it gives me something to do since my retirement.
I do sell 95% of my autographs on eBay. Unless the autographs I buy already have been authenticated by one the the TPAs I do not waste my time or money to have them authenticated.
Although others may have a different result I have found my sales DO NOT reflect any difference in interest or final price simply because they have the "magic sticker".
If you are selling authentic autographs people will come to know it.
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Permalink Reply by Steven Hutchison on
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Yeah that’s correct. That was part of what my post was about but also I was just hypothetically wondering if the main authenticators are even worthy of the top spots now since so many of their main guys have moved on elsewhere. I may be Going to a show next month that has JSA(James Spence), CAS(Mike Root), And SGC(Larry Studebaker) there. I’m kind of torn which way to go because I absolutely think Mike Root knows as much as James Spence and his price of $8 compared to $20 for JSA is appealing too. I haven’t heard good or bad about Larry Studebaker but he is formerly of JSA and I think SGC is close in price to CAS. The things I’m getting done I plan on keeping for now but right now JSA has a better resale value. Down the road who knows what will happen to any of these companies... Folding up, Scandals, Selling out to an unknown..... This is just a debate I wanted to open up about all the movement of the men behind the companies and to get any info on the newer ones. Whenever I buy something I do my homework and get as many comparisons as possible before I pull the trigger. I have yet to have anything fail a TPA and if it did I would be really surprised. I don’t need any In person things certed because I have proof pictures but anything I wasn’t there for that I plan on hanging on my wall I get TPA. It’s just my thing if I keep the item, Plus it helps for insurance reasons.
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These services grew out of concern of the mass forgeries on the market. They are, in my opinion, more as a protection from liability issues for venues and sellers.
I do believe that most TPA companies try their best to do a good job. No one can predict the future. If you are NOT thinking about selling right away, then I would advise waiting to spend your money for these opinions.
Things can change very rapidly.
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Good point, It’s a lot easier to add a sticker than try to take it off because your embarrassed by the TPA on it.
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Permalink Reply by marc e on
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Unfortunately jsa will give u a higher dollar value deemed real for now. That's why Beckett bought grad because of pawn stars or Beckett woudnt be worth s itt.
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Permalink Reply by goodcat on
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Why do you say unfortunately JSA?
You do realize that Roger Epperson works for JSA
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Permalink Reply by Rick Meyer on
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Yeah but JSA authenticated a ton of music stuff that Roger never sees. That's why they are so horrible with music sigs.
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Because he only gave me an option of 3 .one people know off and 2 people never have. It' all about making the most money
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Permalink Reply by Rich on
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I've thought about writing a blog post on this for some time - not based on specific insight or experience so much as basic common sense. For me, these are the biggest issues with TPAs I have that I can't get around.
1) All of these companies will eventually go bad if they haven't already. I realize that probably seems absurdly pessimistic, but I feel it's the truth. Ownership changes. Staffs are reshuffled and reorganized. In efforts to expand and grow, the quality of the service diminishes. And they can get away with it, so why not? These companies look for new ways to rake in cash more aggressively, and I can't think of many services out there where you can get away with cutting corners like you can in the autograph authentication business. And when it happens, you're left with an item certified by a company with a now dubious reputation.
2) You have no idea what effort (if any) was put into their service. If you go into an auto shop and pay for new tires, odds are you'll notice if they didn't bother to put them on. If you spend a few grand on a brand new roof and it's leaking the next night, you can go straight back to the business with a tangible grievance. With an autograph authenticator, do they ever have to respond to bad authentications (authenticating forgeries or failing authentic examples) or shoddy certificates with botched info? If someone pays hundred of dollars for a forgery with a TPA sticker on it years later, is there absolutely any way they can make it right? Do they care? Do they stand by their product? Refunds, lifetime guarantees, anything? It seems to me they really don't have to DO much other than render an opinion. They don't have to do a thing to back up their product after the fact. How many companies, big or small, can get away with that and expect to survive?
3) Their knowledge is not nearly comprehensive enough for the services they offer. Every celebrity ever, every variation of their signature throughout the various stages of their career - really? I've sometimes laughed out loud seeing PSA or JSA stickers on autographs I'm certain they have no clue about. I'm sure there is some fairly comprehensive expertise from years of experience, but is it really as all-knowing as they try to convince everyone they are? No way. Some fans, collectors and pros spend an enormous amount of time looking at real (and fake) autographs to get the knowledge they have on one autograph or a small group of them (i.e. a band). And these TPAs have it all down?
4) Business deals. When I see business partnerships with any company, they really aren't "third party" authenticators anymore. We've all seen even the best of these companies "authenticate" autographs that frankly no one really can on the basis of the source - "rubber stamping" as they call it. Someone these professional collectors and dealers are straight shooters, some not so much. Regardless, it blows the door wide open for them to get away with murder. If a collector is having a bad run and decides to help himself out with some of his own scribbles, is the TPA going to dispute it? Doubtful. Meanwhile, the source of the autograph and circumstances in which it was obtained is essentially erased with the TPA's magic wand.
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100% agree Rich! I need to see the item and make my own educated decision first and if it has a TPA it just kind of confirms it for me. I don’t just see the sticker and buy right away because mistakes happen and so does quesionable ethics by some of these TPA’s sometimes in my opinion. Eventually I believe you’re right and most if not all will go through some bad times just because it only takes one person to ruin a companies reputation. Maybe it does help that a TPA puts dates and locations on their items so one can look back at what period of time the item was authenticated. Of course that could be easily manipulated by someone on the inside too I guess.
Another topic could be the Steiners, Fanatics, Tri Stars of the industry too. I trust all three as much as anyone out there but for example Steiner sells some things with other TPA’s. They sold Ted Williams stuff recently for $99 with Teds Green Diamond Cert. Didn’t Green Diamond get called into question aboit some of the Ted Williams stuff?
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