Quote:
Originally Posted by homerunhitter
I think think this is a bigger problem in our hobby than most care to admit.a lot of people in our hobby turn the other cheek on this subject because there is an financial incentive for them, meaning they sell autographs on eBay or sell autographs for a living or a side business.
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What do you want those people to do? Stop their business pr collecting because you aren't comfortable? Of course fraud is a problem in the hobby. Any hobby that has monetary interest has fraud. If you don't want the risk, you don't participate in the hobby. Many people are fine with the risk and enjoy this hobby anyways.
It is not turning the other cheek. It is learning as much as you can and being willing to assume the risk involved. Anyone that blindly trusts any entity such as the ones you mention, Topps, TPA's, etc., are simply setting themselves up to be burned. One should never have blind trust in a human or in entities run by humans generally. Heck, 50% of all marriages (not sure of the number, I made up a generalization just like you did when deciding that all autographs would be instantly worthless if a TPA is scandal rocked) end in divorce, but that doesn't stop people from taking the marriage risk, and that has far more at stake than autographs.
I've been at this a long time, I study sigs a lot, and I still get burned from time to time. Does it stop the joy I receive from collecting? No. Do I crawl away and swear to never collect again? No. I try to learn from my mistakes in hopes of making better choices the next time.
I also remove the item from circulation by destruction usually so no one else gets burned by that same item. Aghast, even if it has a TPA that would make it so easy to pawn off on someone else.
That's not turning a blind eye to the problems, that's not protecting a monetary stake, that's being a good hobby steward and trying to do the right thing for a hobby that I enjoy.
Here's a PSA/DNA one that had to go
https://youtu.be/u-XqbbfLG6c
Here's a fake Muhammad Ali that met it's demise
https://youtu.be/pjjVPY7WwyY
And here's the blowing up of a Charles Manson signed check that many feel is real but I did not so it had to go (I realize you cant see the check itself in the video but I have several pics saved showing where I taped it to the Tannerite)
https://youtu.be/BsM7xZq_EBU
An autograph is either real, or it's not, matters not what company it came from or what TPA certed it. Don't pass your problem pieces on to others and don't be so tied to the almighty dollar that you do questionable things or buy "bargain" autographs.
If that's turning the other cheek to the fraud in the hobby in order to make money or protect a stake, I just shake my head in amazement.