Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>John - bill@alexautographs.com<br /><br />--<br /><br />I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Thanks again, John!<br /><br />Will be calling Shelly and Richard momentarily. Will follow up. <br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>If there is a lawyer on this site that I can ask a few questions with out being charged, please email me. Civil or Criminal would be fine. It does have to do with this thread.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Thanks for all the emails. I got my answer.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Paul</b><p>Is it really true that the Hall of Fame has "many examples" of Josh Gibson's signature? I'm no expert in this field, but I would find that very surprising.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>john</b><p>Paul,<br /><br />The Hall has so much that it is really a sad situation. I can't speak for Josh Gibson but they have so many items that will never be shown to the public. I begged George Kell, HOF member, to not donate his Silver Slugger award and other items. The Hall put the hard sale on him and he donated everything. To this day, 17 years later, his items have not been displayed. My experience with their archives have been with photos primarily. Their 18000's photo archive is indescribable. So much on rarities like Carl Horners, Van Oeyen, Conlon, and on and on. Everyone over the years including teams, league offices, players and fans have donated to them. They need 10 times the space they have now. Two years ago I made a request for anything on Lon Warneke to give to his wife. His 98 year old widow is still alive and kicking. I paid for the scans and duplicates of their photos on Warneke. I expected to see a dozen or so. I made them stop at 200 and they had more. This was on Lon Warneke, not even a Hall of Fame member.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>soliri</b><p>Simon, once again you simply mislead the readers and misrepresents facts.<br /><br />Mr Koschal and myself were hired by Bill Daniels and deposed in a court case last year, Bill Daniels vs Mastronet. The judge did not feel that Mr Koschal and I were scientifically trained, we are not, and based solely on Indiana law, he did not allow our testimony. The law in New York State is different. Simon,<br /><br />The following is part of a post from a Feb 15 post,<br /><br />3 - Mr Koschal and myself were hired by Bill Daniels and deposed in a court case last year, Bill Daniels vs Mastronet. The judge did not feel that Mr Koschal and I were scientifically trained, we are not, and based solely on Indiana law, he did not allow our testimony. The law in New York State is different. Simon,<br /><br />The following is the wording for the court decision.<br /><br />The decision rendered by Judge Matthew C. Kincad reads as follows in regards to Simon and Koschal " Neither Simon nor Koschal is qualified to render any expert testimony.<br /><br />Evidence rule 702 with all courts abide by also requires that the purported expert be "qualified... by knowledge, skill, experience, training or education." Ind. Evid R. 702(a). Continues with, where an expert's testimony, as here, is based upon the expert’s skill or experience rather than on the application of scientific principles, the proponent of testimony must demonstrate " that the witness poses[es] sufficient skill, knowledge, or experience in the field to assist the trier of fact." McCutchan v. Blanck, 846 N.E.2d 256, 261 (Ind. Ct. App.2006. Neither Simon Nor Koschal Posses Sufficient skill, knowledge or experience in the fields in which they were asked to render opinions.<br /><br />Care to explain how New York law is different?<br /><br />I think most if not all will agree that no matter how you slice this pie the conclusion is obvious and is stated very well by Judge Kincad, Neither Simon Nor Koschal Posses Sufficient skill, knowledge or experience in the fields in which they were ask to render opinions.<br /><br />We look forward to your response.<br /><br /><br />SIGEXPORT<br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>And yet Mr. Simon passed HBO's test with flying colors and your boy The Donald failed to get a single one right.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>soliri</b><p>Bretta,<br />First of all who said the items were bad. Jaffe, there's a creditable soucre. The HBO program was done for one persons benefit, Jaffe's.<br />As far as the post you responded to, that was done to clarify the information that Simon posted with regards to the Daniels case.<br />Nothing more. Has nothing to do with HBO, everything to do with correcting mis information.<br />soliri<br /> <br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Mr. Soliri, the items were taken straight from the FBI's warehouse of goods seized from the forgery ring. <br /><br />I have a question for you, why won't any of the major sports auction houses use Frangipani or Morales to authenticate their autographs?

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>soliri</b><p> Dan Bretta,<br /><br /> Are you implying that every item in the FBI's warehouse is a forgery? That’s a pretty bold statement to make considering nobody will ever no the truth.<br /> Marino's were good but not that good. Even Jaffe stated that Marino could not do Williams very well. So does that mean every Williams piece in the warehouse is a forgery. I wonder what other signature he did not do well. Maybe thats why they purchased good items from dealers around the country.<br />Put the good with the bad and take credit for doing them all. That would be my guess.<br />As to the auction houses, what is the big deal? The auction house authentication is no more than a cursory review. The companies that do this work hide behind disclaimers. Are you saying that in order to be an expert you have to be accepted by the auction houses?<br />soliri<br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>*Marino's were good but not that good*<br /><br />Good enough to get past Frangipani every single time.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Mr. Solis,<br /><br />I think Mr. Bretta is trying to say that the auction houses have a lot to lose by accepting poorly-executed "authentications". Some auction houses (including mine) guarantee the material that they offer; we guarantee ours for life. If and when they consult experts, they have to be careful who they choose - pick a lousy "expert", and somewhere down the road, the piece will be returned, the auction house has to refund the sale price, and the consignor is probably long gone, sitting on the beach Ipanema. I would bet that you guarantee the material you sell - don't you make every effort to be certain that your source is legitimate and that the signature is authentic?<br /><br />I don't know about you, but I wouldn't buy anything from an auction house that undertakes only "cursory" examinations of the material it offers. Anyway, auction houses like that don't last. Why? Because they end up selling crappy fakes, copping out through the use of disclaimers ("Our material has been certified by XYZ Forensics and is therefore not subject to return..."), customers wise up and as the word spreads, bidders bail out. <br /><br />BTW You can address me as P-A-N-A-G-O-P-U-L-O-S, but "Bill" will take a lot less typing!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Further to the list I posted yesterday of non-baseball signatures, I did a little more research today and made a few more phone calls. <br /><br />Here are some more of the MANY non-sports personalities that Christopher Morales has recently certified as authentic through "in person forensic examination":<br /> <br />The Doors, Janis Joplin, Traveling Wilburys, Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett), Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, AC/DC (with Bon Scott), U2, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and Papas, Leslie Howard, Amelia Earhart, Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Emmett Dalton, Herman Melville, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Dillinger, Howard Hughes, Judy Garland, Alfred Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, James Dean, The Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy, The 3 Stooges, Lon Chaney, Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, etc., ad nauseum.<br /><br />Many of the rock ‘signed’ items Mr. Morales has ‘authenticated’ are album covers signed on the front, the most desirable items by far. According to the recognized experts in the rock autograph world, many of whom have been in the field for over twenty years, some of these signed albums are INCREDIBLY RARE! Indeed, some of these experts have NEVER SEEN some of these signed albums before in their entire careers. I have obtained a consensus from five experts and am able to set forth below the absolute rarest signed rock LP's in existence, based on the total number of authentic examples that have appeared at auction and which have changed hands privately over the last thirty years: <br /><br />The Doors (with Jim Morrison) – less than five<br />The Who (with Keith Moon) – no more than five<br />Led Zeppelin (with John Bonham) – no more than five<br />The Allman Brothers (with Duane Allman) – less than five<br />Lynyrd Skynyrd (with deceased members) – less than five, more likely about three<br />Jimi Hendrix – no more than five (believe it or not!)<br />Janis Joplin – less than five<br />The Beatles U.S. issue LP covers – no more than ten<br />Traveling Wilburys (with Roy Orbison) – two<br />Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett) – no known examples<br />AC/DC (with Bon Scott) - no more than three <br /><br />Mr. Morales, how many signed album covers with these artists have you certified as "authentic"? The people who have been in the business for a quarter century have seen scores of examples of the above albums enter the market accompanied by your certifications. Some of these albums are being sold on the web, and in high-rent galleries with glossy catalogs, in multiple quantities, for an awful lot of money. Yet, like the baseball material you have certified for C.C, your rock and Hollywood material also usually sells for a fraction of what most authentic examples fetch. We wonder where your clients are finding these incredibly rare and important collectibles that have never been on the market before, in such quantities...<br /><br />Do you have six exemplars of Syd Barrett's signature? I personally have none, zilch, zero - and I would never even think about selling a Pink Floyd signed album without having real experts with a pile of exemplars check it out. Do you have exemplars of Bon Scott from AC/DC? I don't have a single one - wouldn't even know where to find one. How did you find enough examples to competently work from? Again, I wouldn't ever offer a signed album without rock solid provenance and a flock of experts giving me the green light.<br />. <br />Mr. Morales - in light of everything that's been said above, and in light of your silence on the dozens of allegations that have been made here, I would consider whether I should return to G.W.U....and get a degree in optometry. <br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Bill, you forgot Charlie Chaplin, Rudy Valentino, ,Sinatra,Monroe and just for fun,the Dead with Jerry and Mydland.<br />I do have to admit that we are only picking on Morales. I am sure by tomorrow someone will have a list of the STAT boys many impossible authentications.<br />It was edited because he mentioned the Marx Brothers.<br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Looks like Mr Morales might have some baseball exemplars but I would love to see how he got the Rock and Roll exemplars.<br />Bill seems to have done some interesting research about the Rock and Roll autograph business and it will be interesting to see Mr Morales' response to Bill's statistics.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Further my posts above, here are a few dealers and galleries that use or have used Mr. Christopher Morales' services as an authenticator for the material they sell (I couldn't find a single site advertising their use of STAT as authenticators):<br /><br />Coach's Corner Auctions, Souderville, Pa.<br /><br />Rock Star Gallery, Scottsdale, Az., ELEVEN signed Beatles albums, one AC/DC with Bon Scott, and Jimi Hendrix. In their description of one of the Hendrix signed albums, they note: "There were only six Hendrix albums that were autographed". Rock Star Gallery offers four of them! Many other signed albums, photos, etc. and memorabilia.<br /><br />American Royal Arts - Southern Florida - five walk-in galleries, said to be expanding. Believed to be in litigation with Beatles expert Frank Caiazzo over Caiazzo's condemnation of a Morales-approved Beatles-signed album. Offer multiple Beatles signed albums, Presley, Marley, etc. <br /><br />Signature Dreams.com , Dallastown, Pa. - (Michael Leppo) Sports autographs<br /><br />Starmarks.net, Naples, Fl. - Rock autographs including a Beatles signed guitar $99,900 and signed "Help!" album $19,900, among others.<br /><br />Touched by the Stars - Five galleries in Florida (but no contact information available on their website). They use STAT and Morales, also Spence and PSA, all apparently for a small amount of lower-end material. Picked out two presidential autopens or printed sigs. (STAT-authenticated), but nothing awful here.<br /><br />Can anyone add names to the list? I'd like to assemble an exhaustive list.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Genuine autograph of JOE DiMAGGIO* on an 8x10 old time photocopy This item has been pre-scanned by Mr. Chris Morales... Mr. Morales is a former Secret Service Agent with 20 years of real world experience in this field, with a double Masters from George Washington University .including one in Forensic Science......There is no one in the industry with this high of credentials and experience or background....... He was featured in Sports Collectors Digest...."Authenticating the Authenticator's" and has appeared on numerous TV documentaries including HBO....He is a "Court and Board Certified Forensic Authenticator"... and is recognized as such in any court... Mr. Morales can offer his services to complete a hands on examination of this item in his lab for $35.00 per signature plus shipping....We can help arrange this...If for some reason the item would not pass we would reimburse the entire transaction...Shipping charge for your purchase is $3.50 for any amount of cards....$8.50 for Hats and Balls......and 12.50 and up for Bats depending on weight... Item must be paid in 7 days after auction closes... Cashiers Check, Money Order or Personal Check...Paypal or any Major Credit Card is acceptable. Insurance is optional and available for purchases up to $50.00....Purchases over $50.00 will be insured by the seller to protect both parties. As is.. the item comes with a cert and hologram from our webstore at www.SignatureDreams.com ....this cert guarantees authenticity and applies a money back guarantee to the buyer for 30 days after the sale.....We will also include any documentation that was aquired with the item if possible...We will only accept third party opinions from a "Certified Authenticator"<br /><br />Just found this from the same company.<br /><br />Mr. Morales can and will testify as an expert in any court of law as to the authenticity of this item if the item is ever claimed to be questionable by any of the other so called "non certified opinionators"...(PSA/DNA..GAI...JSA...etc). Item will be accompanied by a registered and notarized legal document from Mr. Morales

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Mr Solis - still hiding behind your phony name on here I see. At least I have the guts to let everyone know who I am. <br />Do you even dare to admit who you really are? Who your forensic partners are in that laughable company of yours, (anybody ever seen a COA from them?, anybody ever seen a rejection letter from Frangipani or Morales?). Why are you embarrassed to post the fact that the Donald is your partner (that is so funny that you removed that web page from your site showing Donald, Mr Morales, etc). That page just vanished into thin air. Does the incompetent Donald know that you are embarrassed by him to the extent that you won't even tell the public that he is part of your company? <br />I was wondering what AUTOGRAPH cases Donald has ever testified to in court or been deposed about?<br />The Donald also seems confused about whether or not Mr Morales is his partner as seen in his SCD interview with Rocky. Partner, protege, none of the above, all of the above?<br />I had to laugh a lot when I read the response you posted about me. First you say, sarcastically, "Jaffe, there's a creditable source" Then in another post you quote me directly by saying Marino was bad on Ted Williams. First I am not a creditable source then I am. MAKE UP YOUR MIND <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>.<br />The HBO show was for my benefit? Another good one. I was not paid one cent to help HBO. My name was not even mentioned. I wanted to show the collecting world what your partner and other authenticators skills were. I wanted to show collectors the quality of their work.I wanted to show people that a COA from Forensic experts meant Watch Out. Guess I kind of succeeded. 0-7 for the Donald, and he admits on the air how he makes so many mistakes. The worst Michael Jordan forgery I have ever seen and Donald and Morales liked it, they really liked it <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> Even the incompetents at STAT got that one right.<br />You were sort of right about one thing. The FBI warehouse did contain some authentic items. About 95% of the items in the warehouse were bogus. But there was some Upper Deck and Mounted Memories, and a few others in the warehouse that were authentic. These items were eventually returned to their owners or given to charity auctions. I guarantee, and promise everyone here that every item sent to all the authenticators in the HBO show where bogus. All of the authenticators got at least one item correct EXCEPT FOR THE DONALD AND MR. MORALES.<br />I am willing to put up any amount of money as a bet if you think you can prove differently. You continue to call me out but when you do that you are also calling out the FBI and Tim Fitzsimmons liars..<br />The Donald himself admitted that he examined 475 items for me. Every item I sent to him was bogus. Every item I sent to him came from a known FORGER. He gave out a COA for every single one. 0-475, that is probably the most incredible statistic in this entire thread. No wonder you are embarrassed about being his partner. When I look at that I can understand why you removed that web page from your site that showed him as part of your company. Too bad the board cannot go to your website and see that page. <br />A point of information that all of you should know. While Mr. Solis keeps concentrating on Marino, there were other forgers out there. Some of them did a very good Ted Williams. These guys included David Tabb, Mike Moses, Mike Lopez and Angelo Marino. Another forger (possibly a friend of yours Rich?) supplied many items to B&J, to Madison Sports , to Shop At Home and other operators. <br />In the SCD interview, the Donald claimed that he always used exemplars when examining autographs. Yet on the HBO show the undercover reporter walked into his office and immediately got a thumbs up on seven forgeries, without Donald looking at exemplars even once. A virtual COA machine, that Donald. 0-7 on national television, way to go!<br />I actually cracked up when the Donald warned the reporter to be careful out there when buying autographs. That was really too funny. I can just watch that part of the show over and over.<br />In wrapping this up Rich, I just wanted to point to one last remark of yours that pertains to Richard Simon.<br />You said some stupidity about Indiana law vs. NY law. Well there are 50 different laws in this country, covering experts in court. Guess you could not figure that one out. Ya know, 50 states = 50 different laws.<br />This leads me to repeat an earlier question I asked. When has the Donald ever testified in court or or gave a deposition about an autograph case?? Actually I know the answer, but let us see if you are honest enough to admit to it. <br />Oh by the way, do you remember you and your friend coming to the table at the New Jersey National and all of us laughing at the garbage he showed us.<br />Have a good day Rich, I know I will.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>What the devil is a "Certified Authenticator?" <br /><br />Does DeVry Institute or some other correspondence school offer those degrees?<br /><br />Is STAT certified? <br /><br />Gee, I wish I was certified...<br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Bill - I am here to grant your wish:<br /><br />poof&gt; you are certified.<br /><br />No thanks necessary.<br /><br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>If anyone of you think that CC is bad you have to go to this site.<br /><a href="http://www.proxybid.com/asp/catalog.asp?aid=10897" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.proxybid.com/asp/catalog.asp?aid=10897</a><br />Look who authenticated the items and the prices that they went for.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Wow! A baseball signed by: the following Presidents: Bill Clinton, Lyndon B. Johnson, JFK, George Bush Sr, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford.<br />This did not have any COA, but it achieved a high bid of $300 and did not sell according to the website. <br />This piece should be in the Smithsonian or HOF and I am sure (John <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> ) that the HOF would put this one out.<br />This company also sold, again without a COA, a Ruth-Gehrig cut for the amazing price of $60. Yes $60.<br />There are COA's from Mr Morales scattered through this auction. Take a look.<br />Apparently Proxy Bid runs auctions for companies that are not set up to run their own auctions. <br />This auction is actually for a company called Colbert Auctions.<br />Geez, if this is Stephen Colbert I will be deeply disappointed <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>. <br />edited to add this -<br />I just found the rules of this auction company - read this:<br />All items are guaranteed authentic. We will only accept rejection letters from Chris Morales or Stat Authentic. Both companies have the credentials to render an unbiased decision as to the authenticity of autographs. All returns must be accompanied by a rejection letter from one of these two companies only. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not bid on any item in this auction. There are a few reserves, but the majority of the items are being sold without reserve. Good Luck and Happy Bidding! <br />--<br /><br />I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Yes, tired. Mr. Morales must be very, very tired.<br /><br />It seems he must be authenticating about 200 lots a month, at least! Between all the stuff at C.C., other auction sites, retail websites, other online stores, walk-in stores and galleries, catalogs, etc., how does he have time to do anything else, let alone travel to sunny Mongolia (or was it Monrovia?). <br /><br />That must explain why we have heard nothing from him. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Does anyone on this board, reading this thread, have a rejection letter from STAT or Mr Morales or Mr Frangipani.<br />If so, please e mail it to me.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Certainly some of you industry insiders have contacts with the FBI. Why is a case not being made here? These guys are ruining your industry/hobby.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>This comes from the Signature Dreams website in describing a photo for sale, it seems they use the same description for all of their autographed photos.<br /><br />"Genuine autograph of MONTE IRVIN on a MLB PHOTO FILE 8x10 with COA. This item has been pre-scanned by Mr. Chris Morales..."<br /><br />Mr Morales - What exactly does pre-scanned mean?<br /><br />-- <br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>David Davis</b><p>Mr. Morales has listed on his resume the International Homicide Investigators Association. Turns out it is a real organization. Also turns out that Mr. Morales was not listed as an attendee at their 2007 symposium. Maybe he was setting up a forensic lab on Atlantis, or Pompeii.<br /><br />It's strange how someone who belongs to such a prestigious and seemingly law abiding organziation, with so many active law enforcement memebers, is either the biggest idiot on the planet, or has a brass set the size of a classroom globe. Don't go swimming with the sharks, Chris 'ol chum.<br /><br />For all who have contributed to this post that had involvement in the HBO special (Richard, Shelly, etc.), does anyone still have a contact number for Tim Fitzsimmons? Why have you guys not contacted him about a follow up on the forgery market? It seems as bad as ever.<br /><br />As far as his Morales' certs are concerned, I would be careful. Without a picture of the item, he could say that the item he approved is not the one being sold with the cert. Even with that, no one who certifies autographs for a living, be it "forensically", or otherwise, could have such a huge authentic rate pass by his office.<br /><br />Bill, you can add www.rs-sportscollectibles.com to your list. They are listed as a link on the Donald's web site. I am no expert, but the Mays hat on the home page looks bad to me.<br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>1880nonsports</b><p>"If for some reason the item would not pass we would reimburse the entire transaction..."

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>that is mr. solis' company, aka soliri<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Larry</b><p>Who is responsible for this website and wrote all this stuff? Found it when I entered Richard Simon's name in a web search:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/tv/yankeefan/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.angelfire.com/tv/yankeefan/</a><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>It is surely an ally of Frangipani.<br />not a shred of truth in it.<br />getting attacked by an incoherent, ANONYMOUS jerk like that is a badge of honor.<br />written by a totally ANONYMOUS author,, it was posted 8 years ago, not long after i started my autograph alert web page stories about forensic authenticators. <br />i could start a website on angelfire that says Lincoln was a Communist spy.<br />It would stay up forever also.<br /><br /><br />--<br /><br />I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>If the readers of this thread want to read more about the autograph business, go to my web page - Autograph Business News and Notes at:<br /><br />www.richardsimonsports.com/hofauto2.htm<br /><br />enjoy.<br /><br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Richard,<br /><br />I couldn't help the ironic fact that the bottom of that web page has an ad for Jim Spence's authentication services!<br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Bill - that is funny. Since angelfire is a free web space, they place google ads on the website.<br />Free web space and anonymous author = worthless information.<br />--<br /><br />I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>David, I have been in contact with Tim since this thread started. I emailed him the other day to ask about Solis comment that Tim knows about forged Donald coa's and that he had visited the Donald's office before the HBO show. <br />Will post the comments when I hear from him. That is Tim Fitzsimmons the FBI agent we have mentioned on this site.<br />When I did talk to Tim last he had a very good suggestion. The quickest way to get results is your local District Attorney, Consumer Affairs Dept, and the State Attorney Generals Office. They will get the ball rolling. When they see that this is a problem going from state to state then the FBI will get into the act. He feels that the more people that go after this scum the quicker the results. He is not just talking CC but the Gallery's, Internet Auction houses and anyone selling these items. It really is time to kick some butt.<br /> <br /> <br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Mike</b><p>Richard: I just checked your website and the Fox TV report showing JSA ( James Spence) Company authenicating autographs. The more I see on here the more you can not trust anyone of these so called " auto experts " ! They are all opinions and some market better than others. I still don't know who does the best job. I think if I sent a Beatles album signed by all 4, that some of these companies would automatically say it is "fake" and others would automatically say it looks "real". Is one better than the other for saying "fake" or "real" to everything ?

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Mike - I don't know of any authentication company that will say fake to everything.<br />As for any authenticating company that says pass to everything, well you have to decide that for yourself.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>David Davis</b><p>I e-mailed the President of the IHIA (see my post above). If everything is on the up and up as far as Mr. Morales' membership, good standing within that community, etc., well then more power to him. I feel that if his work for law enforcement is successful, then by all means he should continue his illustrious career, making everyone a little safer in the process.<br /><br />What we don't need, is everyone becoming poorer in this process, due to his unsubstantiated, and highly questionable, authentication skills.<br /><br />I will let anyone know if I hear from them, or perhaps the President of IHIA will contribute to this post himself.<br /><br />I should add that all I did was indicate that someone that states on his resume that he is a member of your organization has come under some scrutiny. I gave him links to this forum, and thread.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Mike Navarro</b><p>Just found this forum a few days ago and have been reading through some posts. I collect primarily historical autographs and have a lot of experience in this field. I just wanted to give some credit to some of the good guys in the autograph industry. I would recommend and would not hesitate to deal with any of the following.<br /><br />Richard Simon - I have bought numerous pieces from him over the years including Humphrey Bogart and a few signed Neil Alden Armstrong items. Have never had a problem with any of his items. I did have him authenticate a Ty Cobb ball for authentication one time and it did not pass, but subsequently passed PSA/DNA. If anything, he is too conservative in his authentication, and if an authenticator is going to err, I would prefer it be on the conservative side. Good guy who in my opinion does a little too much self promotion. (so I wlll help and promote him here <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> ) <br /><br />Bill Panagopulos - I have bought numerous pieces through his auction house Alexander Autographs including Edison, Hancock, Sam Houston, multiple signed US Presidents, etc., and have never had a problem with any of the pieces I bought. I have also sold and consigned a lot including Einstein, Nixon, and others and have always been paid on time and dealt with fairly. His historical knowledge seems to be very good. I don't buy any of the sports autographs in his catalog, so no experience on his pieces in that realm. Bill is a good guy and when he makes errors (like the Reagan facsimile letter that graced the cover of one of his catalogs) he stands up and admits them and makes it right. One of the good guys in the industry. <br /><br />Bob Eaton - Bob runs R&R Enterprises and also authenticates for PSA/DNA. I have bought and sold a ton through them, and even sold a complete run of US Presidents in his April 05 auction and he gave me an entire section "The Mike Navarro collection". I have found his integrity to be great and he does not hesitate to tell you if he thinks an item is not authentic, even if you have been a six figure customer. I have seen some bad pieces in his catalogs, but with the vast amount that go to auction every month, there will be some mistakes made. I trust Bob greatly. <br /><br />John Reznikoff - John runs University Archives and also authenticates for PSA/DNA. I have bought and sold a ton through him and we occasionally partner on items. Very interesting person with a zeal for historical. Once again, due to the vast numbers, he does occasionally make mistakes (like everyone of us, we are all human) but he is another that I trust completely. <br /><br />Now on the flipside and back to the subject at hand, I have seen numerous pieces purported to be authenticated by Frangipanni or Morales and the overwhelming majority of them have been obvious fakes. I have purchased an authentic item that had a COA from Frangipanni as well, a six Presidents signed photo that I subsequently sold to Reznikoff, so not every one of the pieces that Frangipanni authenticated are bad. Just use common sense in your autograph purchases and you should do fine.<br /><br />Happy collecting,<br /><br />Mike Navarro

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Mike - thanks for the kind words (I think) <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>.<br />Funny you should talk about self promotion. A few years ago, several of my friends and clients in this business said I should be promoting myself more, get my name out there more, that I was not known well enough yet. Well, now I am told that I am doing that too much. I will try to achieve a happy medium <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Mike Navarro</b><p>Richard,<br /><br />You are welcome. Regarding the self promotion, just having a little fun with ya, keep up the good work, I'm a local politician here in Texas so I subscribe to the theory of self promotion!!!<br /><br />Mike

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Thanks for the plug, Mike. Of course, we go back quite a ways (I'll forgive you for not giving me that collection!).<br /><br />Meantime, I've been added to the "hate mail" Hall of Fame. <br /><br />I'm so proud. <br /><br />Sent this by some cretin at Imoguspar@aol.com:<br /><br />"You really seem to be enjoying the pissing match with the pompous ass and his jailbird buddy. <br />When you wrestle with a skunk you end up smelling like one and right know your aroma is pretty putrid. Clean up your own act first and ask Simple about some of those posts on angelfire. As is his style, he arrogantly dismisses it out of hand and calls it a badge of honor. Some honor! You 3 deserve each other".<br /><br />My response:<br /><br />Dear Uraretard@aol.com,<br /><br />You, Sir, are a poltroon - a coward- afraid to open a simple dialogue with me, even privately via email. But for the record, chew on this. <br /><br />a.) I do business with neither Mr. Simon nor Mr. Jaffe. Never have, and likely never will. They sell baseball, I sell history. <br />b.) Re: "wrestling with skunks", you're right. I AM wrestling with skunks. I've been talking about them on this forum for days now. And yes, everything those forensic guys do stinks. Makes me want to take a shower. Pew.<br />c.) Sorry, didn't read all the stuff on angelfire. Don't have the time, it's seven years old, and right now I've got fish to fry. When Mr. Simon becomes a board-certificed forensic examiner, then perhaps I'll take a look. <br />d.) And no, we don't deserve each other. I'm far too mean a guy. Didn't even get my wife a lousy Valentine's Day present. And...I smell bad. <br /><br />Sonny, grow some, come out of the closet and show your mug...or else just clam up. <br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>David Davis</b><p>Mike,<br />What you state about common sense is true. However, everyone who reads this forum, and has read this thread, is aware of the issues in the autograph industry. It is the people that are unaware, such as your average tourist passing a gallery selling Morales "authenticated" items, and the collectors who purchase from Coach's Corner that we need to protect.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>To Bill - you won't see me becoming a forensic examiner anytime soon <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>.<br />To David - your post above mine is dead on.<br />To Shelly and all readers - Contacting local authorities is the way to go in many of these instances. The DA in Nassau County, NY was very vigorous in pursuing businesses that sold forgeries as was the NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>rich solis</b><p>Bill Panagopulos, Dan Bretta,<br /><br />Mr. Panagoplos,<br />For the most part I agree with everything you wrote. But contrary to the statement about auction houses like that don't last, some do. Many if not all of the major auction houses use third party authenticators. Would it surprise you to learn that the lead authenticator from PSA admitted that cursory review is done for auction houses? Would it also surprise you that PSA hides behind a disclaimer? The information that is presented here is in part documented in a sworn deposition as well as from own PSA submission from, 4. Certification and authentication involves an individual judgment that is subjective and requires the exercise of professional opinion, which can change from time to time. Therefore, PSA/DNA makes no warranty or representation and shall have no liability whatsoever to the customer for the opinion rendered by PSA/DNA to any submission. Unlike the stuff written about me I will only provide fact not fiction.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Mike Navarro</b><p>Bill,<br /><br />I am proud as well to join you on that email list, a few minutes after I made my initial post, I got an email from "lmoguspar@aol.com". I attempted to email him/her back, but it bounced so I'll just reply here. <br /><br />Imoguspar@aol.com wrote:<br />Sorry, Bub, but the only thing you got right in your post is that simple simon is a pompous ass. Remember, being a dealer/authenticator is a conlict of interest.<br /><br />I respond: <br /><br />Thanks for your opinion, but there are a lot of things that I got right in my post. Personally, I do not have an automatic problem with someone being both an authenticator AND a dealer. I also do not believe that someone has to have governmental training, IE, FBI training, etc., to be able to render an opinion as to the authenticity of an autograph. <br /> <br />Personally, I turned down an offer from the FBI early last year as they had offered me a conditional offer of employment as a Special Agent Perhaps if I had accepted the position, then once I retired, I could have touted that I was a former FBI Special Agent and therefore I should be considered an autograph authentication expert. But, it would not have been the FBI that gave me that skill, it would have been my years of experience in handling and dealing in autographs. <br /> <br />Mike "not afraid to put my real name on the internet or in emails" Navarro <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>David Davis</b><p>Rich Solis,<br />Sounds to me like a complicated way of saying that they are not liable for conflicting opinions, regarding the sale price of the item. I'm sure they would refund the authentication costs.<br /><br />Unlike them, however, it seems you are more in the business of either authenticating, or selling, things that PSA would object to from the get go.<br /><br />Do not put yourself in a league with PSA authenticators. Even with all of the problems they had with Daniels, etc., they are still a brand name, and have made changes to improve the quality of the work. <br /><br />When people such as myself can tell a forgery from an authentic item, then your days are numbered. Both in the sense of sales, and in having your name on the radar of several agencies of authority, who are probably now thinking that there is clearly a viable issue here, and the livelihoods of honest people to consider.<br /><br />With the number of defense lawyers that read this board, surely you will have no difficulty finding someone familiar with the issue, and sworn not to reveal the endless blather you will provide about knowingly selling fakes, but believing you were covering your backside the whole time.<br /><br />And just like that, you will receive updates on what is happening from your weekly visit and phone calls.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Here's my latest.<br /><br />You are absolutely pathetic.You have no life except posting all day to some how erase the stain of being a convicted felon who thinks he can be vindicated by "saving" what he helped to destroy. Talk about overkill. Who are you trying to kid? So the fox will some how solve the chicken coop problem. Since you apparently don't work, why don't you try to at least get your grammar, syntax (look it up) and spelling up to at least a 6th grade level? <br />But most importantly remember this:<br />Tonight you'll go to bed as a convicted felon and when you wake up you will still be a convicted felon! Erase that "Eddie".<br /><br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>David Davis</b><p>I paid a close friend $300 for this a few years ago. His grandmother had obtained it in the mail. It looked good to me. I sent it to R&R, and they said they could not authenticate it. It has been with me ever since. As a photo itself it has value. I just tore it so it could never be sold as original. I'd rather eat $300, then see someone get ripped off.<br /><br /><img src=http://www.scauctions.org/c1-1.JPG><br /><br /><img src=http://www.scauctions.org/c2-1.JPG>

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>rich solis</b><p>David Davis,<br />Please explain your post.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Just a question for imoguspar because his e mail is blocked,,<br />were you in my second grade class, 2-1, Miss Rabin teacher, PS 6 in the Bronx<br />(if Bob Pomilla is reading this thread he just got a laugh).<br />6 year old kids always tease each other, so I can vaguely recall someone calling me Simple Simon back then. <br />Are you Milton Anapol????<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>David Davis</b><p>With apologies to the Wachowski Brothers:<br /><br />(train in background)<br />Do you hear that Mr. Solis? That is the sound of a raw nerve being touched. That is the sound of your guilt.<br /><br />Unlike Neo, however, there is no escape for some.<br /><br />It's not me you need to be concerned with; I am nobody for now. I'm just thinking there is still an escape ladder in the hole you have dug. I'd use it.<br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>rich solis</b><p>How is siteing from public documents as well as information posted on a submission form digging a hole.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p><a href="http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/nudan92/?action=view&current=1947_eating_popcorn_and_drink ing_be.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/nudan92/1947_eating_popcorn_and_drinking_be.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Mr. Solis,<br /><br />Just so that I can get my thoughts straight - <br /><br />I know that you sell baseball autographs, but are you also an authenticator?<br /><br />Do you use any authentication service to validate your material?<br /><br />I saw a printout of a website page that indicated you were a partner with Messrs. Frangipani and Morales in an authentication business. I don't care if you were THEN, but are you NOW?<br /><br />Anyway, getting back to auction houses:<br /><br />Much earlier we spelled-out the return policies of a few auction houses so I'm not going to revisit that. If an auction house does NOT guarantee their material, AND relies on authenticators, good or bad, to authenticate their material who in turn do not guarantee authenticity, stating that theirs is just an "opinion"...then it's every man for himself. If you bid, you're on your own with no recourse. Might as well be buying a box of pots and pans at a country auction. <br /><br />A legitimate auction house has to be careful whose certificates they accept, because if they sell 1,000 lots and 750 come back within a few weeks with questions of authenticity, even if they DON'T refund the money, they have a big problem on their hands. <br /><br />In "the good old days" there simply weren't any authenticators. Auction houses stuck to what they knew. They had professional staffs that knew what they were doing and could properly appraise material. Joe's Country Auction's didn't sell Renoir, and Sotheby's didn't sell farm implements (that's why 95% of what we sell is historic autographs). And that's why I wonder why Coach's Corner is selling John Dillinger, jewelry, George Washington, Beatles, and a $40-80,000 original "Picasso" hand-colored drawing (!!!!!!), now bid up to $738. There is no God...<br /><br />So, in essence, if you have a no refund policy and a collaborating auhenticator with impressive credentials, you should be able to sell signatures of Cleopatra, Jesus, Ooga-Booga the Caveman and Santa Claus. <br /><br />I'm in the right business - I'm just not doing it the right way!

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>rich solis</b><p>Bill,<br /><br />I which it was the good old days.<br />I can't comment on Coaches Corner,i"m not familiar with ther operation.<br />Understand that the post was merely informational.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>rich solis</b><p> Bill,<br />As to your questions.<br />Yes we sell autograph memorabilia. No I do not authenticate our own items.<br />No I do not authenticate. Yes, I have been associated with Mr. Bradley for years until his death late last year. I do have a personal relationship with Mr. Frangipani that dates back to 1999. As for Mr. Morales we have known each other for a few years. All tree especially Mr. Bradley have taught me a great deal. <br /><br />When questions with regards to signatures arise Mr. Bradley was the one we used. With his death we now give our clients different options of forensic examiners and yes Frangipani and Morales are on the list. As a company we have a stated policy that we will only recognize court qualified, board certified forensic examiners. We do not recognize the industry third party authenticators.<br /><br />This is a company policy. Like everyone I have my opinions and others have there’s.<br />The one thing that can be said is that we can agree to disagree in a civil manner.<br /><br />Rich Solis<br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Rich, why would you use Morales and Frangipani knowing that items with their certs will sell for only about 5% of actual value?

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>The profit margin on an item such as a signed Jack Chesbro ball is immense when the raw material cost is an old baseball, some fountain pen ink, some tea, and an oven.<br /><br />A real Chesbro ball would cost too much to buy.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Rich,<br /><br />Appreciate your candor and honesty.<br /><br />Who you choose to use as an authenticator (if anyone) and how you conduct your business is absolutely your own affair. I cannot and will not fault you on it - it's a choice you've made and this is a free country. But I'd bet that somewhere down the road there's going to be a lot of questions asked - and not on some baseball card forum. They'll want to know how so much of this fine material has come on the market so quickly, and been passed with so few questions asked. And I'm not so sure that degrees and certificates will be enough to answer those questions.<br /><br />Anyway, your responses seem straightforward and honest, and thank you again.<br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>David, Rich would never understand why you did what you did. If you have a piece of garbage, and it gets into the hands of his friends they will make it into a Picasso.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Rich Solis</b><p>Dan,<br />First let me say I use the forensic examiners because I have confidence in them. As far as value, we sell for example a Mantle autographed 8x10 for $300.00, fair market value according to tuff stuff is $405.00 in average condition. Excellent condition will be higher about $595.00. Keep in mind that everyone has a different opinion on price. For our company and our clients a third party authentication that comes with a disclaimer doesn't warrant an over inflated price. Can we charge more sure we can regardless of the coa. We chose to provide the best possible item at a price the general hobbyist can afford while insuring through forensic examiners the genuiness of the item to the best of their ability. Thats our choice as business owners.<br /><br />Rich Solis

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Rich, if you sell a forgery it doesn't matter what price you put on it.<br />If it looks like a forgery and smells like a forgery, its a forgery.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Mike Navarro</b><p>Rich Solis,<br /><br />What is the name of your business? Do you have a website where I could view some pics of your inventory? I'm sure I could find it in the hundreds of posts above, but I must have missed it in my cursory review. Thanks, I just want to see for my own eyes some of the images.<br /><br />Mike

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Andrew S.</b><p>David, are you any relation to the autograph collector Rich Davis? He is supposed to own the largest collection of autographs in existence. Even larger than the Luhr's collection, University Archives & Autograph House.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p> Why don't you comment on the statements you made about me and HBO. I challenged you and I have yet to see an answer from you on this forum. Is it because you are not able to answer any of my statements because the truth is difficult for you to challenge? (see earlier post for my challenging questions to Mr. Solis).<br />Are you or are you not partners with the Donald in forensicsignatureauthentications.com, a company registered in your wife's name. Was Mr Morales ever part of your company? If not why was he pictured on the page on the website where the staff was shown, along with you, Mr Bradley and the Donald? The page that no longer exists.<br />On the authentication page of your r-s collectibles website you suggest people submit items for authentication to Forensic Signature Authentications, without revealing that it is your company. How could you consider that to be ethical? Is that why your picture is no longer on the site of forensicsignature? Is your wife the authenticator now? <br />You come on here with a phony name and now you come out of the shadows, once your identity is revealed. You claim that the HBO show was about me. Well tell me about all the people that were buying items because of the Donald and his Friends. You are the original "white man speak with forked tongue" guy.<br />I will say this. It took someone like me to make this thread happen. I know where the bodies are buried and know what you and Donald are. You are the one that throws stones so that you look good. Well I am throwing the stones back at you and your Forensic Experts. They are as phony as the signatures they authenticate.<br />Now for the best part. I took a look at the autographs on your website. I know who you are getting your items from, and so does John (Rogers). You are getting them from the same guy that supplied B&J, Madison Sports and Howard's. The same guy who came with you to my table at the Atlantic City National and I laughed at his stuff because it was so bad. After these items were sold to Madison and Howard's they wound up at Shop at Home, American Express, Sky Miles and others who had no idea what they were buying and then selling.<br />I was amused by your statement that: "We do not recognize the industry third party authenticators.<br />This is a company policy."<br />Sotheby's, Christie's, Hunts, Mastro, Heritage and other million dollar auction houses use industry authenticators, but you don't. A little two bit dealer in Palookaville, California thinks he knows more than the leaders in the industry. But I guess the fact that they sell $50 million dollars a year of legitimate autograph items and you probably do $200 a year of legitimate items, well you are just the one to know.<br />Unfortunately I am not good with computers so I asked Richard Simon to upload pictures for me of items from your website that I know are not authentic and that came from the above mentioned person.<br />Anxiously awaiting your reply.<br /> <br />Shelly Jaffe<br /> <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard Simon</b><p>Here are the pictures that Shelly talked about.<br />The only person I know who could have made this thread what it is is Shelly Jaffe. He has more information about this business than anybody else.<br />Guys, fire away with your questions to him, he has the answers.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1203300479.JPG"> <img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1203300377.JPG"> <img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1203300363.GIF"> <img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1203300353.JPG">

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>I will say that not all of this garbage is from your man but they are still fake. I am sure that john will agree that the mantle and 500 are from you know who.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Richard Simon</b><p>Attn DD- please repeat your message on this thread. I accidentally started a new thread with the pictures. And you posted after I put up the pictures. That thread will be deleted , so please repost your comment here.<br />Thanks, and sorry for the problem.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Chris</b><p>Morales, Frangipani and the other so-called "court certified" experts are put out of business. The first step is Coach's Corner...that operation is about 90% of Morales' business. I've never seen anything "Certified" by these people that had a prayer in heaven of being authentic. <br /><br />Am I in PSA and JSA's court? Yes. Do they make misatakes? Yes. Have they ever authenticated an autopen as genuine? Yes. People make mistakes, no one is perfect. But, tell me then, why are they trusted by every major auction house known to collectors including Sotheby's? Conspiracy? I think not. Try sending anything "certified" by Morales or his cronies to Sotheby's or Mastro and they will probably get a good chuckle and send it right back to you. <br /><br />When someone emails me trying to sell Babe Ruth single signed balls that looked like Ruth penned it last week for $2,000, something is a little fishy don't ya think?<br /><br />Mr. Solis: You sell Mantle 8x10's for $300? Assuming they have "certificates" from Morales, Frangipani, and the like - why would anyone buy them from you? You can easily pick them up through Coaches Corner for under $100, shoot, probably less $75. And, I bet they will give you a bulk discount. Customer: "Uhh...I'll take 100 signed Mantle 8x10's if you have 'em." CC: "Sure, just give us till next week - $50/photo." I can see it now, what a freakin' joke.<br /><br />If it's too good to be true, it probably is. <br /><br />Chris<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>Andrew,<br />If I am, that would put me in a rather unique position. Exemplars aplenty, and a willingness to cooperate. Wouldn't that be something?<br /><br />What I wrote in the other thread was that clearly the Mantle's were all done by the same person, and that they need more practice with a few of the letters.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Chris, I want to know if a forensic expert takes a class in braille, because that would be the person to pass the above items.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Rich,<br /><br />Just one more thing - <br /><br />A company called Forensic Signature Authentications (which many claim was once staffed by Mr. Frangipani, Mr. Morales, the late Mr. Bradley and yourself), shows the following address on its webste:<br /><br />Forensic Signature Authentications<br />1159 Scott Blvd.<br />Santa Clara, CA 95050<br />Office: 408-242-5543<br />Fax: 408-564-4555<br /><br />At the same time, it appears that your business, according to your web site, is in the same building:<br /><br />R&S Sports Collectibles <br />1159 Scott Blvd. <br />Santa Clara, CA 95050<br />Ph: 408-985-7277 <br />Fax: 408-564-4555<br /><br />As a matter of fact, you share the same fax machine.<br /><br />Is it therefore safe to assume that you are working on commission for Messrs. Frangipani and Morales? <br /><br />Would it be rude to ask for an explanation? I just find it rather remarkable.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Chris</b><p>The real issue at hand here is Coach's Corner, Morales, and Frangipani, and/or STAT. If this group were shut down, that would be HUGE. Will another bogus "board certified court expert" pop up? Sure, but not without a fight. If these others are led out of town, with some negative press in the papers, only a fool would try the same thing again.<br /><br />Rich is not the problem here. He is one of many dealers selling forgeries, mixed in of course with Mounted Memories and UDA autos to give himself a credible vineer to possible clients. We all know he is not making his money selling the legit stuff. <br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Chris- you have to be kidding me.<br />The problems in the hobby all started with crap like this, dealers with bad material selling their crap to unsuspecting collectors.<br />You can't give this guy Solis a pass, he is promoting garbage with garbage on top of it. <br />More pictures will be coming from his website.<br />You saying that Solis is not the problem is wrong. He is the problem along with all the others.<br />These are the people that made the whole operation work. <br />Without COA's from Frangipani, Morales, Tell, Garo, AAU, FDS, J Dimaggio, CCSA and all the rest of them, this could not have happened to the extent that it did.<br />Please dont say that Solis is not the problem, he and his cohorts keep this crap alive. Rich is the problem he has been from the start. I am looking forward to any law suite that Rich and his buddies want to throw at me. I know who they are and what they are and after ten years they are still out there. Look at the crap on his web site. <br /><br /> <br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>Chris</b><p>Shelly,<br /><br />I'm on your side...no doubt. <br /><br />Rich is part of the effect. I believe the larger dealers like CC and the major "authenticators" like Morales, STAT, etc are the cause. Get rid of the cause first, then people like Rich will have less garbage to sell.<br /><br />That is all I'm saying. <br /><br />I'm not excited if a small time dealer like Rich is gone, while CC is flourishing. <br /><br />

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>John you called out Bill. Now its time to call out Solis site.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>rich solis</b><p>Bill, <br />This venture never got off the ground. one reason for that was Mr. Bradley health. As far as the business information being the same for both I felt that it was the best option to begen the new venture. But like I said It never got of the ground.

Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales
 

Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>Bill, I have a beautiful piece of land I can sell you.