Some third party authentication companies will glance at your autographed memorbillia and instantly tell you it's not genuine, but not before charging you a huge fee to do so.
Make Sure You Do Not Fall Victim to Third Party Authentication Companies.
Autograph Authentication
Who Is The Best or At Least The Most Accurate
There’s so much negative talk amongst collectors about how poorly is the accuracy of the so called autograph authenticating companies.
At a recent sports show a group of collectors were discussing how they all agree that COA’s from the more active high profile companies on eBay are basically a joke and useless. More and more collectors are no longer submitting items for their autographs to be authenticated.
They are now depending on an accurate bill of sale from an autograph dealer that has credentials. After all it’s your only legal document.
Since popular areas of collecting seem to be sports and Presidents of the United States that was the area to do a short study on the accuracy of some of the authenticating companies.
A team of autograph experts from PADAH (Preferred Autograph Dealers and Auction Houses) was chosen to do a survey and President Bill Clinton’s signature on a baseball was their choice.
The following two signed baseballs were chosen from eBay as good exemplars to start the investigation. Both baseballs were authenticated by PSA/DNA.
It is recommended that one uses these two illustrations as a guide.
On eBay it seems that JSA has authenticated the most baseballs believed by their “experts” to be genuinely signed by Bill Clinton.
We have chosen four illustrations from eBay. How can someone (an expert at JSA) state that the following baseball is genuinely signed by Bill Clinton?
Compare the following signature with the two certified by PSA/DNA.
Now if JSA states the above ball is signed by Clinton, then how can the next one also be genuine.
The “experts” at JSA have stated the following ball is genuinely signed by Clinton. How could this possibly be if the one’s illustrated above are genuine.
Based on JSA believing the above two Bill Clinton signed balls are genuine, who at JSA has determined this third one below is real?
Let’s look at one more ball below passed by JSA. This one is only asking $449.99.
Which of the four balls above would you purchase? CAN THIS TYPE OF AUTHENTICATING BE CALLED LEGITIMATE?
If this short study thus far hasn’t convinced you that COA’s are basically worthless, you deserve to have one of these balls in your collection.
Let’s try another one of the high-profile companies. The signature on this ball is so bad that only one example will be illustrated from this company. This should convince anyone not to spend more time with this authentication company.
The ball illustrated below has been authenticated by Beckett Authentication, Steve Grad as the lead authenticator . With his past history authenticating autographs, enough said.
How can anyone, certify the above signature as genuine. Like the old saying goes, "Is something wrotten in Denmark?"
Trying one more time with a little unknow outfit is a ball authenticated by PAAS. The lead authenticator is listed as Mike Frost. However from several court records his name is Michael Fiegenbaum. Why hide your real name?
Maybe you hide your real name when you put out a COA like the following.
One more thing, his “experts” listed are his wife and brother and son. Two others have asked Feigenbaum to remove their names, Neil Lanigan and Roger Gilchrist. They have done so in writing, as they have never been associated with this PAAS.
Most interesting, is that this item is authenticated as genuine. the signature is so bad, in the description the seller has written “PAAS Authenticated full letter of authentication. Please also make the determination of authenticating for yourself by examining the photo/signature."
PAAS has a history of being the choice of forgers. Based on the above xample, it is understandable.
The autograph experts at PADAH have determined that:
PSA/DNA is the obvious winner of being the most accurate when authenticating signatures of Bill Clinton on a baseball.
As for the other three, apparently they don’t appear to be in the game. SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG WITH THE BUSINESS OF AUTHENTICATING AUTOGRAPHS. It needs to be examined by some agency to clean it up. Even a barber who charges $15.00 to give a haircut needs a liscense!
