forged autos
I frequent small local antique auctions... I would say that at least once a month there will be 5-7 FLA forgeries up for sale... Now there are typically a few bidders in the crowd who know better than to bid, there are a ton who have no clue... Auctions typically sell based on the "as is-no guarantees principal"... To go on with my rant... you typically see forged mantle, williams, and dimmaggio 8x10's fall in the 70-90 range... Some of the people buying simply float the rubbish downstream, others invest in authentication and realize they got stung...
Is it really worth it to the auction houses to make $40 bucks on a lot, only to risk losing that one customer who could potentially give you residual piece week in week out???
Also: Ebay... They have a banned authenticators list, yet I still see items with these LOA's??? I have reported several of these items only to see the auctions close & unsuspecting buyers get hosed...
Just last night there was a "George H. Ruth" cut that went for $383, and a piece (1924 american association scorecard) signed by COBB, GC ALEXANDER, WALTER JOHNSON, HARRY HEILMANN, & AL SIMMONS for $1155... Both items were authenticated by someone on the banned authenticators list and both sold...
This I find to be very discouraging
What is ebay doing to enforce their own rules???
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