PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>Guys,<br /><br />This is an interesting developement. James Spence is joining up with Beckett's to create a new product. They are willing to authenticate autographed cards and insert the card within a Beckett's holder. Seems like they are ready to take on PSA/DNA. Do you think they will be successful? Also, who does the authenticating for DNA?<br /><br />Peter C.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>Brian</b><p>I don't have any pre-war autographed cards.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>I am eagerly anticipating the next alliance that SGC will forge. By not identifying their authenticators up front, PSA/DNA shields itself somewhat from the kind of fallout that Spence is currently under. You can switch out authenticators and nobody really knows (or even seems to care). That's why I originally went with SGC/JSA, because I wanted a name/reputation behind the cards I was having authenticated. But now I see the flip side to that story.<br /><br />

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>peter chao</b><p>I know about JSA's recent scandal, but aren't they still the best around?<br /><br />Peter C.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>pas</b><p>How is it that every single auction, month after month, manages to have multiple balls signed by Babe Ruth? Does anyone really believe they are genuine?

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>cmoking</b><p>Babe Ruth signed baseballs is one of the things I wouldn't consider touching.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>pas</b><p>Peter C. perhaps he is the "best" but that doesn't mean much because the whole field is pretty suspect in my view unless you have strong provenance.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>In many areas of collecting there are more leaps of faith than in cards. (Though I guess that could be argued <img src="/images/sad.gif" height=14 width=14>) ....Autographs is one of those areas....*It all depends on how big of a leap of faith you are comfortable with? Personally, I am not comfortable with a leap at all....I have no opinion on JSA, as I have never submitted anything to them, and only know what I read and see. regards<br /><br />edited for clarification

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>Scot</b><p>Babe Ruth was known to sit in motel open windows with boxes of baseballs and pen in hand. Tossing autographed balls to crowds for hours. Something to think about.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>pas</b><p>Scot I am sure some of them are real. I just have my doubts whether Mr. Spence or anyone else can really tell.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>I just spent $7 to go to the White Plains show this afternoon. The primary reason for my visit was to speak with the JSA folk about a number of issues, including: (a) the recent "scandal"; (b) their move from SGC to BVG; and (c) how they authenticated a few of my pre-war cards. It was a very enlightening conversation, and one that answers many of the questions that have been posed in recent weeks on this Board. <br /><br />Since I viewed my conversation with them to be off the record, I am not going to share the details. Suffice to say, they were open and honest with me about all of the foregoing. If you are considering having a signature authenticated, or purchasing a signed piece of memorabilia, I would highly recommend giving them a call. For me, since I have a number of pre-war signed cards, it was well worth it.<br /><br />

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>I was once consigned a Babe Ruth signed baseball from a man who got the autograph himself when he was a boy.<br /><br />In 1947, he was visiting a sick aunt in the hospital, and she told him that Babe Ruth was also a patient there. He remembers going to Ruth's room, and on the table next to his hospital bed was a stack of official American League baseballs in their original box! Ruth brought balls with him everywhere, even when he was in the early stages of terminal cancer.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>Frank Evanov</b><p><I>Babe Ruth was known to sit in motel open windows with boxes of baseballs and pen in hand. Tossing autographed balls to crowds for hours. Something to think about. </I><br /><br />Scot's correct. When they had the first induction at the Baseball HOF, they played an exhibition game. The joke was that they couldn't find a ball NOT autographed by Ruth to use in the game!<br><br>Frank

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>Jeff Lichtman</b><p>Paul, glad that little mess is all cleared up -- was it just a one time error?

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>...too far into it. I had a long conversation with them today and am convinced that the circumstances or standards that applied to the erroneous Sal Bando authentication would not apply to authenticating a signature of any value on a blind submission.<br /><br />I will also say that there was apparently more dialogue than the news report cared to air, and that the report was -- not surprisingly -- a bit skewed to painting JSA into a corner. <br /><br />Certainly everyone at JSA is apologetic about the episode. And, like I said on the previous thread, I still think there really is no good excuse for what transpired. But I am still very comfortable with the standards and techniques they apply to pre-war autograph authentication, which is really all I care about.<br /><br />

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>Jeff Lichtman</b><p>I, too, would recommend sending an autograph into JSA -- if your only concern was resale. As for my comfort level in buying something with a JSA authencation: after seeing that JSA buffoon on the video crowing his BS, I'd have a hard time buying anything for my personal collection with their seal of approval behind it.

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>Chris David</b><p><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/ROCKCITY24/Not%20mine%20cool%20stuff%20/babe.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>Jeff,<br /><br />This will work out great -- you can sell all your JSA pre-war cards; and I can buy them!<br /><br /><br /><br />

PSA/DNA Is Being Challenged by BGS/JSA
 

Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>Seems like they are ready to take on PSA/DNA. Do you think they will be successful? Also, who does the authenticating for DNA?<br /><br />Spence left like two-three years ago and it's been Steve Grad and a bunch of others at the helm. <br /><br />Why should anything change with Spence? After all, all it means is that Spence will be authenticating for Beckett, instead of SGC. <br /><br />After someone is caught in a foolish manner, there are always a bunch of excuses. <br /><br />Look at those who got busted on HBO Real Sports. Chris Morales offers a giant explanation on his web site and SCD allowed Ted Taylor to print up his his own version of the tale in the magazine. <br /><br />What kind of explanation could any of these authenticating firms really have? They were tested and they looked bad...fin that phailed..."failed miserably". <br /><br />Move on. <br /><br />As far as the amount of Ruth's, the unfortunate part of it all is that probably every Ruth ball that he signed in that photo ended up in a Golden Retriever's mouth. Back about 15 years ago, you saw maybe one 8/10 (grade) single signed ball a year in one of the major catalogs. Today, there are like six-eight auction houses and they seem to have multiples in every auction. Please.<br /><br />DJ