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Beckett and PSA's credibility are being destroyed

I'm only posting this because they are the largest third party authenticators.

Their credibility in the sports card world is quickly burning in flames. All this started with some collectors breaking open several card trimming rings who were getting thousands of altered cards graded by PSA.

Now it's been discovered that a former employee at Beckett Grading has been receiving a statically impossible number of Perfect grades from Beckett.

It appears, as many of us have always suspected, that if you're a big customer or have an "in".. you get whatever you want.

I've never put much faith in third party autograph authentication. But I am now quite certain that Beckett and PSA are either competently incompetent or downright corrupt (more likely the latter)

It's a sad state of affairs.

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1297069

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Permalink Reply by RDDB on June 19, 2019 at 10:21am

But if I understand correctly ebay requires a certificate from such entities in order to list items. Is this correct?

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Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on June 19, 2019 at 10:32am

ebay allows any piece of paper serving as a COA. They do not monitor like they used to.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on June 19, 2019 at 10:32am

If you mean requires a TPA COA to list autographed items, definitely not.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on June 19, 2019 at 10:35am

Autograph COAs are not required to sell on eBay.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on June 19, 2019 at 12:02pm

Typically the opposite. Ebay seems to blow off most reports of questionable/blatantly inauthentic material, so your case must be something decidedly different.

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Permalink Reply by B. Anderson on June 19, 2019 at 12:03pm

This must have been many years ago. It would be nice if they actually cared about obvious forgeries.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on June 19, 2019 at 12:05pm

Since, PSA is one of their approved TPA providers I am just as shocked your items were pulled. Why even have approved services? Sellers generally use these services for protection against such actions.

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Permalink Reply by B. Anderson on June 19, 2019 at 11:00am

Frankly, I think the focus on quality for baseball cards and the like borders on infantile. I would have no issues with conservation work; it is done in the art world. Obviously I have no interest in collecting such monstrosities as baseball cards, and I wouldn't give 2 cents for a rookie card by any athlete. But if these can be repaired properly, then great. It seems to me that unnatural fixation on quality of cards borders on obsessive compulsive disorder and has little to do with enjoying cards. I can understand not wanting fair or poor quality items, but once you get up to very good and excellent, does it really matter that much? Some people are just hoarders with money and want the best of everything for no reason other than mental illness.

I do agree that some of them likely cannot be trusted as much with autographs, but as I pointed out, this controversy does not concern autographs. I have no problem again with fixing up damaged baseball cards, but I think artificially giving too many perfects if not warranted is certainly cause for concern. If they merit that because of the conservation work being successful, then good. That doesn't seem to be the case though.

I think it really is best to get autographs as much as possible for the parties involved--going to shows, outside concerts, etc. That doesn't mean an obsession with going to every random person who appears in your city, as that just wastes endless time. But if they are someone you legitimately like a lot, make it a point to. Obviously that isn't possible with many celebrities or those who are deceased. Sometimes you have to be smart about what you collect. Is it really worth trying to collect something from long ago that you only have a minor interest in if there is likely high levels of fraud involved? It is okay to say no and not mindlessly hoard for the sake of hoarding and in the process spend money on forgeries that have been authenticated by indifferent companies that are more concerned with making money than in authenticity?

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Permalink Reply by RDDB on June 19, 2019 at 12:08pm

While on the subject, has ebay about died? It seems that no one hardly even views items anymore let alone watching them.

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Permalink Reply by Gratefulphish on June 19, 2019 at 5:45pm

It's alive in the poster and rock art world that I spend time in. Maybe in the autograph world people are beginning to realize how rampant the forgeries are.