Warning: Disturbing Autograph "Authentication" Material!

[tcdyess]

Wow, what a gread read.. thanks for posting it...

[travrosty]

This is something else, brings it to the next level. WOW!

They need to find out who consigned it the first time around, who bought it, and who consigned it the second time around, and the relationships between these consignors, buyers and all of the people involved in this transaction from the auction house, the authenticators, everybody. It's time they got to the bottom of this because it's not just someone's "opinion" anymore", it's gone today, here tomorrow.

First red flag is how a Wagner signature could be so light ont he original consignment when all the other signatures are a bold 9 or 10, and the first day cover doesn't show signs of duress or sun fading. Then how all the signatures could be deemed a 10 just two years later without the same authenticators remembering such a remarkable item, especially with the Ty Cobb signed letter of provenance.

The first thing an authenticator would remember in my opinion is "I remember that", "didn't it have a faded Wagner signature though?" It was just 2 years prior.

And he had to issue a new cert for it since it was now James Spence-PSA, while the first time around it was just James Spence. So there can't be an excuse that it already had a coa, no need to look at it again and issue another one, just use the first cert.

It was PSA backing spence the second time around so when he said all of the signatures were now a 10, that fancy spectral comparator machine must have not been plugged in?

As I ask each time something eye opening like this shows up - Is THIS enough now to realize there is a serious problem here with these same recurring companies?

[batsballsbases]

Disturbing to say the least! Why I always say this is why I stopped collecting autographed anything many years ago. To see all these FRANKENSTEIN pieces pop up years later to be questioned really makes you wonder if many of these items were real in the first place.Sad fact of life my friends is if there is money to be made someone will always find a way to expliot it for all it is worth. Sad part to me is all this " increditable material" sitting in great collections can it all be real? We are suppose to believe that a person with such vast knowledge of autographs issues a COA,LOA, Piece of garbage A, what ever you want to call it ,then a person puts down 10,20,30,40 thousand on an item,only to find out years later that it is fake,junk,garbage. Who is held accountable? Laughable fact is all these "experts" laugh at all the other "experts" when their items are called into question and deemed fake.
Fact: no one can tell even an "expert" that an autograph is 100% good or 100% bad. Its a GUESS. Eduacated as you think you are sorry its still a guess. Until someone puts money in an account to reimburse the poor guy who got stuck with your A$$ wipe LOA,COA then my friend you have no right calling yourself an expert.

[springpin]

What is the opinion of board members on fakes/forgeries in other areas of baseball collectibles? How about gloves, bats, uniforms, pennants, trophies, etc.? I find fantasies and reproductions in pinbacks, but they are not really all that common.

[RickGallway]

[slidekellyslide]

I'm not pointing any fingers here, just theorizing...what's to keep any of these so called hobby experts from pocketing huge sums of money on forgeries themselves? With what some of these items sell for their word on one or two items can be worth what I make in an entire year.

[smokelessjoe]

I have not read the article yet, so maybe I should not comment...? But the first thing I notice is the Cooperstown Postal Date Stamp. Is it my eyes or does the top pic have a date of 1929 and the bottom one 1939???

Sorry if I have just stated the obvious...

[batsballsbases]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

I'm not pointing any fingers here, just theorizing...what's to keep any of these so called hobby experts from pocketing huge sums of money on forgeries themselves? With what some of these items sell for their word on one or two items can be worth what I make in an entire year.

Dan,
I agree 100% Jeez let me get my expert (of which Im one myself) to give me a COA on this worthless piece of crap for my next auction,make myself a quick 30 thousand and by the time anyone finds out I will be long gone! As Eddie Murphy would say "hay its christmas time I need to buy that GI Joe with the kung foo grip. I feel it out there there PANICKIN ,PANICKIN I tell ya"

[dog*dirt]

This whole thing makes me sick. Although autographs are not really my thing it is just bad for the hobby in general, whether it's memorabilia or cards. We just had some recent posts as why some people feel the hobby is in decline and when you constantly see articles like this it is not helping to add people to the hobby..

[tcdyess]

I was just looking at the Huggins & Scott auction going on with all those JSA LOAs.... certainly makes me wonder...

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by RickGallway

The video spectral comparator they claim to have that detects erasures must have been loaned out to Batman at the time.

[Scott Garner]

Yikes!! Another black eye for the hobby.......