Psa

[Lordstan]

The reality is that if you are going to collect virtually anything, there is going to be risk, unless you limit yourself severely.

Only buy autos you see signed in person.
Only buy cards you saw come directly from the pack
Only buy packs from the manufacturer.
Only collect stamps you buy from the Post Office.
Only buy cars/motorcycles you buy from the manufacturer
Only buy photos you saw the photographer take and develop
Only buy artwork you saw the artist create
and on and on and on.

The best defense for a collector is a combination of knowledge and scepticism.

The more you know the information about the collectible
The more you know where to get the information on the subject
The more people you know and trust who have knowledge on the subject
The more sceptical you are when evaluating a specific item's authenticity.

Knowledge so you know what you should be looking for in any one item. Scepticism to keep you from convincing yourself something is real because you want it to be real. You should enter into any evaluation assuming the item is fake and needing proof that it is real and not the other way around. If you can't find enough evidence that weighs in on the real side, pass.

No serious collector will ever say they got every item 100% correct. Perfection is unattainable unless you limit yourself as listed above, but if you can accept that a few mistakes are worth the enjoyment you get from all the correct decisions then there is no reason you can't enjoy collecting anything you like.