We are an eBay affiliate and may be compensated for clicks on links that result in purchases.

What has happened to PSA/DNA Authentication??

This 1967 Red Sox Team signed baseball is being advertised as "the finest example on earth". If I were making a statement like that, I would want it to be associated with an item that contained authentic signatures. That is not the case here, despite the fact that PSA/DNA has deemed this ball "authentic".

You have to look no than the two keys, Yaz and Tony C., to realize this ball has several "clubhouse" signatures.

Here is the laughable Yaz:

Now look at the Tony Conigliaro:

Here is the PSA cert:

For comparison, here are authentic Yaz and Tony C signatures from the same time period:

I realize that all the TPA's make mistakes, but there is no excuse for this ridiculous opinion. In addition to the two keys, there are other clubhouse signatures on the ball that are not identified as such.

This ball is currently being listed on Ebay for almost 10K, and on Steiner Sports for over 15K.

It is entirely possible that someone with cash to spare, and who is a huge Red Sox fan, could splurge and go for this because of the PSA cert, and the Steiner name and reputation.

My message to not just PSA/DNA but all legitimate TPA's. You are doing no one a favor by putting your name on something that you are not certain, based on years of education and studying, is authentic. You all need to get better!

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daniel S. on December 9, 2019 at 4:53pm

Absolutely!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on December 9, 2019 at 5:39pm

they don't care. the downside and cost associated with admitting an err in judgement precludes anything but a response like this. They get paid no matter what. They make their money on high volume sellers. Early on, I believe these companies really tried to do the right thing. I do not feel that way any more.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Daniel S. on December 9, 2019 at 6:02pm

I hear what you are saying but isn’t the NGU issue is a little different, Terrier. They were made aware of someone fraudulently producing their COA’s and they are choosing not to address it. That makes me want to buy a share of CLCT just so I can go to the stockholders meeting!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on December 9, 2019 at 6:18pm

sorry, Daniel, I mis-interpreted your post. Yes it is different. But in the end, they still don't care. Same thing is happening with Steiner. I am sure they have a good reason to ignore this, but I cannot figure out it other then it has to have something to do with their wallet. Perhaps if they acknowledge there is an issue with counterfeit certs, they believe it will affect their new business. I just don't know, nor do I pretend to even understand it.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James on December 7, 2019 at 4:39pm

These mistakes definitely cost them as well. Their credibility and trust is on the line. If this keeps up, they could eventually be viewed like GAI is, and their legitimacy will be gone, as will a lot of future business.

And believe me, I want them to succeed because my most valuable autographs are authenticated by them.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on December 7, 2019 at 5:01pm

James, that is one of the major concerns of this downward trend in reliability with them. People paid premium dollars for items that carried their cert. IF it goes the way GAI did, then those items are devalued. I can honestly say I never bought an item because it had a PSA or JSA cert, but I do have several that do.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rich on December 7, 2019 at 4:14pm

Not to simply add to the pessimism, but isn't part of the problem with all these TPAs that it's only a matter of time before they go bad? Ownership, leadership changes, staff turns over, the business side of things increasingly emphasizes dollars over quality. Or is the mentality that the authentication might only be temporary (i.e. to help sell the item more quickly and/or at a higher price) and may later be deemed irrelevant or necessary to eliminate altogether due to negative connotation?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Daniel S. on December 7, 2019 at 4:23pm

To your point Rich, Collectors Universe is a publicly traded company and sometimes the need to appease shareholders short term interests is often in conflict with long term profit maximization. They may indeed be shooting themselves in the foot by impairing their credibility and any associated goodwill.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dan Morris on December 7, 2019 at 4:20pm

Good article and I agree with others that laziness and lack of expertise have a part to play. It always amazes me how some big sellers get anything and everything certed but smaller sellers and collectors get genuine items rejected so I'm guessing money talks!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James on December 7, 2019 at 4:46pm

Well said, Dan. I think the TPAs feel the pressure to pass items sent by their biggesf clients even when they think an item is probably not genuine.

The same item sent in by you or me would likely be failed. That’s why I’m afraid to send in some of my genuine unauthenticated items because they very well may be failed even though they’re real. I’ve heard so many stories about people sending in items they got in-person that are subsequently failed. That’s beyond frustrating.