Originally Posted by travrosty
I help people find autographs on their want list for boxing, and also give a free opinion when they email me asking if an autograph is good or not because they are considering buying it.
Some people are only looking for "great deals" or very inexpensive autographs, even of the old, vintage champions, and I usually tell them there are no "deals" regarding those names on the want list.
But some persist and only will buy a good "deal" or only show me autographs that they are considering buying that are cheap. and almost all instances the autographs are no good, but they still swim in that pond because they think good deals exist.
I tell them that collectors and dealers are constantly, searching auction houses big and small, and constantly searching ebay, so a true deal is very very rare. They think they are capable of sniffing out the great deals. Muhammad Ali for cheap, and Joe Louis and John L. Sullivan for cheaper.
It's a disaster waiting to happen, but sometimes there just is no educating some of the buyers.
If someone asks you if there is an "affordable" babe ruth or an "affordable" anything of a vintage hof'ers, that is code word for they don't want to pay a lot of money but still want a real autograph? It doesn't exist. Maybe they just want to pay a little and get something they know might not be real but has the backing of people in the industry.
The so called "it doesnt have to be real, just authentic."
Then you have the other buyers that only want a psa or jsa cert. they don't care if it is a real autograph. if it passes psa and jsa, it is considered real, according to them. They get the psa or jsa cert, which is a license to buy and sell, evidently, and they are happy, even if i point out it is not a real signature. they always point out that psa said it is, so there, or jsa said it is, so there! they know the truth, but they don't want to rip up the autograph, they want to still sell it, so they play the game, instead of acting out of integrity.
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