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

Is everything from GAI fake?

I was thinking recently about the amount of fakes that are authenticated by GAI, so I went through my items and located 5 pieces authenticated by them. I looked up the corresponding number on their website (what's left of it anyway) and found that two items aren't even listed. The database shows no item exists. Two of the three items I know are legit as they were from a private Willie Mays signing a few years back and included the Say Hey authentication plus the MLB authentication. The other three I believe are bad. Two are Stan Musial 8x10's and one is Bart Starr 8x10.

What I find interesting is that you would assume that people who have legitimate authentic photo's used the GAI service. There should be a quantity that are real! But, it appears that almost everything I come across is FAKE! Did they authenticate anything real, or did they have a network set up where they had people produce known forgeries and then they authenticated them? It seems to be the latter. I wish I could remember who I bought these three from and contact them. You wouldn't think they would spend their time on Musial and Starr. Any opinions on this?

2 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by CEE GEE on March 25, 2012 at 7:04pm

I will say i am not a fan of either company...the fakes are in such high numbers...not all...but a huge percentage...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by DB on March 26, 2012 at 2:15am

Transparency and discussion is what the hobby needs not necessarily phone calls is what is needed more of Cee Gee.

1st I don't see Orlando or Grad show up .. it's usually PR BS that one receives on systemic issues. To his credit at least Sipe has showed up even if it is merely saber rattling at times.

We, nor you, can defend the the fakes are in such high numbers with anything substantial across the various "authentications" 'cause we just don't have the numbers. e.g. It would be an exception for Grad to miss an authentic mantle while it would be an exception for morales to cert an authentic one based on what's been posted. One would have to do precise sampling on specific certificaitons (and we know where at least one has ended).

If 30,000 certs of a Florida warehouse were indeed simply handed out by GAI then it would make sense for GA to expose that event. Just like Sipe addressed the 500 GAI balls being an actual event that GAI reps attended.

The way you stamp out myth & rumor is thru transparency not phone calls and saber rattling. Of course, you could use PSA's approach -

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by CEE GEE on March 26, 2012 at 5:10am

Well as far as the numbers are concerned who really knows for sure....as far as what I have PERSONALLY SEEN....the fakes to authentic ratio is quite staggering...ALL COMPANY'S MAKE MISTAKES and yes NO ONE TPA IS PERFECT...no question...No one gets a free ride is right...If I seen an authentic piece certed by (GA) or (I) yes I would purchase it...I own 1 single piece from GAI and its good...I did not purchase it based on the authenticator...I bought it based on experience...I am not a fan simply because of how much bad items I have seen....once again THERE NOT ALL BAD...but with so many bad pieces you would think once the new company (GA) that was supposed to be cleaning up there reputation would have ALL authentic items...but this is clearly not the case...I collect mostly baseball items...not straying towards other sports which I have no reason commenting on...but what I have seen as far as baseball fakes go...its just disgusting...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by DB on March 26, 2012 at 6:14am

tis why I take issue with statements such as; the fakes are in such high numbers, always & never. There were even misstatements about 1 in 1000 errors and even higher ratios.

then we have the continually posting of onesy's & twosies.. look at this one, look at that one. Over time that can result in setting a perception that whatever that company has is going to be very iffy. Combine this with statements made about 30,000 items and it just get's complicated.

All one has to do here is type in GAI (or perhaps GA in the future) and you can see post after post of a commentator opining that it is in their opinion, a fake. Then we have once again THERE NOT ALL BAD...but with so many bad pieces you would think once the new company (GA) that was supposed to be cleaning up there reputation would have ALL authentic items and that is going to set a perception that doesn't have any FACTUAL EVIDENCE for others as it's base except in the view of the commentor.

which is how the TPAs can simply ignore or bat it away. I can assure you or anyone else the Heston error sampling studies that were done could neither be parried away or ignored. EBAY Mgmt certainly didn't ignore it but like cockroaches they are in plentiful supply.

If Sipe, for example explains this Tn fabricator of forged sticker - how many more are there out there and why has it been kept low keed. If GA Mantles, Jeter etc.. are bad why aren't they just fixed regardless of what the "volume" is? Same question several had for Orlando, Spence and others who have yet to make a statement.

I do concur about the disgusting part as it is what has led the hobby into a mess - the Lack of Transparency & accusations of market manipulation rather than just fix the problem if it's a real problem.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Sipe on March 26, 2012 at 10:01am

Ah yes the snakes come out in droves......nicely done boys. The thing with the Pujols ball was explained very clearly THE DAY that it happened. We did not void it but simply removed it until the actual person with it comes forward. I asked the person to contact me about this to take care of it for him but still nothing yet. The person who perpetrated the copies did so on a small scale and it was taken care of.

Aside from the legacy items from GAI that you take issue with please refer to GA when addressing me as that is the company that I own and had no ownership in GAI. You people actually think that with the way that you attack people on here in general that anyone can have a discussion about anything without you kicking them profusely in the groin??

Specific discussions mano e mano work well and I think it is more of your ego's that need to be fed by the hatred filled responses that you seem to need to write. If you truly are on the side of "good" then you would conduct yourself in a much different manner if you want others to address your issues that you have.

I have come on here with an effort to help but I can see that is not something that will ever be able to happen since it is just the simple fact that your sincere hatred of TPA's is the actual crux of the problem.

Your accusations and false claims has not gone unnoticed. If you are simply not man enough to call me directly then keep hiding behind your big bad computer, the choice is yours.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by terrier8HOF on March 26, 2012 at 10:38am

I don't understand why, with all of the questions surrounding GAI authentication, the "new" company chose a name so closely related to the original. If it were me, I would have wanted to separate myself from the original. and make no mistake there are a lot of forgeries out there with either legit or faked GAI certs (I dont understand why someone would fake a GAI cert, to be honest. why not PSA or JSA, who have a better reputation?)

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on March 26, 2012 at 11:12am

I don't understand why, with all of the questions surrounding GAI authentication, the "new" company chose a name so closely related to the original.

A truly puzzling business decision. I'd be like a new company buying all the ENRON assets and then to save a few bucks on signage and business card design just chop off the N and call the new company ENRO.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jason D on March 26, 2012 at 11:06am

I respect Steve for the fact that he actually has the balls to come on here and answer or try to answer the issues at hand being the answers everyone wants to hear or not. You will NOT see PSA or JSA respond to anything because they don't want to admit they have made mistakes or whatever the reason may be. I personally don't have much trust in any of these companies because they have ALL made too many mistakes and that is fact. No one is perfect and there is NO WAY that 1 guy or a group of a few guys that can possibly know what every autograph looks like it's just not realistic. Also when it comes to these so called "exeplars" where exactly do these companies get them from?? For 1 JSA and PSA have both said they do not let their authenticators go out and chase autographs because it causes a conflict of interest. So with that being the case who's word do they trust when it comes to the "exeplar" files?? I don't know if GAI/GA allows the authenticators to get in person signatures but I have heard that the "exeplar" files they use is based on what PSA or JSA has authenticated from item(s) on eBay which we don't know is 100% authentic either. I'm not hear to bash anyone or piss anyone off I'm just offering my opinion just like the TPA's do and it is merly and "opinion".

Steve I don't want to tell you how to run your business but if you have had issues with your stickers being copied then maybe you should change the design up a little also if you are trying to break ties with what "GAI" has certed in the past and clean things up with "GA" then maybe change your cert cards design as well because everytime someone sees that card they make the connection with "GAI" and think automatic that the item is no good. Also moving forward there will be no question with what "GAI" has certed and what you have certed so when a question arises about a questionable item arises there will be no denying the fact that you and/or your new company authenticated it.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by CEE GEE on March 26, 2012 at 11:20am

AGREED !!!!....NO ONE COMPANY IS PERFECT...THIS IS NOT A BASH FEST...OR HATRED RANTS...I WILL POST PURE FAKES...THAT ARE NO DOUBT FAKES...IF SIPE WANTS TO ADDRESS EBAY THATS ON HIM...I WILL NEVER GET BURNED ON ANY OF THE JUNK I POST SIMPLY BECAUSE I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE...IF IN PERSON AUTOS FROM MY COLLECTION NEED TO BE COMPARED TO SIDE BY SIDE I WILL ALSO DO SO...I DONT FIND THINGS I THINK ARE FAKE...I FIND THINGS I KNOW ARE FAKE...NOT GUESSING FROM A PICTURE IN A AUCTION SITE...BY KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE FROM COLLECTING FOR OVER 25 YEARS...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jason D on March 26, 2012 at 11:39am

You are 100% correct. My point is if Steve is claiming 1 he never certed those items and/or 2 they are fake stickers then he should change his stickers and certs and move forward from that. I personally don't think anyone would put that much time and effort into making bogus GAI/GA stickers and cards when it would be just as easy to make JSA and/or PSA stickers and cards and sell the items for more money.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by CEE GEE on March 26, 2012 at 11:45am

You could not have hit the nail harder on the head with this last statement Spunk !!!!!!!!....I am with you on this all the way

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on March 26, 2012 at 11:26am

For 1 JSA and PSA have both said they do not let their authenticators go out and chase autographs because it causes a conflict of interest.

If PSA and JSA have said that, they must have changed their policies since. Several PSA authenticators are active chasers as far as I know. And I think JSA had at least one until recently.