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hankronI regularly offer this equation to people whether they are collecting high end baseball memorabilia, fine art or fashion photographs.
1) Educate yourself. Become an expert in your the things you collect. I'm sure Jay Miller knows more about Old Judges than anyone at Sotheby's or Chistie's. If you don't know anything about the subject, that's your problem not anyone else's.
2) Deal with quality sellers and auction houses. Quality sellers are experts, honest and reliable.
3) Get an expert second opinion. If you're a multi-millionaire buying $50,000 football jerseys and $100,000 bats, hire someone to check over the auctions you plan on bidding. If you're an average Joe, get a circle of fellow knowledgeable collectors to bounce questions off (ala Net54).
If a quality dealer says its A, you (as an experienced and knowledgeable collector) agree it's A and your expert 2nd opinion also says it appears to be A, you are in good shape. If there are holes in the provenance or items description, one of the three will likely detect them, even if the other two don't.
If you are considering buying something outside of your normal experience (you collect baseball cards, but are interested in a bat or a movie poster), having #2 & #3 at your disposal is essential.
Personally, I think MastroNet, Sotheby's and Lelands are good auction houses, and I recommend them. But that is only #2 in the equation. Collectors will experience problems if they only rely on #2, as I can promise you that the big auction houses don't always get it right.
And, while I hold the auction houses to highest standards, I'm sorry if I don't shed a tear for some multi-millionaire who throws money away on something he is ignorant about and is unwilling to pay popcorn money for an expert opinion on. "Yes, sir, I agree that MastroNet made a mistake on that item you bought. But my question was why you are such a dumb sh*t."