Jsa and psa/dna

[egri]

Buying from trustworthy sellers is a good starting point. The sellers you see on our BST threads are trustworthy, as are the other members that I've bought from in the past. Every now and then there's a knucklehead (Mr. Bartiromo, we await the activation of your stealth accounts that will "spam the hell out of the boards") but as a rule, they're good guys. Also, developing your own eye to tell what is good and what is forged will help give you peace of mind. I'm trying to do that as I build my project; it takes time, and it's a WIP, but it's getting there. Hope this helps.

[EYECOLLECTVINTAGE]

Originally Posted by egri

Buying from trustworthy sellers is a good starting point. The sellers you see on our BST threads are trustworthy, as are the other members that I've bought from in the past. Every now and then there's a knucklehead (Mr. Bartiromo, we await the activation of your stealth accounts that will "spam the hell out of the boards") but as a rule, they're good guys. Also, developing your own eye to tell what is good and what is forged will help give you peace of mind. I'm trying to do that as I build my project; it takes time, and it's a WIP, but it's getting there. Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot. Good Luck

[mighty bombjack]

Those two alphabet companies rule out blatant fakes and are right most of the time, but they make plenty of mistakes as well, some very high profile. Think of them more as marketing tools than authenticators, good for some level of peace of mind but more valuable for resale value IMO.

As has been said here many times, research is a big part of this and should be enjoyable (i.e., part of the hobby beyond owning pieces of history). If what you read about the alphabets disturbs you and you are looking for absolute certainty, I would seek a different hobby.

[mighty bombjack]

And remember this: when it comes to autographs of long deceased people, all we have are opinions and opinions of those giving opinions. You have to research the items but also know who is judging authenticity and for what purpose. Reading certain websites that pick apart the alphabets (coughcoughhaulsofshamecough) can be fascinating and great education, but even those websites are agenda driven and aren't right 100% of the time (especially when, like the alphabets themselves, they aren't naming the authenticators who may have deemed an autograph 'bad'; like many in this hobby, they may be going with the expert who's telling them what they want to hear).

[hawaiian bam bam]

i think we are getting to apoint in this hobby where we will have just two options, either get it ourselves in person or buy factory certified pack pulled autographs. (if that is an option for what you collect)

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

i think we are getting to apoint in this hobby where we will have just two options, either get it ourselves in person or buy factory certified pack pulled autographs. (if that is an option for what you collect)

Again, if absolute certainty is what you want, than these are good alternatives (and even a few pack-pulled cards have been called into question)

[hawaiian bam bam]

true, but i think the card manufacturers might be alot more likely to be authenticated right versus TPAs..

THIS is the ONLY reason i dont collect factory certified autographs any more!

Someone please tell me that this is NOT the norm and maybe just someones storing or displaying of this card in sunlight that caused this card to fade so bad (and not the actual sharpie)

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

true, but i think the card manufacturers might be alot more likely to be authenticated right versus TPAs..

THIS is the ONLY reason i dont collect factory certified autographs any more!



Someone please tell me that this is NOT the norm and maybe just someones storing or displaying of this card in sunlight that caused this card to fade so bad (and not the actual sharpie)

Ugh! That sucks man. Is it your card?

It is not the norm in general or for that set in particular. I happen to have that complete set (2002 Topps Finest Moments) because I was the Editor that chose the photos for it!

I worked at Topps in 2001-2002

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Those two alphabet companies rule out blatant fakes and are right most of the time, but they make plenty of mistakes as well, some very high profile. Think of them more as marketing tools than authenticators, good for some level of peace of mind but more valuable for resale value IMO.

As has been said here many times, research is a big part of this and should be enjoyable (i.e., part of the hobby beyond owning pieces of history). If what you read about the alphabets disturbs you and you are looking for absolute certainty, I would seek a different hobby.

Bingo in all respects. I finally sent a link to PSA for a 'quick opinion', just so that I would have that when I re-sold the item. Unfortunately the link did not work - they refunded my money, then ignored me when I sent another link. That was my only experience sending anything to a TPA.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by egri

Buying from trustworthy sellers is a good starting point. The sellers you see on our BST threads are trustworthy, as are the other members that I've bought from in the past. Every now and then there's a knucklehead (Mr. Bartiromo, we await the activation of your stealth accounts that will "spam the hell out of the boards") but as a rule, they're good guys. Also, developing your own eye to tell what is good and what is forged will help give you peace of mind. I'm trying to do that as I build my project; it takes time, and it's a WIP, but it's getting there. Hope this helps.

With all due respect, just trusting the sellers on Net54 BST is not the answer to this guy's question, any more than just trusting a JSA or PSA cert.

Your last point regarding educating yourself, is the answer. If you don't have an eye for autographs (it's okay to lack aptitude in this area - I can't do brain surgery) then you have to pick a very, very select few sellers to purchase from. Luckily, all of the ones I would lump in that category sell here on Net54...along with the knuckleheads you alluded to.