Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BC on March 16, 2023 at 9:29pm

Stay far away from Etsy sellers unless they are already authenticated. This guy has tons of high dollar big names and none of them are authenticated. That's a big red flag.

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Permalink Reply by startrekmaniac on March 16, 2023 at 9:54pm

What makes you say there not authentic? 

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Permalink Reply by Knob Dylan on March 17, 2023 at 1:13am

BC answered your question above as to why he thinks they are not authentic.

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Permalink Reply by startrekmaniac on March 17, 2023 at 4:38am

As I said I’m not sure what he means by they are already authicated. How can you tell? 

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Permalink Reply by crazyrabbits23 on March 17, 2023 at 7:26am

+1 - I've only bought one signed item from Etsy, and that was a low-tier book signed on a bookplate that couldn't be faked, given the scarcity. I treat most, if not all, signed items over there as anathema.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on March 17, 2023 at 7:31am

etsy and the various off brand auction sites are the last chance saloon for sellers booted from eBay. As bad as eBay is, these other sites show it can be even worse. 

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Permalink Reply by Stepeanut on March 17, 2023 at 7:40am

I would agree, in theory.

I, too, have only ever bought one signed item from Etsy, but it turned out to be of the rarest pieces of Bob Dylan memorabilia ever.  It’s the only known example of a ticket for the Saturday morning Ballads workshop at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival.  The ticket is signed on the rear by Joan Baez, who duetted with Dylan at the same workshop, but that’s not where the true value lies in the item.

A week later, I bought from another Etsy seller an extremely rare official programme for the 1963 Monterey Folk Festival — another early Dylan performance.

So, whilst Etsy is mostly useless for serious collectors, you can turn up the odd gem, if you know your subject well.

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Permalink Reply by crazyrabbits23 on March 18, 2023 at 1:44am

For items outside signed works, absolutely - I nabbed a deal in December to get a first-edition book (with the intent to get it signed in a couple months) after the price dropped to a very reasonable $100 (for a book that routinely sells for $300-400, and is only getting pricier/scarcer). In that respect, I agree completely that Etsy is a fantastic resource for hidden gems.

I just won't look at anything signed on there -- not only is the markup on the pieces I've seen absurd, but within the spheres I keep an eye on, most of them are awful fakes. I tend to stick to Kijiji/EBay/Abebooks/FB Marketplace if I wanted a more assured standard for legit items.

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Permalink Reply by Stepeanut on March 18, 2023 at 2:25am

I get what you’re saying, but I won’t dismiss any online platform out of hand.  It’s a matter of percentages, and Etsy scores very low on that front, but I still trust my own instincts, knowledge, and research skills first and foremost.

If I had dismissed Etsy completely, I would never have bought the signed Joan Baez ticket (that was how it was listed — no mention of Dylan at all) and missed out on one of my greatest finds ever.

Don’t get me wrong, I rarely plow through all the fake-repro crap on Etsy because I have much better sources that turn up good stuff on a more regular basis.  But I still wouldn’t dismiss the place completely.  Again, it’s just a matter of percentages.

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Permalink Reply by Eddy on March 18, 2023 at 7:59am

My limited experience with Etsy and their vintage autograph listings is that the good ones are usually coming from either general antiques dealers who have happened upon something (like an old autograph book) and are now listing it / or from someone who has inherited an autograph and is now selling it off.  

Does anyone know of an actual reputable vintage autograph dealer on Etsy?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on March 17, 2023 at 5:48am

When you see high dollar autographs like Lennon, Bruce Lee, Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe without reputable THIRD PARY authentication run away. NO ONE would offer authentic signatures like this without a credible third part COA because they would be leaving a ton of money on the table. A coa issued by an etsy seller is worthless and carries no authority.

Also, why would someone ever offer prime material like this at a discount on etsy when they could send to many auction houses in the world and make much more money?

The answer is simple: because they are fakes.

I suggest you watch my video about buying autographs. 

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Permalink Reply by startrekmaniac on March 17, 2023 at 7:06am

Thanks! 

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