Exactly how toxic is GAI?

**cluskillz** · 03-19-2012, 12:10 AM

I bought an 8x10 recently that is authenticated by GAI. I'm pretty sure that the autograph is authentic, though. The seller is a brick and mortar store that holds signings once in a while. I verified with them and two other sources that they indeed held a signing with the player and the dates independently check out. I'm thinking they had GAI do the authentication just before their reputation went south (this was mid-2007 and according to my research, the big news about GAI hit around that time?). Now the player is no longer popular in their region (he played an unglamorous position anyway) and it's a GAI authentication so I think the store was dumping off their inventory for cheap.

So my question is, how much would the sticker deter people, even if I provide the aforementioned documented data? Is no GAI sticker at all better than GAI authentication? This is purely hypothetical since I don't plan on ever selling it. I'm asking just to satiate my curiosity.

Personally, I hate seeing the sticker on there but I do love the auto. I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to own his auto. =)

**~~Ryanpmeyer~~** · 03-19-2012, 12:27 AM

GAI is junk! They are banned from many places including Ebay and craigslist!

**NY Sports Teams** · 03-19-2012, 01:28 AM

If you believe the graph to be authentic and don't plan on selling it, I would think that it does not matter if there is a sticker on it or not. If you ever decided to sell, it would be a turnoff to informed buyers. But there are probably hundreds of people who have a problem with cranial development buying forgeries on the Bay every day. GAI is horrible but even the so-called best, PSA/DNA make mistakes all the time...Rick

**cluskillz** · 03-22-2012, 12:20 AM

I think the first reply pretty much summed up my suspicions. If there's an item with a GAI sticker on it, people would tend to stop dead in their tracks and not care about any other evidence put forth. I have a feeling I can take a Tristar item, run it through GAI, and all of a sudden, it would be considered junk. =/

I'm glad people are skeptical, but when it crosses the line to cynicism, I wonder if the opposite problem begins to rear its head.

FWIW, when I started getting more into memorabilia collecting last year, I told myself I'd never buy a GAI item. That didn't last too long I guess. I should have said I will never buy an item when its sole authentication/proof is an LOA from GAI.

**osufanman** · 03-22-2012, 02:05 AM

Every one of them has issues in the past PSA JSA GAI
JSA for awhile was also banned due to lawsuits and investigations.
As with anything it's a buy at your own risk there's no 100%
guarntee no matter who's name or company is assocaited with it.

**Vegas** · 04-05-2012, 06:53 PM

I'd say GAI is very toxic and personally I'd never buy anything authenticated by them. Now, that's not to say 100% of their stuff is fake, but there is a ton of GAI-certed garbage out there. If you are buying it for your PC and you are familiar enough with the autograph to feel it's legit, then go ahead and buy it. But just remember that you will have a very hard time if you ever want to sell it in the future.