[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>There are two very important points being missed in this discussion:<br /><br />1.) FOR THE FIRST TIME, RESPECTED AUTHENTICATORS ARE COMING UNDER LEGAL ATTACK BY THOSE WHO USE FORENSIC EXAMINERS<br /><br />Frank Caiazzo, is an expert in Beatles autographs with about thirty years of experience to his credit. Beatles - that's all he does - Beatles. No Doors, no Hendrix, no Stones, just Beatles. He's consulted with Christie's, Bonham's, and God knows how many other auction houses and collectors worldwide. His certificates add value to autographs - as a matter of fact, it's hard to sell Beatles material to knowledgeable collectors without a Caiazzo certificate. <br /><br />As we know, Caiazzo is being sued by "American Royal Arts Corp, a Foreign corporation" for condemning a signed Beatles album which they attempted to sell with...a Morales certificate. Their website makes no secret of their using Mr. Morales as their prime examiner. I'm not saying that the example in dispute was a forgery - but I certainly find it frightening to note that a legitimate, world-respected authenticator is being sued by a firm that relies on Mr. Morales' efforts. One more thing: the lawsuit, found at <br /><br />www.frankcaiazzolawsuit.com/?gclid=CPqy74yAzpECFQFflwodOWsZ4A<br /><br />asserts that it is "...unfair and deceptive for Caiazzo to represent...that he can make such conclusive findings or even conclude that an item is or is not authentic by simply looking at a scan image..." Well, that statement is fifty percent bullsh_t. I've sold 40,000 some odd lots of autographs over the years, and I've seen tens of thousands of scans of material offered for sale. The fact is: no, you cannot say something is AUTHENTIC from a scan, because no matter how "good" the signature looks, you still have to look for printed signatures, paper type, stops and starts, ink type, etc, etc. That's why "quick opinions" that something is AUTHENTIC aren't entirely reliable. <br /><br />HOWEVER! You absolutely, positively, without a doubt can detect a poorly executed fake from scan. Maybe that's what Caiazzo did?<br /><br />For the record, I have never paid Caiazzo a single penny, nor has he ever paid me a penny. <br /><br />2.) THE WHACK-A-MOLE THEOREM<br /><br />Ever play "Whack-a-Mole" - the carnival game where a mole pops up, you hit him on the head with a hammer, and as soon as you do, another one pops up? Well, the forensic examiner business is a lot like that. Seems that after "Operation Bullpen", Mr. Frangipani disappeared into the background and Mr. Morales came to the fore. If Mr. Morales decides to retire, there's likely a dozen board-certified forensic examiners waiting to take his place. If indeed Mr. Morales is signing off on a lot of forgeries (!), the only way to end that flood of forgeries is to find the forgers. And that, with just a little effort, is easy: Federal, state and local investigations, civil actions, class action lawsuits, the list goes on and on. The target should be the FORGERS, not the "authenticators"!!<br /><br />This should get very interesting...very quickly.