Fake Autographs oh the frustration.

[awz50]

I bought this Mickey Mantle Autograph awhile ago and sent it to PSA/DNA to get authenticated and It failed which was very very frustrating. I know they can be wrong about Authentication but in this case I looked at it again and it looked like another fake that flooded the market. These situations are always super frustrating. So have you ever gotten an Autograph that looked real at first but was later failed via authentication company?

[gysot]

I bought a Pujols ball a long time ago and it failed PSA. Luckily I was able to get a refund from the guy on eBay!

[cyberer]

I got a Durant autograph in person one time, and traded it to someone who used to be on these boards. He sent it to PSA and it failed. I know 100% it was real- I watched KD sign it. KD's signature is a mess, so that was no doubt part of it, but still- it was clearly a mistake. I offered the guy a chance to trade back, but he believed me and kept it.

That said, I don't think I would buy a graph of an all-time great old-time player unless I personally knew the person who got it in person- like, for instance, my friend's dad used to get graphs and he has all the old yankees. I'd buy that, but I wouldn't but such graphs from any other source. It's IMPOSSIBLE to ever know for sure otherwise.

[aspoe093]

That is why I am hesitant to buy an auto unless it's got psa/jsa/csa or ud certs

[cyberer]

I read a rumor today about how athletes are having their family members or agents sign their certified autos for card companies.

Don't trust any auto where you didn't hand the guy a pen and watch him sign it.

[lizard-jd]

I read a rumor today about how athletes are having their family members or agents sign their certified autos for card companies.

Don't trust any auto where you didn't hand the guy a pen and watch him sign it.

1X - That's why I enjoy doing my in-person ST & golf graphing! I know they are all real.

I personally know a player (Braves, Padres & Giants) who had my best friends son sign quite a large number of cards, balls, etc. while he was an active player. I was always impressed with how similar the kid would sign the player's name (and yes, I have the real sig on a ball, bat & several cards).

[ChosenOne719]

[/B]1X - That's why I enjoy doing my in-person ST & golf graphing! I know they are all real.

I personally know a player (Braves, Padres & Giants) who had my best friends son sign quite a large number of cards, balls, etc. while he was an active player. I was always impressed with how similar the kid would sign the player's name (and yes, I have the real sig on a ball, bat & several cards).

So you are saying Ryan Klesko auto's are mostly fake? hmmm well good thing I don't have any of his autos

[djauwerda]

I received an autographed 8 X 10 of Michael Jordan one year for Christmas. Almost immediately, Operation Foul Ball went public and the COA that accompanied the photo was from one of the companies named in the Operation. I contacted the company that sold us the picture and they refunded the money.

[cyberer]

This is obviously a big problem for us as collectors. However, it is an even bigger issue for the people who aren't in the hobby. We, at least, can make informed decisions about authenticity. The average person sees a Joe Schmoe COA from an ebay seller and thinks it's 100% genuine.

A buddy of mine keeps going through this- his girlfriend keeps buying him items for XMas and Birthday but they appear to in every case be forgeries. He's trying to teach her the ropes and the lingo but she keeps trying.

Sometimes I wish my wife would buy me graphing gifts, but then I hear stuff like that and realize how awful I would feel if she spent lots of money on a fake.

Instead, I have her buy me a box of dozen unsigned baseballs per year as one of my presents and let me go get them done. That has worked much better.

Back to the issue at hand, aside from laziness, why would a player knowingly commit fraud by signing a contract with a card company, getting PAID for it, and then not do it. That's about as clear a definition of fraud as I could think of.

Still, given that they can murder people and run them over them with cars while high on acid and get off scot free, I guess it's not surprising that they can get away with a ghost signer as well.

So the bottom line from all this is: don't be a sucker. I would go so far as to say don't buy any autographs period, but then again people are free to collect how they want.

[Rudickulous]

Also, there are difficulties with autographs now because athletes change their signature.

A great example is when I was a kid and the young rookie on the Cavs was Andre Miller. Since my dad was a doctor, he got free tickets from the hospital for a charity "Meet the Cavaliers" event and we were allowed to meet the team, hang out at a sports bar with them, and obtain autographs. The weird thing though is that his rookie year, Miller signed a certain way, but then the next year when we attended again...his signature was completely different. Its late tonight, but I will show you what I am talking about tomorrow.

But without the proof, I have already heard that Mike Trout even has a new signature. I just feel like it is ridiculous how much something as simple as a signature can change.