I agree nobody is 100% but I don't trust anyone as much as I trust Mike Root (CAS). Mike was a head authenticator for Jimmy Spence. He left there and shortly thereafter SGC asked him if he would start their autograph division. He did but when SGC moved to Florida he didn't want to uproot his family so he hung out his own shingle.
In addition to having a strong reputation in autograph circles I have a story to share:
Last summer a large collection was consigned to us. Tons of cards, and THOUSANDS of raw autographs. The consignor had undergone a kidney transplant as a relatively young man and was bedridden fighting rejection for about two years. In that time he wrote to everyone. As his health improved he started going to signings and getting things done in person.
I brought the collection to Mike for advice and authentication having already used him on occasion. Without telling him the back story I was astounded when I got the items back. The only items that failed were through the mail items. He literally didn't fail a single in-person autograph. Does this mean he was 100% right on the TTM stuff he did pass? Not necessarily, but I found it impressive nonetheless.
Basically I like to surround myself with honest people. I am very glad to have found someone in the autograph world that I feel I can trust. Also he doesn't hoard his knowledge. He has shared lots of information with me about different autographs, and things to look for and has never balked at answering a question.
Again, nobody is 100%, but I feel that Mike is 100% honest.
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