Another what do you think of this auto - Steinbrenner
 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150848612159...#ht_500wt_1164

I just won this. I know it's got the GAI cert which may tip some one way or the other. From the other legit examples I've seen, I thought this one looked good, but I wanted to see what others thought. Thanks

I don't think it's good. (But, you didn't lose too much.)

I am by no means an expert, but this does not match the Georges I have.

Ken

Yikes!!!!

Not even close to ones Ive seen either

Well that's certainly disappointing. I guess it just looks really bad to those that know, but is there anything specific about this one that tips it off? Or is there something in genuine Steinbrenner autos that this one lacks? Also, what should I do now? I haven't paid yet. Do I just suck it up, pay, and chalk it up to a learning experience? Or would it be bad form to contact the seller about my concerns and see if he'll agree to cancel the sale?

By all means, talk to the seller. Tell him you've been told by a number of collectors that there are problems with the signature. An honest seller will have no problem canceling the sale.

Another thought. Is it possible this could be a rushed authentic signature? A legit sig on a dollar bill would come from someone who'd run in to the boss randomly and had nothing else to get signed and might result in something rushed? Would it be worth paying for a psa/DNA quick opinion to see if they've seen any legit autos that would compare?

No. (To both questions.)

George didn't exactly have a "nice" sig to begin with, all of his seem to be rushed.

Ken

From 2008, a George Steinbrenner autographed baseball offered for sale in the Yankees' Team Store in Yankee Stadium...

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3296/2...3436cf02_b.jpg
(Photo taken June 21, 2008. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)


And from 2009, an image of a George Steinbrenner signed baseball included as part of the "Ball Wall" in the Yankees Museum in the present (fake) Yankee Stadium...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2520/3...923f9a96_b.jpg
(Photo taken August 11, 2009. © Gary Dunaier. Link to upload on Flickr.com: here.)

For obvious reasons both signatures are presumed by me to be genuine.

The "s" is surely not from George. They look nothing like that. The seller should just cancel it for you, but you are protected either way. Ebay will always side with the buyer based on authenticity concerns. Most people dont realize this, but under buyer protection, you will always have the option to return an autographed item due to authenticity concerns. You dont need proof, just that you dont think its real. Ebay even pays for return shipping. Its for this reason that I ignore all of these "as is" sellers. There is no such thing when it comes to autographs.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I'm really bummed as I was looking forward to acquiring this one for my collection. I contacted the seller and am asking for a mutual cancelation since I haven't paid for it yet. I appreciate all the help.

Eric

The $48.56 question here is whether this is still true if the item has one of ebays designated TPA LOAs with it. It probably is, as they usually side with buyers at all costs, but they also put a lot of weight into these LOAs (and why is GAI still on there?)

Please note that GAI is no longer (and hasn't been) on Ebay's Prequalified Authenticator List. GA (Global Authentics) was grandfathered in.

From what I see, Ebay has no problems removing or Voiding GA/GAI auctions.

IMO it seems to me when GAI had Mike Gutierrez I believe early on, they were very respectful and reputable in the hobby for authenticating autographs. I have a ton of graphs with the Gutierrez cert that are legitimate. And saw on the GA site they don't do graphs anymore...

I think the $48.56 question is Why is Lou Gehrig between AJ Burnett and whoever that Rick guy is???

Ken

It does not matter whether it has an ebay approved TPA or not. If you don't think its real, you are entitled to a return and refund.

Well, it all worked out. I didn't have to pay and the auction was canceled. I'm bummed that I still need to find a Steinbrenner auto for my collection. I was happy with the price on that one as I'd like to stay around or under $100, but I want to be sure I get a good one. I do kind of feel bad for the seller. He said he got that auto in person. Either way, I'm sure I'll pay more to be sure. Thanks for all the help.