BUYERS BEWARE

As the years progress with me in my search for autographs, 2 areas of concern have risen horribly and though some measures are being done, it is definitely not enough.

FAKE AUTOGRAPHS have risen to proportions that most of the average buyer or collector could never imagine.. Most of the fake autographs have been brought on by greed. EBAY which is a recognized word in the dictionary has fueled the problem but are taking an active role to stop and even prosecute the violators. I knew of a dealer several years ago who was selling on EBay and making a terrific profit. He had what we use to call a "RUNNER" who went out to different events and places and got a personality to sign an item and sold it to a dealer who sold online or by EBAY. Some of the stars such as DEREK JETER and even BRITTANY SPEARS are high power items that many of their fans would like due to the fact that they would never have a one on one meeting. Well, soon this "RUNNER" was bringing him 10 Derek Jeters and most of us in the world of graphing know he usually is a one autograph per person. When concerns were brought to him by EBAY he randomly took 10 items to be authenticated and were sent out with ALL either being very likely or definitely Fake. He had to close his company for if people he sent items to which totaled 50,000 thousand dollars found out, he would be sued and totally bankrupted. There are rumors of some faking autographs as it really is not that difficult if you look at some of the scribbles or just initials that many of them sign today. Most web sites are genuine but some can be shown to have had fake autographs that were put up by sellers who wanted to get rid of them and many if not all never question if they are real or not. Today people want a COA but some are not worth the paper they are written on and though photos taken with the person having the item is a definite plus in the picture, it too is not perfect as the same proof picture is used in selling many items of a personality.. Look for the graphers who get much if not all in person as there are some truly hard working people who have ethics and are honest where they and how they got them. You have STEINER SPORTS, DOCUMENT EXAMINERS, PSA and some other Examiners that are Top Notch and as true as they get. So if You have something that You are not 100% sure is truly real you may want to invest anywhere from 30 to 100 dollars to get it checked out as autographs from all areas of Historical, Sports and Entertainers can be a wonderful investment. REMEMBER one old proverb IF THE PRICE IS TOO GOOD THEN IT USUALLY IS! BUYERS BEWARE.