Posted By:
davidcyclebackI've written authenticy guides to baseball cards, photographs and fine art prints. In each of them I say that the collector should gather a list a good sellers and that it's best to purchase an expensive item from someone you trust, either because you've personally dealt with the seller before or because he otherwise has a good reputation.
From my point of view, when someone bids $10,000 on a fake T206 Wagner on eBay, the issue isn't just about the authenticity but why someone would send a $10,000 check to a total stranger. At the least, the buyer is ignorant about the seller's grading standards.
For beginning collectors of anything, it's important they gather a list of good sellers and buying expensive items from them. This list is gathered by asking fellow collectors who they like and by buying inexpensive items from strangers and seeing how the sale works out. If the new seller is honest, reliable in shipping and you get what bid, you can put him or her on the list. I have my own list of knowledgeable and reliable sellers and, as a buyer, I start by seeing what they have for sale.
In my guide to prints, there is a long checklist for the collector to go through when judging the authenticity of a $7,000 Marc Chagall or Renoir. Do you know what the last thing is in the list? 'What is your seller's return policy and reliability? Judging authenticity isn't so life and death when you know you can return the print for refund if it turns out to be fake.'