Poll: Is this Cobb legit, or is it a "rotten peach"?

[RichardSimon]

Don - the poll stands at 37-5, basically that means the vast majority of the people who voted do not give any credibility to your version of events. That is the most overwhelming vote I have ever seen in a pole on Net54.
You have stated there is a visible impression on the back of the autograph, made by a pen. If the autograph was printed by machine, which is what most believe, then there should be no impression. So these people are all saying they doubt your story.
A word of advice - if your story is true, and you know it to be true, take a picture of the signature with a current newspaper and post that here and then ship the autograph to me or Travis. I will be happy to reimburse your shipping expenses.
Otherwise there will always be doubts about you and your entire story. The story of the cut appearing in an estate sale with old cards, the story of PSA and the amazing forger who fooled them and everything connected to this will always be doubted. Your future actions in the hobby will always carry this story with them. You have backed yourself into a position where you have to prove your innocence. I know that is contrary to the American way but that is how things have turned out here. And it is quite easy for you to prove your innocence. Extraordinarily easy as a matter of fact. And please, don't repeat the story of being afraid the cut will get lost or that I will do something with it. Nobody here gives those stories any credibiliy at all. Those stories just make you look much worse and tend to make people totally disbelieve whatever you say.
Don the ball is in your court now.
What will you do?

[smotan_02]

When did a witch hunt become part of the hobby? Stock up on your game used pitch forks.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by smotan_02

When did a witch hunt become part of the hobby?

Maybe after deception became part of the hobby?

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Maybe after deception became part of the hobby?

+1

[smotan_02]

That is just it. Donovan has not openly deceived anyone. He has been completely open and honest. A deceptive person would have carried on with the sale. You take his lack of posting as deception and tell him he must "prove his innocence" What?! Give me a break. Like most of us the guy has a job, he doesnt have time to ask how high when you say jump. It's his cut, if he wants to burn it, frame it, make an airplane out of it, roll it into a cigar and smoke it, then that is his business. You want to hold your breath and stomp your feet because he wont send it to someone that he doesnt know and let alone know their motives. You poll was right, way to go, high five each other, the auto is a fake. Let it go. You guys can have your autos, this is too sad for me.

[RichardSimon]

So you think that he "found" this cut among a group of Goudey cards at an estate sale? That the amazing forger just dropped it in there? That there is the impression of a pen on the back of the autographed paper?
I am not sure what the answer is to these questions. I am trying to find out what the answers are. I am trying to find out if deception is involved. It can all be easily cleared up by Don. I realize if he does not want to do it, that is his right, but we then have the right to think what we want to think.

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by smotan_02

That is just it. Donovan has not openly deceived anyone. He has been completely open and honest. A deceptive person would have carried on with the sale. You take his lack of posting as deception and tell him he must "prove his innocence" What?! Give me a break. Like most of us the guy has a job, he doesnt have time to ask how high when you say jump. It's his cut, if he wants to burn it, frame it, make an airplane out of it, roll it into a cigar and smoke it, then that is his business. You want to hold your breath and stomp your feet because he wont send it to someone that he doesnt know and let alone know their motives. You poll was right, way to go, high five each other, the auto is a fake. Let it go. You guys can have your autos, this is too sad for me.

It is obvious to most that he is not being forthright about the autograph.

He wouldn't be defensive about it and fight tooth and nail if he was a victim and had the opportunity to have it checked out for free by one of the hobby's long time respected authenticators in Mr. Simon.

He had no problem sending it through the mail to psa, the same company that made the wrong call initially about the autograph, but won't send it for a second opinion to someone who didn't get it wrong?

No one is saying he can't do with it what he wants. Obviously he can.

What we are questioning is his motives for hiding it from the hobby and being so quick to destroy something that you can't get back once it's gone that could help the hobby in the autograph forgery education department.

Let's learn from it. let's find out if it is really a hand drawn forgery, or if it is a printed scan. PSA has a vested interest in it being one way or the other. An authenticator like Richard does not have any skin in the game. We simply don't believe PSA, and we have a hard time believing Donavon's motivation for wanting to burn it.

He's not caught behind enemy lines in WWII with secret codes and needs to eat them. To say that the autograph could get lost in the mail or that someone might pass away is ridiculous. We ain't buying it.

Smotan, I assume you believe PSA's assessment that someone can have the ability and the steadiest hand in the world to exactly copy another autograph with no discernable differences to the human eye? Is that what you believe? Because we don't believe it. And if it is a computer printed copy, then PSA shouldn't be able to get away with saying that they didn't get fooled by a printed copy and that is why Donavon seems to be complicit in the plan to make sure no separate third party can verify the computer printed autograph.

[smotan_02]

Originally Posted by travrosty

Smotan, I assume you believe PSA's assessment that someone can have the ability and the steadiest hand in the world to exactly copy another autograph with no discernable differences to the human eye? Is that what you believe? Because we don't believe it. And if it is a computer printed copy, then PSA shouldn't be able to get away with saying that they didn't get fooled by a printed copy and that is why Donavon seems to be complicit in the plan to make sure no separate third party can verify the computer printed autograph.

I believe one fact in the autograph industry. Every single assessment of an unwitnessed autograph is an opinion.