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Originally Posted by 1880nonsports
IMHO that makes little sense. I suppose that all the autograph guides and exemplars on legal doccuments that are part of the public record or available utilizing the internet should be kept under lock and key? It's not as if they can't be acessed. Perhaps people should stop talking amongst themselves in case someone they thought was a friend is in reality a forger on the prowl for more information. If the forger's "tell" is a secret to a select few - they continue to make them until they can't sell them - make different ones -study more techniques or practice more with or without net54. People in general support the community by sharing their knowledge and stories. The ghosts around the corner are winning again as we become spooked by our own shadows.
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Have you ever authenticated an autograph, that is, put your seal of approval on it in a public selling forum? Do you know the name of one active forger? If the answer is no, then you are living in a theoretical world, not the reality that is.
Yes, everyone has access to public documents and authentic exemplars. But the subtle traits authenticators use, are not obvious... even to a forger who may do a good job at replicating the formation. Should experienced collectors and dealers and authenticators just lay it all out... information that may have taken decades to learn?
Of course people share. I share with other trusted friends and I was blessed to have mentors that shared with me. These things are learned through time and effort. I never expected a stranger on a message board to lay it all out and connect every dot for me. As it is, there is a LOT of general tips and observations shared here... enough to get anyone off on a good start to putting it all together. But some people always want more.
I can tell you for a fact that good forgers listen to feedback and refine their work. I've seen it in specific cases where information has appeared publicly, and poof... A short time later the product has been improved. It still has their fingerprints on it, but it has been changed.
Maybe the low level hacks don't troll for feedback, but the good ones are always looking to improve. It is an ongong game of cat and mouse.
Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken or simply has never encountered a truly skilled forger.