Posted By:
Mark LutzI'm not sure that I expect Mastronet (or any other auction) to declare in their description that they tried to get something authenticated by PSA or Mears but couldn't. If they get conflicting opinions, I expect them to decide which opinion is most plausible and, if they do run the item in the auction, to accept a return on the item if the buyer finds further evidence against the authenticity of the item. Not knowing exactly what went on inside Mastronet but focusing on what they say happened, it seems to me that Mastronet acted in an acceptable manner--even though I wish as a buyer that auction houses were so candid that they did mention problems with authentication. More practically, I expect buyers to be very cautious in any auction for high priced items. I sometimes bid on baseball bats. If a description doesn't refer to a loa from PSA/DNA or from Mears, I wonder why not. And I usually ask to see a copy of the letters of authenticity that the ads do mention: they can point to questions that are omitted from descriptions.