Question for collectors

[lodiness]

I've started to get a bit of a collection, and I was just wondering if some kinds of COA's are worth more than others? For instance is Upper Deck Authenticated worth more than say a JSA item. Just trying to find out what to look for.

 

Thanks

[PeaveyFury]

Generally speaking, anything certified by a card company (Upper Deck, Donruss, Topps, etc) is usually considered the top level of certification in the resale market (read: ebay). PSA/DNA & JSA are usually a step down below that, then you get the "Bob's Sportscards guarantees the authenticity" pretty far down the line (right above no COA, really).

[MickeyDavis]

Companies that have exclusive contracts with athletes, such as Upper Deck, Steiner, Mounted Memories etc... are top notch. MM has a numbered hologram and you can look it up online to see when/where the item was signed. Third party companies such as PSA/DNA are good but not 100%. I know PSA has authenticated some items that were not authentic.

 

The best authentication obviously is to get it signed yourself. Of course that hurts resale value but most of us who have a collection are never going to sell anyway.

[Paul77]

There's an old ESPN story somewhere on the internet about a Milwaukee man that bought a autographed Upper Deck card for $85,000 only to find out later that 3 different authentication companies doubted it's authenticity. Can you imagine spending that much money on a card? Then having three companies tell you it "might" be real?

[lodiness]

I've just been noticing that there are a ton of different authentications, and I wanna get the most bang for my buck. I just feel more comfortable buying something that has a solid Authentication. I don't think that I will ever sell my stuff, I just wanna know if I'm getting hosed on something.

[Bikeage77]

I haven't been buying signed balls off eBay the past few years for thsoe reasons above lodi. There's always that risk based on the company. I feel Steiner ridiculously overcharges (400 for a Curt Schilling ball for example). One of the other places I found that I got good deals from was Reggie Jackson's company. I can't think of it. Reggie Jackson 44 or something like that. Even with the COA's, if you find out there fake somewhere down the line, eBay doesn't do the best job of keeping record of items for database purposes.

 

Now I'm mostly just looking for Brewers stuff anyway, but if I'm gonna try to get some other player, at least if I get it, I know it's real, with no plan on selling anything.

[MickeyDavis]

Sometimes you just have to dig for info a little bit. Mikita has a deal with Braun so you know if you buy from him you are getting the real deal. But his COA absolutely sucks, could have been done on any computer. For a guy as big as Braun you would think he'd spring for holograms, those are a lot harder to counterfeit. Another example is Radtke Sports. They had an exclusive with Vick. So anything you buy from them signed by Vick is legit (not that anyone wants Vick Falcons stuff now).

[OldSchoolSnapper]

If you can spend $85,000 on a card, I think you'll be able to buy yourself out of your depression.

[Paul77]

If you can spend $85,000 on a card, I think you'll be able to buy yourself out of your depression.

Yeah, no kidding. I found the link if anyone is interested. I was reading a little more about the situation. The card, with 4 signatures (two on each side of the card) was estimated to sell for "over $20,000" and this guy wound up winning it (on ebay of all places) for $85,000. Then, a few weeks later, he's watching an HBO special about fake autos and they show the card he just purchased. As much as I hate that he could spend that much on a card, I feel bad for him too. Anyhow the link is below...

 

Card owner now doubts Ruth, Johnson autographs

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/044153169f11580946f3b17fb2317f7d577591a.jpghttp://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/49e158139518540ca8720e1768771153be84aae.jpg

[BrewersSuperCollector]

The person that pulled the card was/is a member of the Beckett message boards. He had the card auctioned on ebay through Beckett. I believe Upper Deck took care of the situation with the winner of the card.

[rm121978]

I know a pretty hardcore memorabilia collector who had some items signed in person by Ted Williams before he died. He ended up taking them to get authenticated by James Spence (JSA) and was told by several of their authenticators that the autos were fakes. Needless to say, he doesn't bother with authentication anymore, lol.

[JimH5]

For vintage stuff, I would feel completely fine in buying from Kevin Keating, Phil Marks, Richard Simon & Jim Stinson.

 

To buy from others, I would trust a JSA or PSA cert, or ones from Mike Guttierez.

 

I buy from all the above guys, along with Steve Verkman at Clean Sweep Auctions, and Mears.

[MickeyDavis]

I know a pretty hardcore memorabilia collector who had some items signed in person by Ted Williams before he died. He ended up taking them to get authenticated by James Spence (JSA) and was told by several of their authenticators that the autos were fakes. Needless to say, he doesn't bother with authentication anymore, lol.

Exactly I also know some people who had things signed in person and then were told by both PSA and JSA that they sigs weren't authentic.

[JimH5]

While those stories are unfortunate, I would much rather have them deny a good signature than pass a bad one.

 

None of the authenticators are perfect. Unless you personally see someone signing an item, there will always be a chance the signature is bogus.

 

You just have to go with an authenticator who has the best reputation, and I would say that JSA and PSA/DNA are the two leaders right now.

 

Incidentally, Ron Keurajian who used to write for SCD (maybe he still does) is putting out a book later this year with signature examples of all the Hall of Famers and others.

[MickeyDavis]

While those stories are unfortunate, I would much rather have them deny a good signature than pass a bad one.

Unfortunately that has happened as well. I used to work in the business so I've worked with these companies quite a bit. Actually I still consult in the business http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

While using a company like JSA, PSA, et al.. is a good starting point and they certainly are above board, if I was looking to buy (or sell) a valuable sig I would have it authenticated by 2-3 companies. Obviously the only way to be 100% sure is to witness the signing yourself but have multiple independent analysis will get you the right result 99% of the time.

[apirk]

I know a pretty hardcore memorabilia collector who had some items signed in person by Ted Williams before he died. He ended up taking them to get authenticated by James Spence (JSA) and was told by several of their authenticators that the autos were fakes. Needless to say, he doesn't bother with authentication anymore, lol.

I think older players especially when they sign and are way up in age would be extremely difficult to authenticate. I got a Stan Musial last year in person and I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't pass because his hands were shakey to the point he couldn't do inscriptions.

[MickeyDavis]

That's a good point. Many athletes signatures change throughout the years. Some even change within a year or two. Urlacher has had a couple of different sigs. Some players sign one way when it's free and another when they are getting paid for it.