Jeter Autographed Ball? How Do You Tell?
We are not Jeter experts but this signature looks pretty close. However it comes with no authentication from Steiner and the seller claims that he gets some autographs in person. This looks too clean to be in person, however I guess it could have been signed in person?
What do you think about Jeter signed items that don't come with Steiner Certificates?
Here is the auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280049012775&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:2
posted by ALLAuthentic.com @ 3:43 PM
64 comments
64 Comments:
I have made this statement before. Any serious compnay could have a Jeter sweet spot signature on an Official MLB baseball, not a Chinese made Offical Leauge ball. If you look at the seller's other items, he is obviously only forging signetures of the most popular stars and hardest sigs to obtain at a cheap price. A tru Ali boxing glove would start at $500-$1000 dollars and get that much if it was authentic...not a paltry hundred bucks. The Pujols ball he is selling is a horrible mess - not even close BUD. David Ortiz would be ashamed if he knew someone was forgin his signature in such a way. I really got a kcik out of the Ernie Banks ball. Any real Cubs fan has probably seen a million facsimilies of his autograph over the years, and the fact that someone would bid on that crap and not check it wiht a Steiner or PSA ball is beyond comprhension. He obviously spent the most time working on his Jeter - so my guess is he has either sold a bunch of those, or is planning to sell more based on the fact the he can get at least a hundred out of his forgery on a $3.00 baseball. His username is Sprotsfanpalace...and his name should forver be in the blocked section of your preferences.
First of all, this baseball (you'll have to click the link to see it) is an obvious fake autographed baseball of Derek Jeter. Second;y, Derek does not inscribe baseballs except for Steiner Sports. The seller of this baseball is Ebay ID "sportsfanpalace." All he sells is fakes. And as usual, people are bidding on his garbage. His Albert Pujols autographed baseball is a really bad fake. I've complained to Ebay about this seller so evidently Ebay has given this seller a "green light" to sell his fake autograph items even after my reports. Another seller Ebay has given the "green light" to sell fake autograph items is seller "baseballdome." In the last 60 days or so he has sold over 2200 fake autograph cards and he just put up 347 fake autograph items on Ebay. Another seller given the "green light" to sell fakes is seller "fansindastands." What do I mean by giving a "green light?" Well if I take the time to send Ebay's Safe Harbour reports on fake autograph items and they don't act on them, then in essence they are giving these sellers a "green light" to sell their fake autograph items. It really is as simple as that. A seller named "bdiamondsports (who used to sell a ton of fake autograph items)" recently changed their Ebay ID to "diamondsportslegacy" and they are still selling the same fake autograph items. Now you mean to tell me that Ebay doesn't have software sophisticated enough to "flag" that change and catch him selling fake autograph items again. Not only that, but I filed a few reports to Ebay about him and he is still allowed to sell his fakes. It just goes on and on.
First of all, this baseball (you'll have to click the link to see it) is an obvious fake autographed baseball of Derek Jeter. Second;y, Derek does not inscribe baseballs except for Steiner Sports. The seller of this baseball is Ebay ID "sportsfanpalace." All he sells is fakes. And as usual, people are bidding on his garbage. His Albert Pujols autographed baseball is a really bad fake. I've complained to Ebay about this seller so evidently Ebay has given this seller a "green light" to sell his fake autograph items even after my reports. Another seller Ebay has given the "green light" to sell fake autograph items is seller "baseballdome." In the last 60 days or so he has sold over 2200 fake autograph cards and he just put up 347 fake autograph items on Ebay. Another seller given the "green light" to sell fakes is seller "fansindastands." What do I mean by giving a "green light?" Well if I take the time to send Ebay's Safe Harbour reports on fake autograph items and they don't act on them, then in essence they are giving these sellers a "green light" to sell their fake autograph items. It really is as simple as that. A seller named "bdiamondsports (who used to sell a ton of fake autograph items)" recently changed their Ebay ID to "diamondsportslegacy" and they are still selling the same fake autograph items. Now you mean to tell me that Ebay doesn't have software sophisticated enough to "flag" that change and catch him selling fake autograph items again. Not only that, but I filed a few reports to Ebay about him and he is still allowed to sell his fakes. It just goes on and on.
Also, seller "sportsfanpalace" claims "I buy all of my items in bulk from respected dealers such as upper deck, and tristar." That is an exact quote. If he really purchased from UDA and Tristar then where are they? He doesn't sell any UDA or Tristar autographed items. He sells garbage. He sells fakes. Where is Ebay's Safe harbour?
There is one thing that I would like to comment on, and that is the fact that Derek does sign for fans. He enjoys signing for kids. But the problem is that you have hundreds of sellers on Ebay who have an endless supply of Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, etc., autographed items and they are all FAKE! The majority of them have more in inventory than UDA or Steiner Sports. But the fact is they are fake. These guys sit at home, buy baseballs, bats, footballs, etc. in bulk and then sign the items themselves. They purchase cheap, cheesy items to sign so that their profit margin is higher. A good example is seller "Americansportscollectibles." He sold over 2500 various fake autographed footballs from the Manning family, Dan Marino, Ben R., Joe Montana, etc. You mean to tell that the buyers of those fakes never questioned how he could have thousands of autographed footballs from the aformentioned athletes. The one other thing to consider is that many of them use a legitimate autograph and then ship you something different. Wake up people! You're getting ripped off.
Here's another seller who is selling a ton of fake autographed photos. Their Ebay ID is "streetsigned." Check out their really bad Jeter signed photo: 190052352433.
This seller sells all fakes.
Streetsigned is a St. Louis based seller and I asked him about his fake Rolen/Pujols auto . He claims that he is in the process of setting up a retail operation at Al Hrabosky's Saloon or oustide of Busch Stadium. If he does, you can bet he will immediately be reported to the authorities. He is only one of the many, but we need to take expose as many as possible...becasue it is very likely that some of them are working together. Chris is also right about guys who post a picture of a real auto and send out a fake one. diamondsfinest does this occasionaly - along with some really bad fakes signed in "mysterious" locations with a stupid fake diamond on top of each item. If you see a diamond in the picture, pass.
Just another note about seller "baseballdome." He just put up 402 more fake autograph items. As we all know, we have filed complaints about this seller to Ebay but obviously they are allowing him to sell his fake autograph cards. What he does is buy boxes of cards and then signs them. His fake football autographs are all on the 2006 Upper Deck product and his baseball cards are all the 2006 Upper Deck baseball product. Once his auctions end, he goes out, buys more boxes of cards, and then signs them with the same players all over again. Where is Ebay's Safe Harbour?
Also, looks like seller "Americansportscollectibles" is trying to sneak his fake autographed footballs back on Ebay. He has two fake ones up from a so-called company called "Miami Authentics." But it is still the same old garbage. I did report the items to Ebay's Safe Harbour.
Also, stay away from seller "Diamondsportslegacy." Nothing but fake garbage. Stay away from sellers "streetsigned" and "mik0087." These sellers sell all fake autograph items. These are sellers that I've filed reports to Ebay about but I guess Ebay's Safe Harbour Department is on vacation (been a long, long vacation).
chris, what are your thoughts on this? Item number: 280049501337
thanks
J-Man, I did check that item out. And I have to say it looks authentic to me. I tried to magnify it as much as I could without distorting it. Thanks, J-Man.
thanks chris, i've contacted the seller and he seems pretty legit.. i might bid on it when the time is closer to ending.
thanks again
that would be chris (perch712 on ebay) who posts all of these blogs. yes that is correct he lives in a trailer, doesnt wake up until about 2pm, but claims to be an expert on ebay. if he was an authenticator with say psa/dna or another authenticator, he would have a right to post nasty blogs about other dealers but guy has no right to say anything about autographs except for his love for derek jeter and coins.
It's nice to hear that I have these "bad sellers" on the run and on the defensive because it tells me I'm doing the right thing. And I never say anything nasty about anyone in this blog, I simply write THE TRUTH about the fake autograph memorabilia industry. The "bad sellers" are upset that I continue my work and that I will not be intimidated by anything they write or say. These "bad sellers" make a easy living selling fake autograph items to unsuspecting buyers and I will do all I can to stop it. My writings will continue. And I want to "Thank" my supporters here (Kelly, Bigtruck, J-Man and others). The irony is that more people are after me for being a "good guy" rather than people going after the "bad guys." For some reason most people are actually afraid of the "bad sellers." I recently wrote a post about a buyer who discovered who had purchased a fake autographed baseball but was too afraid of the seller to confront him. I don't understand that mentaility.
By the way have you noticed that the "bad guys" hide behind "anonymous" and that the "good guys" have their names out there. That's because the "bad guys" are always hiding. They hide behind their name; they hide their residential addresses and use a "mail forwarding" address instead. They even hide behind their words.
You want to know what is really sad...People that branch off to sites that don't primarly deal in autographed items. i.e. Overstock.com People that shop on this website are being taken for a ride by these scamers...Look at this sorry excuse for a Yankees Team signed ball...
http://auctions.overstock.com/item/35620302
This ball features autographs by Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui and Mariano Rivera...Best of all you can own it for only $225...What a joke...Sound off with your opinion...
Everyone has got to check out this fake Pujols auto...It's a joke...
http://auctions.overstock.com/item/35471067
This Jeter auto looks pretty legit. Can someone tell me their thoughts? Thanks
http://auctions.overstock.com/item/36077436
That photo looks like the ones from Steiner's website...if that's the case, it should come with a Steiner COA. As far as the anonymous writer who slammed Chris, a legit eBay seller. This is what I have to say to you:
If you have noticed Chris' auction, you will see that everything he sells is legit and mostly high dollar stuff - he has a right to be upset when someone undercust him by say $300 on a fake Jeter ball. I doubt with that kind of inventory he lives in a trailer - but even if you do Chris, keep posting for the good of the REAL collecting community.
Hey "anonymous" - I'm glad you finally googled yourself to see where you are being blacklisted. My guess is that you are one of those guys who sells a hundred "in person" fake Jeters and/or Pujols sigs every week to unsuspecting kids and wanna be collectors. You probably have stacks of paper by your computer to make your "COA's" and a bunch of MLB stock photos that you use as "proof". Word to the wise, you never really know who is bidding on your items...one of these days it is going to be the authorities. HEY PJUICE 1757 -You've been back for 1 day and you have 4 fakes that you keep user IDs private so that you can shill bid on your own items! Your Jeter fake was forwarded to Steiner Sports...hoipe you have deep pockets brother.
...Oh yeah, and that Overstock Yankees ball...geez.
It took me about an hour to finish but I checked almost every auction for signed baseballs, bats and jerseys and I would have to say that 99.9% of the items are fake on Overstock.com It's a joke...You thought Ebay was bad...Please check out this site...I know that everyone has seen the comcerials for it...We need to bring these bogus sellers down one way or another...
Good point about the other auction sites like Yahoo and Overstock. Over 95% of the Jeter autograph items on those two sites are fake, although 99% seems like a better percentage. Also, for these "bad guys" to be attacking me personally proves that they are selling fakes since they have no other avenue to take. Yes, and seller "Pjuice1757" is back on Ebay and selling his fakes. After I emailed him about his fake Jeter autographed baseball he "ended his listing early." I am shocked that he was allowed back on Ebay. I'm for everyone getting a second chance but to come back and sell the same fake autograph items is incredible.
Another comment about those other auction sites (Yahoo and Overstock). The majority of those sellers are those that are no longer allowed to sell on Ebay so they try to sell their fake autograph items on the other auction sites. And a comment about Ebay, too. I love Ebay, I really do. I would not own most of the items that I do if it weren't for Ebay. But the the site needs a ton of clean up. More legitimate stuff would sell and they would make even more money on fees and commissions if the "bad guys" were removed.
The seller of those really bad Yankee autographs on a baseball are from a seller who used to sell on Ebay (Ebay ID howiedowg) his same ID on Overstock. He sold a ton of fake autograph items on Ebay.
"This Jeter auto looks pretty legit. Can someone tell me their thoughts? Thanks
http://auctions.overstock.com/item/36077436"
i bet they used a picture from steiner.. it has a "make it mine" price of $74... who would sell an actual steiner ball for $75?
Just to let everyone know that the work we are doing is working slowly but surely. We were looking at a seller ("diamondsfinest25") that we knew was selling a ton of fake autograph items. After we confronted him about it, he shortly thereafter cancelled his own actions, and by this morning (Nov. 21st) he had changed his Ebay ID to "simplythebest1933." I let him know immediately that the name change doesn't allow him to hide. But he did pull all of his fake autograph auctions last night.
Can anyone figure out why you need an account just to contact Overstock.com and complain about frauds??? There is no phone number and you have to create an account and put a credit card on file just to ask questions online...Doesn't make much sense to me...Sorry for changing my username on this blog but when I created an account something must have gone wrong with signing up...So my new blogger display name is kingjr25 formerly kingjr22...
Anyone want to own a autographed Joe D w/hof inscription bat for only $645...For a limited time only at Overstock.com you can be ripped off by a scam artist with horrible hand writing skills...It does come with a COA from well known Court Certified Authenticator who has never been heard of...Don't wait I know you don't want to pass this one by... Here is the link if you are interested...
http://auctions.overstock.com/item/35690090
I hope everyone knows that I am joking!!!
Everyone has got to check this one out...Did you know that you can buy a MICKEY MANTLE AUTOGRAPHED STAT BAT FOR ONLY $625 at OVERSTOCK.COM!!! Once again it comes with a COA from that pesky well known Forensic Court Certified Authenticator
http://auctions.overstock.com/item/36100106
That was a good one, Kingj. I noticed the same thing; you can't ask the seller a question on Overstock.com unless you give them your credit card. But, you can still file a report to Overstock.com about any particular item. By the way, I did file some reports to Overstock about some ex-Ebay sellers who are now selling fakes on Overstock. Thank you for the update, Kingj.
Just glad I could help...It really gets under my skin to see people trying to make a quick buck by ripping others off...A$$h*les like this need to be locked up in prison...I'm sure that would get the message across pretty quick...
Both of those items on overstock look like Marino fogeries. I wonder if someone discovered that their collection was bad after reading Operation Bullpen...notice they do not name the mysterious court authenitcator...probably James Dimaggio - if they listed the name on the COA, someone might do research. The Mantle especially looks like Greg Marino's work...What do you think?
Good news! Seller "Baseballdome" is now "Unregistered" on Ebay. So either he quit or Ebay booted him. It's about time. If Ebay booted then "nice work Ebay." Much more work has to be done but it's a start. Also, seller "chiali2005" once again either had his fake autograph items removed or Ebay removed them. Either way it is great news, too.
HEY GUYS those overstock items from mikel or w/e his name is.....go to his website for a crapload of more FAKES!!! www.signaturedreams.com he has VERY FEW REAL AUTO's BECAUSE THOSE FEW!!!! ARE THE ONES I SOLD TO HIM. i sold about 3 real auto baseballs..... but this guy has so much crap on their its ridiculous....auto bat with williams, mantle, dimaggio and about 10 other guys..on a rawlings bat prolly made last year.... and he says he only likes the court certified forsenic crap cuz they can be in court and some more bs....along with that.....
I just posted this and I think I did it on an old blog. I didnt want my typing to be in vain so Im trying again ;-)
-------------------------
I just stumbled across this site and I LOVE IT! Being a police officer, I've dabbled in handwriting analysis for a few years.
With that in mind, I felt compelled to write the following:
ESM....Well this may seem a little strange but I'll give it a try. How does ESM get autographs from a "so-so" player that all of a sudden had a really good game and became "somebody". Simple, they've worked up a really good base of players and it's simple for them to contract that "so-so" player since they have a large base of popular players.
How does ESM have numerous sets of game used equipment for one player? I am fortunate enough to be friends with a ball player, a wonderful Christian man who played in my home state, Jamey Carroll. Now he's not a "super star" but he's one of the best utility players around (ok my opinion may be a little biased). Either way he's an insider to the baseball market world. Most players go through batting gloves weekly, as well as other equipment, after a few months they take that bag, autograph the pieces and ship it to ESM. Some players actually have sitdowns with a ESM rep and sign it in front of them.
I have purchased memorbillia for numerous years and I've been duped a time or two. So when ESM came on the market with fair prices, I questioned it. I went as far as calling them and asking them a question or two or three (probably 100 but you get the point) They answered all my questions and then some. I have to say that when they answered, it made sense. Now with that said, I don't work for them and I don't buy from them exclusively but I have found that the pieces I have bought from them to be genuine.
As far as the Arod Authenticated. They were a "sub" company of ESM that was created to market all ARod. I'm pretty sure we all know why there is new ARod Authenicated anymore but, I'm sure they have boxes and boxes of equipment and autographs from the years passed.
Well, that's my 2 cents and I look forward to learning more from this site. Sorry for the typos and such, I work the late night and when I'm off work, I have to leave the lights off to keep the wifey sleeping soundly ;-) Whatever you guys do, KEEP THIS PLACE ALIVE AND KICKING! That means you Chris (man your fingers must hurt!) You all are the reason I haven't quit collecting.
Many Thanks,
Devin 552
Well, Devin, thank you for joining us here. None of us are here to promote ourselves or our own collections. We do this because we are sick and tired of the "bad guys" out there selling fake autograph items. It has been going on far too long to tolerate any more. Now we have to convince the "powers that be" to also take action on the "bad guys." Many of these "bad sellers" have literally sold thousands (many over 5,000) of fake autograph items to unsuspecting (some know exactly what they are buying) buyers. It's also totally unacceptable that the "powers that be" continue to allow these "bad guys" to continue selling their junk. And it's also ironic that us, the good guys, are a bigger target than the "bad guys."
Chris, I couldnt agree with you more. After reading over numerous comments I'm kinda wondering if I could assist in the law enforcment side of it. I know I could in Indiana at the least. I'd love to know a little more about the individuals that you have already pegged. You, or anyone can reach me at ctownpd552@yahoo.com Maybe we our combined brain cells we can do some more damage. Let me know what you guys think
Devin
Devon, being that you are Indiana, you might be able to help. There is a seller on Ebay going by the Eby ID of "Americansportscollectibles." I have been complaining to Ebay about him for about 16 months. He has easily sold over 2500 fake autographed footballs from the Manning family (Archie, Peyton and Eli), Ben R., Dan Marino, Joe Montana, etc. He has always had one of two PSA authenticated items up for auction but the remainder are obvious fakes. For some reason Ebay doesn't take any action on him. He claims at times to buy him autograph items in bulk, and then sometimes he claims to acquire the autographs (especially from Peyton Manning) at the Colts home field. I've complained to Ebay about this seller as recently as 48 hours ago. I file reports to Ebay about him aty least twice a week pointing out the fakes but Ebay does nothing. Very puzzling. An example of one of his fakes is Item Number 160056115584. He is located in Carmel, IN.
Devin, first I want to apologize for misspelling your name in the previous comment. I will email you tomorrow. I also wanted to make everyone aware that seller "Diamondsportslegacy (used to be Bdiamondsports)" putting up 100 new fake autograph items on a daily basis. His auction are all 1-Day auctions in order to prevent Ebay from removing his auctions. This is another seller that I complain to Ebay about frequently. He sells mostly fakes and some very suspicious MM items. His baseball autographed items are horrible fakes. I am puzzled by Ebay's lack of action against "Diamondsportslegacy." He uses a "mail forwarding" address like the ring that caught last year.
I'm going to toss this out there and see how everyone feels about it and I may be over stepping the boundary with this but here it goes...Now before you comment take just a minute to "think" about this one...Okay...Here it goes... Now we are not exactly sure how many true "fakes" there are on Ebay but I can guarantee we can tell how many true authentic auto's are out there with the proper COA's (i.e. PSA, UD, etc.) Now we all know that the "fakes" out number the "true autos" by a huge amount...Common sense tells us this and these idiots listing their garbage do as well...So what is wrong with Ebay understanding this??? My theory is that Ebay does know but they are making so much money they don't care...If Ebay took off all the fake autos on their website and banned the bogus sellers how much would they lose in listing fees, reserve fees, final value fees and store fees??? This is a huge industry with thousands if not millions of dollars to be made…By no means and I claiming Corporate America cover-up hippy crap…I’m just a pissed off collector that has had enough…You have to start at the top because apparently this is where the problem is…If Ebay changed the way people could list memorabilia I think it would help immensely…For example…Make it where if you wanted to list some type of autographed item the minimum amount of listing time would have to be three days…No more of this 24 hours B/S!!! If anyone should be investigated is should be Ebay!!! It's a huge scam that they participate in and claim that they are only a 3rd party so they pass on the accountability for the scam they participate in but they still have their hand out collecting "fees"...Trust me...By no means do I have a grudge against Ebay but something has to be done about this...I've been an Ebay member since 2002 and I can't say that the epidemic has gotten any better...So how can we open the eyes of the public and media??? Sound off and add your input...But before you do, just take a few minutes to absorb what I have said...Also, I don’t mind getting bashed but please let’s keep the comments “clean”…
Kingjr22, you sound like I felt two years ago when I first started my own personal investigation into the fake autograph memorabilia industry. Yes I am still "pissed off" but in a more controlled manner, and, I don't think anyone here is going to "bash you" except for the bad guys that read this blog. You are correct when you write that the "problem starts at the top." First of all, the fake autograph memorabilia industry is a billion-dollar-a-year industry. Let's just say that every fake autograph item on Ebay was removed today. That would be a enormous drop in revenue on Ebay and they know that. Are they aware of hundreds (probably more like a few thousand) of sellers selling fake autograph items? Yes they are, make no mistake about that. Here are just two examples of that in seller's "Americansportscollectibles" and "Diamondsportslegacy." Ebay is well aware that those two sellers have sold literally thousands of fake autograph items (and that is just between those two sellers). "Americansportscollectibls" has sold over 3000 just by himself. That is just one seller! Mnay of us thought that after "Operation Bullpen" back in 2000 that the fake autograph memorabilia was a thing of the past. The truth is it was just the beginning. After "Operation Bullpen" Ebay was cleared of any responsibility for that mess even though they made millions in fees off of all that fake autographed memorabilia that was sold. All "Operation Bullpen" did was spawn a generation of copy-cat bad sellers. During my investigation I discovered rings of sellers working together selling the same fake autogrpah items. They all used "mail forwarding" addresses ("Diamondsportslegacy" still uses one). That particular ring was group of seven sellers working together. It took me months to convince Ebay to do something about that ring. That ring sold well over 15,000 fake autograph items, maybe more. That's a lot of money in fees and commissions for Ebay not to mention the Paypal fees. And yes, many of the "bad sellers" use the 1-Day auction to avoid detection and to make quick sales. Ebay can "void" a sale even after the auction has ended but they rarely do it. But what the people who buy all of this fake junk? What are they thinking when they are bidding on that garbage? First of all, you get the people that believe that just because it is on Ebay that it must be a authentic autograph. Or they think that because it comes with a "COA (Certificate Of Authenticity)" that it must be authentic. Anyone can print a "COA" from their PC these days. You get the wannabe collector who wants a cheap authentic autograph and that's why they bid on the junk. What they actually get, of course, is a cheap fake autograph. You also get the buyer who intentionally purchases fake autographs on Ebay so they can resell them on Ebay or at card shows. As Bigtruck about all of the fake Albert Pujols autograph items at card shows in his area. When I go to a card show here in NJ I notice all of the Jeter fakes that I recognized as being sold on Ebay. Those people know exactly what they are buying. Enforcement and education are the key. Checking on a seller's feedback history is key. If you see they have sold a ton of Derek Jeter and Eli Manning autograph items that aren't Steiner Sports, UDA, Tristar, MM, etc. then that has to raise a flag. Ask questions, submit "Quick Opinions." The buyers have kept these "bad guys" in business. The buyers are just as much to blame as anything else. They are literally millions of so-called collectors who now own fake autograph memorabilia that is sitting in their office or home. It doesn't hurt to have some common sense, too. Ebay considers itself a "Open Forum" when it comes to their auctions, but that "Open Forum" should also allow "us" to question the sellers of suspicious autograph items. The double standard is that Ebay sometimes considers that "harassment" which is absurd. Asking questions is "harassment?" There is a seller on Ebay named "simplythebest1933." Until a few days ago his Ebay ID was "diamondsfinest25." He was selling a ton of fake autograph items. When I challenged him on his items he immediately removed his own fake autograph items and changed his Ebay ID. He now sells figurines. And this was a seller who claimed he acquired all of his autograph items in person in New York. I guess my "harassment" worked. The truth is I didn't harass him, I simply challenged the authenticity of his autograph items. I will write more later.
Chris - you hit the nail on the head, and there is no sense in repeating your sentiments. As far as Operation Bullpen goes, it made me more vigilant. I work 40 hours + every week legitimately, and these criminals sit around all day huffing gasoline and rubber cement faking signatures. It's almost like coloring in a book - and they make some serious jack. The Pujols stuff really ticks me off. If Albert had any idea about the amount of his crap that is forged, he would be deeply hurt. He sells his own authentic merchandise to the public strictly for charity purposes - and rarely anywhere else these days. Becasue of the forgery rings, players are reluctant to sign for anyone...this deters anyone from buying his signature unless it came from a contacted memorabilia compnay...ala Jordan and UD. Anyone working in the police department should be welcomed into this site...
Yes, Bigtruck, well said. Maybe there is a way for someone to contact Mr. Pujols about all of the fake autographs. Can you imagine the impact of Mr. Pujols contacting Ebay about all the fake autograph items on their site. That would force Ebay to do an about-face on the way they look at fake autographs on their site. It used to be that Derek Jeter's autograph was the most commonly forged on Ebay, now it's Mr. Pujol's autograph that is the most commonly forged. Like in football, the most commonly forged autographs are those of the Manning family, Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Reggie Bush. The low-lifes that sell that fake junk are just that, low-lifes. Intentionally ripping people off. They are crooks. They commit fraud. They do it with the intention of making money by selling fake autograph items. And they do it on all of the auction sites.
Can anyone explain why my account keeps getting locked up??? Every time I try and log in, my password never works and I have to create a new account...What's weird is that I can keep using the same user name of kingjr22 or kingjr25... Does anyone know what is going on here???
I'm not sure what else I can say...I think that chris and bigtruck260 have summed it up very well...The point is that something has to happen now...
It's done it again...I'm locked out...It's kingjr22 can someone help me with this issue???
I just performed a Ebay search on both "kingjr22" and "kingjr25" and there is no such User ID on Ebay. I have no idea what is going on unless someone stole your ID.
I think you misunderstood me...My user id here on this site is kingjr22...The reason I use kingjr22 and kingjr25 is because that is my email accounts at hotmail...It makes it easier to remember...My Ebay user id is neither one of these...
Hello King, that is weird, we usually don't have login problems...could be that it is case sensitive? Let me know if that works.
I already checked the caps...I made the password very simple and it still says that the user account not found every time I try to login...Any ideas???
~kingjr25
All of you are right. It's been my expierience that starting at the top proves a little difficult. Usually, it's high priced lawyers that win the battle....not always but most of the time.
I do want to express my opinion a little and guys try not to take offense. I keep hearing about the "wannabe" collectors and what nots. While I agree there are some people that buy the crap on purpose, I would guess that it's about 50/50. For example, my mother(inlaw) who is a super person, knows that I love baseball and more importantly the Yanks. Every Christmas she outdoes herself. Last Christmas she bought me an autographed ball of Jeter. Now....I had prewarned all my relatives that if they decide to get an autograph as a gift, only buy from reputable dealers (Steiner, MM, etc.) The only reason she got me a Steiner Jeter was because of my warning. Had I not said anything, I'm sure she would have bought the nearest, cheapest Jeter graph that came with a COA. I guess what Im trying to point out is there are a lot of parents that have bought their little Johnny a autographed Pujols ball out of love and not out of idiocy. That's my 2 cents and ahhhh I feel better.
Now onto the other. Chris have you noticed Amerciansportscollectibles has changed his items. All of them seem to have MM COA's now. I contacted him two days ago in reference to a "problem". And while I haven't received a response, it seems that he's changed MO's/method of operation. Once you email me I'll fill you in. I just don't want to go into too much detail in a public blog. Well that's all for now. I'll check back later. Keep on it guys!
You can also visit me at:
www.ctownpd.com
Later,
Devin
Yes, Devin, I noticed that seller "Americansportscollectibles" put up some suspicious MM items. He also put back up his fake autographed football items from the Manning family, Jown Elway, etc. For some puzzling reason Ebay allows him to continue to sell his fake autographed footballs. I assume it's about all the fees he makes them and they turn a blind eye to the fact that he sells (and has sold) literally thousands of fake autographed footballs. The there's the case of seller "Fansindastands" who last night put up 7 fake Albert Pujols autograph items and 6 fake Derek Jeter autograph items. This is another seller that Ebay has allowed to continually sell fake autograph items. I also asked seller "ernnie0920" a simply question and here is his reply "Are you kidding me??? Do you want pics of them signing this item, you have contacted me about jeter as well?? Would you like proof of the signing who are you you never buy anything??? Who is your group???? You obviously have no idea about what your talking about!!" He immediately got very defensive and my question to him was "Can you please tell me how you acquire your autograph items?" I guess I hit a nerve. You have to understand something about these sellers, before my investigation they had never been challenged about their autograph items. Now they are aware that people like you and I are looking at them. I see that more people are getting involved in this blog, which is a great thing. I also wanted you to know that Bigtruck and myself have contacted a website that has contact with Albert Pujols and we have informed them that we will forward the names of sellers that are selling Albert Pujols fake autograph items. I would love to see Mr. Pujols contact Ebay about the hundreds of fakes on their site every day. More later.
Does anyone know anything about Legends of the Field's products on whether they are authentic?
Hello everyone...It's kingjr25...I need some opinions about this one...I was surfing Ebay and stumbled upon this card and I would like to start an open forum on it...The auction # is 130052932170 The reason I am starting this is because if you pay big $$$ for a high end product shouldn't you get what you pay for??? What would cause Topps to make a cut signature exactly that...CUT and PASTED to fit a product...They butchered a Mickey Mantle signature and then cut in between the MA in Mantle to make Mickey fit in between it and then trimmed and rounded the edges to make it all fit...Then they did a poor job of putting it all together and gluing it to the card...What is this card company doing??? To top if off the seller wants a hefty $7,000 for this awful “butchered” signature…Sound off…
Chris's favorite word is "Fake" because thats what kind of life he leads....I feel sorry for losers like him....someday somebody is gonna come knocking on that #47 trailer and shut that rude mouth of his up.....count on it..!!!
PSA is flunked by the Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau of Southern California has now given PSA an F rating. That is the lowest possible rating that a company can get from the BBB. Here is a quote from their website about what an F rating means: "We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices."
Here is a summary on the BBB website about the reasons for giving PSA an F rating:
Some complainants allege the company fails to return items sent in for authentification, and in some cases deny ever receiving the item. Other customers complain that the company fails to provide services as agreed, returning itenms without explanation as to why they are determined not to be authentic. Some complainants allege items sent are lost, misplaced, or that the company replaces the high quality items sent in, with lesser valued items before returning to the customer. A few customers complain the company misrepresented the value of cards they purchased, and found after spending considerable amounts of money, a second opinion determined the item as worthless. Most customers report they experience difficulty contacting the company to resolve problems, claiming calls are not returned, and voice-mail or e-mail messages are not answered.
The company responds to some complaints by offering explanations, or by directing complainants to review their policies which are posted on the website. In cases where items are missing or lost, the company asks for proof of delivery, registered tracking numbers, copies of submission forms, check numbers used, dates checks were posted, and any other documentation that might be associated to the transaction, advising the complainant the information will be taken under review, and resolution will depend on the information provided. The company addresses some complaints regarding purchased items by advising the complainant they do not engage in the sale of sports memorabilia, and they must have confused them with another company. The company disputes most allegations, and refunds or credits are usually not issued.
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Breaking News:
September 1, 2006
Autograph Authentication Travesty Continues
Just when you thought you heard all the negative comments that could possibly be said about autograph authenticators/opinionators, a new story breaks that shocks the autograph community!
This article is by no means to single out any individual person or company. We offer autograph news that will not be found anywhere else. We have no advertisers to offend. Many will find this story to be unbelievable, but we can assure you that what we write is accurate and the information comes right out of an auction catalog. As mentioned elsewhere on this site, should what we write be found inaccurate, an apology and correction will be made to that article. This has not happened to date.
Many of the complaints we hear from autograph collectors and dealers are about their experience with an autograph authenticator. Recently, www.autographalert.com has held interviews and concluded that there is a movement to blacklist autograph sellers and auction houses who use third party authenticators. During the last few weeks two major autograph auction houses have dropped the authenticating companies they utilized. It appears that collectors want to go back to the old ways of sellers guaranteeing the material they sell. Unfortunately, some sellers know little about autographs so they will hire a third party authenticator. If these authenticators/opinionators state "the item looks good" the item is put up for sale under the terms "ALL AUTOGRAPH SALES ARE FINAL."
The "authenticator/opinionator" is hired and paid by the seller. Some of these authenticator/opinionators can be easily influenced by the seller. The buyer will never know if the authenticator/opinionator has actually seen the item being sold. Many decisions are made by simply looking at a scan of the item to be sold. Always keep in mind the authenticator/opinionator is hired by the seller and many authenticators/opinionators do not want to loose a good client over a few "questionable" items so these items can get passed as genuine.
Educational articles on autograph collecting have been written for decades. Most are informative but few basic. The very basic is rarely written about since most writers assume the readers have basic knowledge about writing which they should have learned in grade school.
We would like to address the simple practice of a secretary signing a letter for her boss. A subject which we were not aware has been ever written about in any autograph journal. Probably never touched on since writers assume anyone with a high school diploma knows the answer.
December 23, 2006
James Spence of
James Spence Authentication Hits a "FOUL BALL!"
Even some of the skeptics are starting to ask "why does anyone still use third party authenticators"?
The amount of sophomoric mistakes being made are numerous. The autograph market has been flooded with bad items passed as good. Just as bad, many dealers are fuming over the multitude of genuine items being failed.
There are a few answers to why some auction houses continue to use those who claim to be third party authenticators. One being some auction houses like to play dumb and state they know nothing about autographs and if the authenticator says the item is real, they go ahead and sell it. Not their fault if it turns out not to be genuine. Another reason, it is a way to get spurious items passed as genuine.
Auction houses have a lot of power over some authenticators. Authenticators can write and get paid for hundreds of Certificates of Authenticity a month. Some will do what's necessary to hold onto the auction house as an account.
www.autographalert.com has been notified by a handful of noted autograph specialists of what appears to be the hobby's latest "major blunder."
In a November 10-11, 2006 Hunt Auction catalog, item #474 is described as a Scarce Ed Delahanty autographed handwritten letter dated Dec. 27, 1899, the baseball Hall of Famer. In the catalog description it mentions: "Delahanty elected to leave the Washington American League..." and "Delahanty was removed from the train for rude behavior..." and "Delahanty died a sudden and early death..." This letter comes complete with a LOA (Letter of Authenticity) from James Spence Authentication.
Auction estimate for this item was $10,000 - $15,000.
Ed. J. Delahanty was born in 1867 and died at the early age of thirty-six. He was an adult for only a short period of time, thus his signature as an adult basically did not change. The letter mentioned above is dated only 3 years before his death.
The problem with the letter mentioned above is that the signature does not come close to matching what is considered a genuine signature of Ed Delahanty! So what did James Spence use as an exemplar or exemplars to come to the decision that this letter was written and signed by Ed J. Delahanty, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame?
On multiple occasions we have attempted to contact Mr. Spence regarding this letter. He has refused to respond to our requests.
The above letter sold for $29,900.00. We saved the best for last. The several times the name of the ball player is mentioned in the catalog description, his name is spelled correctly. Who ever wrote the handwritten letter sold in this auction has incorrectly spelled the players name. In the letter, the name is spelled as "Delehanty". The mis-spelling is an observation picked up by everyone who advised us of this incident but not caught by James Spence and his staff of authenticators.
The "Delehanty" Signature
The above is certainly not the most costly error made by authenticators. This is just another reason why more dealers are posting notices on their web sites. A sample statement is: "refunds are not made based on an opinion of (they name the authenticating company) or those/anyone who have a commercial relationship with the authenticating company." The reasons for such statements like this on web sites and invoices is becoming quite obvious.
Www.autographalert.com went to the James Spence Authentications website and the following are listed as the "autograph experts" working with or associated with this company.
James J. Spence, Jr., Jeremy Kraft, Jodi Birkholm, Kip Ingle, Tom Kramer, Frank Kukla and John Reznikoff..
Breaking News:
November 11, 2006
PSA/DNA Reports Significant Decrease In Submissions
Collectors Universe, parent company of PSA/DNA has reported a significant decrease in autographed items submitted for authentication for the quarter ending September 30, 2006. The number of items submitted during this quarter decreased by 38 percent.
Just recently many in the autograph industry have heard of instances where PSA/DNA may be issuing Certificates of Authenticity without seeing the original items. One place where many believe this is happening is in the monthly R&R Auctions in New Hampshire. R&R continually has numerous items in their monthly auctions that claim to be authenticated by PSA/DNA.
Recently, a very well known person in the sports autograph industry has attempted to contact Bob Eaton of R&R Auctions regarding this specific issue. The question basically was if a representative from PSA/DNA was physically examining the items that are being offered in the auctions or are the items being authenticated through scans? Mr. Eaton has not responded.
Www.autographalert.com believes the autograph collecting community is becoming more educated with regard to the activities of third party authenticators. At one time some thought the “authenticators” made mistakes because they were human. As more of these “mistakes” are being documented and exposed it is near impossible to believe they are mistakes but nothing less than incompetence. More dealers and auction houses are talking about dropping the use of so called “authenticators” and going back to the old fashioned ways of guaranteeing what they sell backed with a full refund.
www.autographalert.com
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Autograph Alert
The Premier Site for Autograph Related News!
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In the News
Breaking News:
January 7, 2007
The Universal Autograph Collectors Club
A Shadow Of It’s Former Self
Where have all the members gone? Where are all the shows? What’s happened to the club magazine? Why doesn’t the Ethics Committee respond and act on all the complaints sent to the club? For years, why haven’t club members been able to attend their own club Board meeting? Why doesn’t the club work with everyone in the autograph community both domestically and internationally? Why doesn’t the club inform its members about all the educational material available to them? There are many more questions like this that members of the autograph community would like to ask the Board of Directors of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club. As a matter of fact, when an attempt was made to ask some of the Board questions or to have open talks, the response was “that will never happen.”
It certainly appears the autograph community has reacted to the way the Board of Directors has been running the club. The membership has dwindled significantly!
Where are the shows? What happened to the yearly shows held in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles,
Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, and Washington, DC? Basically the club is running one show a year and at this show the Board of Directors travel to the event and their expenses, hotel, and food are paid by club dues.
What has happened to the club magazine? It’s half filled with the same old dealer ads. Where’s the beef in these club magazines? It’s no secret that long ago, a major dealer pulled his award money for the best article of the year because of the lack of good articles.
Why haven’t club members been able to attend their club’s Board Meeting? Michael Hecht should be able to answer that question. He spent a good portion of one Board Meeting in the hallway trying to explain that to club members. Some members traveled great distances to attend the meeting. They were all turned away.
Why doesn’t the UACC work with all the autograph organizations both domestically and internationally? Refusal to work with others have made many collectors and dealers furious. Major autograph events were held throughout the United States. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale had shows where major professional autograph dealers exhibited. Each show held autograph courses which were offered free to all those attending . Each person who took the course received a Certificate of Completion signed by the autograph expert who taught the course. Fifteen different autograph courses were available throughout the United States and not one was mentioned by the UACC to their membership. It almost every case, the instructor of the course was a member of the UACC. Major celebrities were also in attendance at many of the shows. Press releases for these events were sent to the UACC President and Vice President months in advance of the show. It was the good intention of the show promoters that the shows be listed in the Pen & Quill. In some cases the envelopes containing the press releases were marked “Refused, Return to Sender.” Many of the dealers exhibiting at these shows were members of the UACC and were quite upset with the club. Unfortunately, because of the clubs actions, many autograph collectors were not informed about major show activities being held in their state.
It wasn’t long ago at an autograph event in the UK where a founder of a major British autograph club and a founder of a major U.S. autograph club attempted to approach two Board members of the U.A.C.C. The British autograph ambassador asked both U.A.C.C. Directors if talks can be arranged for all the clubs to work together. One of the U.A.C.C. Directors responded” “talks will never happen.” This is major news yet you won’t read this in the Pen & Quill.
Why doesn’t the UACC advise its membership of all the new autograph reference material available in the market? A new reference book was written on presidential autographs. The book received rave reviews in Manuscripts, the journal of The Manuscript Society. The book is so popular (by word of mouth) that it is in its second printing. No mention of the book in the Pen & Quill however the current president of the club ordered a copy for himself.
Why is the UACC membership kept in the dark?
This autograph collectors club is long overdue for a major overhaul. The Board of Directors have long been aware of what changes need to be made in order to rebuild their membership.
Asking the club to hold elections where the votes are counted by an outside firm is like asking Board Members to have a tooth pulled. Basically, the same old dead wood runs the club.
Michael Hecht, the current president of the UACC ran on a platform of building membership. That platform has collapsed! United States membership has hit bottom.
For instance, if you go to the May/June 2006 club journal, top of page 62, it states “(UACC) has over 2,000 members in the United States and Canada....” This information is incorrect. Those numbers reflect membership over a decade ago when the club was somewhat healthy and supported by many leaders in the autograph field. In the same issue, page 43, there is a more accurate listing of the club’s membership. Nine hundred and fifty in the United States and a total membership of 1365. What happened to over 700 members? The industry has grown so much during the last decade yet the club has lost over one-third of it’s membership!
It certainly appears many seasoned collectors and dealers have given up with the UACC. With some of those we spoke to, many feel the club needs to be more truthful with it’s membership.
Autograph Collector magazine published an interview with Michael Hecht, UACC President in the January 2006 issue. In this interview, Hecht stated the club was using an oversight committee to handle any and all complaints. This led to a question: “Does this mean there are problems with the Registered Dealer program?” Hecht responded: “Not at all. This is a mechanism to handle problems if they arise. So far under my term we had no serious complaints against any Registered Dealer.”
Just four months later, the club magazine mentioned that Hecht stated in his Presidential Message: “I wish to end by thanking the UACC entire Board of Directors which has tackled the difficult task of cleaning up the UACC Registered Dealer Program.”
It gets worse. Each dealer who submits an application for membership is supposedly vetted.
Their backgrounds are supposed to be completely checked out before being issued a Registered Dealer number. This gives collectors the impression that they can purchase their autographs from Registered Dealer members and feel secure with their purchase. A check with the dealer program during Michael Hechts presidency indicates an applicant was vetted by the UACC and given dealer number RD267. Not long afterwards it was posted on the dealer program that RD267 was “Removed By Registered Dealer Review Committee.” Since Mr. Hecht stated in his interview that there were no serious complaints against any Registered Dealer, does that mean he wants everyone to believe this dealer was removed from their membership because the complaint was not serious.
Our last check of the dealer program indicates the last dealer admitted to the program was given number RD290. Impressive or mis-leading? If one goes back to the beginning of the numbers and starts counting you will find that one hundred ten dealers are no longer in the program. Their names have been removed.
Where did all these vetted and approved dealers go? Shocking is that of the 110, three are Registered Dealer Lifetime members! Did they all quit? Were these once vetted professionals removed from the program?
During the same interview, Mr. Hecht stated: “having an ethics board is our biggest advantage.” www.autographalert.com has on file copies of several complaints sent to the UACC Ethics Committee. Two of the complaints were quite serious with detailed information and were against members of the Board of Directors. These complaints were not acted upon. Multiple requests were made to the UACC to at least respond to receiving the complaints. When Mr. Hecht refers to “no serious complaints” he must be referring to complaints that the Ethics Committee decided to accept, certainly not to all the complaints received.
Reading in between the lines, one also has to notice all the professional autograph dealers who are active yet not members of the UACC. Some of the non members are the leading dealers in the field of autographs. It is a remarkable number. That alone makes a statement.
The above simply scratches the surface of the problems within the club. A good start for this club would be to take the advice of one of their old board members who found a local accountant who agreed to receive the club’s election ballots. In the end, voting results would be given to the club for a nominal fee. At one time a local accountant was willing to do this for the club for $75. The idea was vigorously shot down by one on the Board.
This information was given to the entire board by one of their Directors. However in a private conversation with the president of the club, the president stated: “I just can’t turn this club over to anyone!” The director responded: “Now I know why the club counts its own votes.”
The club continues struggling with its old ways. During the last election, a very popular autograph collector was running for Vice-President of the UACC. Many felt he had a good chance to be elected. The election committee accepted his nomination and the committee asked him to write a few hundred words to be printed in the Pen & Quill on why he felt he should be elected. When his letter of what he felt were his good intentions for the future of the UACC was received by the UACC, the Board of Directors (Michael Hecht was on the Board) decided to throw the collector out of the club and told him he had no chance to appeal. The appeal is afforded to all members by the UACC Constitution, but not in this case. It appears the appeal is offered only when it is convenient for the UACC Ethics Committee. If given the appeal, the collector would still have had been a member in good standing through election time. Many felt he had a good chance of being elected the vice-president. Those with the power on the Board of Directors had to have him out of the club before elections. His name was placed on the “honored list” in the club’s Hall of Shame. This election incident is known in the autograph trade as “Hechtgate.”
What’s happening to the UACC? Within the club, it seems like the same old thing of presenting awards to most of the club officers or those who are directors. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the club announced that club dues may have to be increased. Someone has to pay for all the awards. However, it appears the autograph community continues to respond to how to the UACC is being run. Hundreds of collectors and dealers are not joining this club or renewing their membership!
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Breaking News:
December 31, 2006
John Reznikoff, PSA/DNA, please call......
PSA/DNA Authenticated Ethan Allen Signature Another Major Blunder
It seems like a day doesn’t pass that someone contacts us about another mistake PSA/DNA has made. The mistakes have become so numerous that we can no longer take the time to post some of the errors. We have to assume that our readers already got the message about purchasing items that come with many third party authenticators.
However, every once in a while something happens that is so ridiculous that we must post the story for entertainment purposes only.
The height of ridiculousness came this morning when www.autographalert.com was advised by a major seller of autographs that a very rare signature of Ethan Allen, the famous revolutionary war figure, sold December 17, 2006, on ebay.
The signature Certified as Genuine by PSA/DNA is illustrated below.
For comparison, the following three signatures of Ethan Allen are genuine and are signed during different periods of his life.
After just a peak at the signature passed as “Guaranteed Authentic” by PSA/DNA it is quite obvious that not a single letter in the slabbed signature compares to those in a genuine signature of Ethan Allen. Yet, this pathetic looking signature is now PSA/DNA Certified E61463 and was authenticated by the “experts” at PSA/DNA on February 22, 2006.
After looking at the signature passed as “Guaranteed Genuine” by PSA/DNA and comparing it to the three genuine signatures illustrated above, www.autographalert.com feels only one more thing needs to be said about the PSA/DNA authenticating process. Now that PSA/DNA has this Ethan Allen signature they passed as genuine on file, those in the future who submit a genuine Ethan Allen signature for authentication will probably get theirs failed. A genuine signature will not match the exemplar they now have on file that they passed as genuine.
It is well known in the autograph collecting industry that John Reznikoff is the person PSA/DNA claims they use when it comes to authenticating Americana. Mr. Reznikoff has also made these same claims for quite some time. His “printed” signature can be found on PSA/DNA Certificates of Authenticity which gives the appearance that he looks at the item being authenticated.
We have attempted to contact Mr. Reznikoff to hear what he has to say about this Ethan Allen, Certified Genuine signature, but he has blocked our emails.
Readers have to ask themselves after looking at the above four illustrations, what did the hired persons labeled “experts”at PSA/DNA use as exemplars to determine the signature they “examined” was genuine?
Someone in autograph land paid PSA/DNA for a service to authenticate the Ethan Allen autograph. There were 12 persons who bid on this item, and the winner or should we call them the looser paid $500 for this worthless piece of paper. How long can this autograph industry put up with this craziness? How long will it take collectors to become educated?
PSA/DNA states “Guaranteed Authentic”! Are they now responsible for making the refund on the sale of the autographed item or does their guarantee only refund the cost of the so called examination?
Why won’t autograph related journals and papers that deal with autographs print these type stories
in order to educate their readers. The answer is “it’s all about the money.” You won’t read a true story that’s negative about one of their full page advertisers!
While typing this story we received another email, this time from a presidential expert, advising us of another blatant mistake regarding a Franklin D. Roosevelt signature being sold on ebay . This item, a secretarial signature, was also slabbed and authenticated as genuine by PSA/DNA.
Last but certainly not least is the question: When such serious errors in authenticating are discovered, why is it so difficult to get someone at the authenticating company or associated with them to respond and explain their actions?
There is just too many costly mistakes being made by third party authenticators and the uneducated collectors are taking a beating!
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Breaking News:
December 29, 2006
Only Seven Weeks Later..........
On Oct. 29, 2006 www.autographalert.com published an article “Sports Collectors Digest Continues To Drop The Ball.” In the last paragraph of the article it states: “....some believe the editorial staff has clearly proven, over time, that they have dropped the ball.” .....”some have suggested the only way this magazine will improve is if it replaces the current staff....”
The recent edition of SCD, page 12, in their News Briefs section states:
Brian Earnest has been named editorial director for the sports collectibles group at F+W Publications. Earnest takes over for Rocky Landsverk, who has transferred to F+W’s log home division where he will work on consumer and trade reporting.
Earnest, who also serves as editorial director for F+W’s titles in comics, games, toys and music collectibles, has been with F+W since 2000.
“We’re excited to bring Brian’s hobby knowledge, management skills and newspaper background to our sports titles,” said Jeff Pozorski, publisher of the sports and pop culture titles for F+W. “We also appreciate the many contributions Rocky made during his 12 years in our division and we’re glad he’ll continue to be an asset for our company.”
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Breaking News:
December 23, 2006
James Spence of
James Spence Authentication Hits a “FOUL BALL!”
Even some of the skeptics are starting to ask “why does anyone still use third party authenticators”?
The amount of sophomoric mistakes being made are numerous. The autograph market has been flooded with bad items passed as good. Just as bad, many dealers are fuming over the multitude of genuine items being failed.
There are a few answers to why some au