Starting an Auto Helmet Collection

[ab1183]

I will try to make this short and to the point. I want to collect Auto'd football helmets but want to make sure I dont get fakes. My questions:

The best COAs are Steiner, Tristar, MM, UDA, GTSM and Radtke. True? Any others to add to the list?
Anyone have some names of EBay sellers that are legit?
I would like to go to some shows also. Would there be helmets at the shows that I could purchase or should I bring my own? Will players usually sign a helmet from any team they have played for? EX. Deion Sanders or Mike Vick signing a Falcons helmet?
Is there anything else that I should take into consideration?

Thanks in advance for reading my novice questions and any input is greatly appreciated.

[CRJSr9]

psa,and jsa-and if your paying for the graph they will usually sign anything-sometimes ip they won't.
look for local shows with players signing and bring your own-it will be cheaper that way-dealers at the show will charge more for the helmet-(supply and demand)
you can also go the mail order way to-most big shows have mail order-you usually just have to pay the signing fee and shipping back.also card shops will have players and you can send in items.i hope this helps

[ab1183]

Ty for the advice Kobe. What about a players hologram? I know I have seen that certain players have their own. How much weight do you put in something like that?

[CRJSr9]

ive bought stuff with players holograms-my urlacher has his holo and i have a marino with his-a lot of players have there own holograms now.i would trust them.

[bradero77]

From what I gather, if it has the players hologram on it (assuming it is the legit player hologram) it's an authentic autographed item.

We do a lot of dealings with Brees in our area, who has his own hologram through GTSM, and if it has a Brees hologram it's real.

Do your homework. This business is built on trust, so you must trust the seller you are buying from. We sell authentic signed memorabilia, and we make it our number one priority to provide authentic hand signed items at all cost. We have a company representative present at all signings, which allows us to certify the authenticity of everything we sell.

[iowa49erfan]

One main thing to do is research. If you see something that may not have a COA from one of the big players and you would really like the item, compare the autograph to a certified card or some other certified item. Heck, even ask one of us.

Learn the athletes signatures before you bid on a non familiar COA. There are a lot of people that get IP so you can't say that all autos that don't have a big name COA aren't real. Just be careful and bid smart.

[Vegas]

I will try to make this short and to the point. I want to collect Auto'd football helmets but want to make sure I dont get fakes. My questions:

The best COAs are Steiner, Tristar, MM, UDA, GTSM and Radtke. True? Any others to add to the list?

Those are the main legitimate memorabilia companies and I feel comfortable purchasing items with those COAs. I would add PSA/DNA and James Spence (JSA) to that list as well. They are primarily 3rd party authenticators, but they are the best in the business and endorsed by eBay and most auction houses.

Also, as some posters have previously stated, some athletes have their own holograms for signed items. I know that Montana, Rice, Young, Peyton, and Farve all have custom holograms, and more athletes are going this route.

Lastly, Major League Baseball has their own authentication system with serial-numbered holograms. You can then verify the serial number on MLB's website.

Unfortunately there are a lot of fakes and scammers in the memorabilia arena, so stick with getting autos in person or with the above COAs and you'll have a great collection! If you ever have questions about an item, post it on the board as there are some knowledgeable collectors on here.