The Autograph Blog - This and That About Autographs

PSA Authenticating the Wrong Person's Autograph

2006-06-01T07:29:00.000-04:00

This item is being sold on ebay as of 5/23/06, Item #6589943097. It is a letter signed by German Fuhrer Karl Donitz. (Donitz replaced Hitler). He was the Fuhrer who surrendered to the allies for Germany and ended the European theatre of WWII. This letter is clearly identified in the PSA COA as being signed by Admiral Nimitz (US Navy Admiral during WWII, he served in the Pacific). The PSA COA is signed for PSA by James Spence and Steve Grad. It is dated April 24,2003. The item being sold (obviously a copy of the original historical document, collectors will create these types of items) was signed and dated by Donitz in 1976. Admiral Nimitz died in 1966. They totally misidentified the signature and ID'd it as a man who had been dead for 10 years. The question is did James Spence or Steve Grad do even the least bit of research on this signature and document? Apparently not. Authenticators can disagree on the validity of an autograph. This particular item is not a disagreement on the validity of an autograph. This is a sample of the work PSA has done. The local Better Business Bureau has given the company a D rating. That is the second lowest rating possible from the BBB. PSA has authenticated facsimiles as authentic, has authenticated rubber stamps as authentic, has authenticated autopens as authentic and has misidentified autographs by not even naming the signature correctly.

Real Sports Show on HBO about autographs

2006-01-21T10:27:00.000-05:00

Real Sports, an HBO series, did the autograph hobby a service in a show which was first aired on Tuesday Jan 17. It has been aired again, and is scheduled to be aired several more times on an HBO channel over the next few days. The show did an investigative report on authenticators, COA's and Legendary Cuts Upper Deck signature cards.At the insistent urging of Shelly Jaffe, several months ago Real Sports began an investigation into the autograph business. (Shelly Jaffe is the person referred to as "Eddy" in the show.) Shelly Jaffe had felt that collectors and autograph buyers were still getting ripped off for huge dollar amounts, especially on the Internet, and it was time for him to try to do something about it. Mr Jaffe was not paid by HBO and did not profit at all from the work he did. He wound up doing some very good work.Real Sports then started to conduct an investigation into the autograph market and its current state. The show initially conducted an interview with an enthusiastic collector who made most of his purchases on the internet and on ebay. This collector enjoyed involving his children in the hobby with him and had a number of signed framed items in his home. He seemingly did not have the awareness of some of the pitfalls in the autograph market.Real Sports then interviewed FBI agent Tim Fitzsimmons who has been the point man for the Federal Government and investigations into the autograph hobby. Tim headed the famous Operation Bullpen, which resulted in numerous arrests and convictions and the disbanding of the largest forgery ring in the country. Tim was interviewed in the FBI warehouse, where many of the forgeries that were confiscated are still kept. He showed the Real Sports reporter a large group of Babe Ruth cut signatures, all of which were forgeries, and he showed the reporter a large box of COA's which came from forensic authenticator Donald Frangipani. FBI undercover tapes revealed members of the forgery ring discussing sending their items to Donald Frangipani to receive COA's for them.Real Sports then interviewed Dan Marino and had him look at some of his own "autographs" on ebay. He looked at a few items and deemed them to be bogus.The show then began to investigate COA's. In order for the show to give collectors an idea of what can happen with COA's, the FBI allowed Real Sports to use forged items for their investigative report. In the next segment of the show, an associate of the show with a hidden camera, personally went to Donald Frangipani's office with seven items that were given to the show by the FBI and which came from the warehouse where the forgeries are kept. Mr. Frangipani, who is a "certified forensic examiner," declared that the seven signatures on these seven forged items were genuine. He then went further and warned about the dubious nature of the autograph market. Real Sports then appeared at Mr. Frangipani's office the next day to tell him that all the seven items he had issued COA's for were bogus according to the FBI. The Real Sports reporter questioned Mr. Frangipani quite intensely and Mr. Frangipani stated that he had made honest mistakes and was only giving his opinion. He was pressed by the reporter on why he never questioned getting so many autographs allegedly from the old great HOFers.Real Sports then continued their investigation of authenticators by sending out multiple items to various authenticators. Four authentication services received 20 bogus items. According to Real Sports, COA's were issued for 15 of those 20 bogus items. These services included Christopher Morales (a forensic examiner who is an associate of Mr Frangipani), AAU (a forensic examination company in Las Vegas), Frank Garo and Stat (a very new company which includes Ted Taylor). Two other authenticators, Global Authentication and I received a number of items from the show and to quote Real Sports "these two authenticators stated that virtually every item they received was bogus". We were commended by the show for our accurate work.Real Sports then went back to "Eddy" who gave further details of the operations of the forgery ring. He stated that it was "forensic experts" who helped the ring to succeed. He would send items to Mr Frangipani and they all came back to him as authentic with COA's.Real Sports quoted Tim Fitzsimmons that Donald Frangipani was the "authenticator of choice" for the ring. But the show also made it clear that Mr. Frangipani had never been charged by the federal government.Real Sports asked ebay to comment but they declined. However, they did point out that they are teamed with PSA-DNA authentication services, and make that service available for a nominal fee to buyers on ebay.Real Sports continued their investigative report into the autograph hobby by focusing on an Upper Deck 2005 SP Legendary Cuts Autograph Quad Cuts card. This card had four cut signatures on it. The signatures on this card were purportedly of Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb.For those of you not familiar with these cards, they are insert cards with the signature of a well known athlete affixed to the card. They have been selling for considerably more than the autograph itself would have ordinarily sold for.This particular card was auctioned by Beckett on Ebay after receiving a lot of publicity. The card sold for $85,000. The four cut autographs if legitimate would have sold for $4000-5000."Eddy" stated that the Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson signatures were products of the forger Greg Marino, who was the leader of the forgery ring. The signatures were sent, by scan, to me, Global Authentication and PSA-DNA Quick Opinion service. We did not know that the signatures were from an Upper Deck card. Global and I said the signatures did not appear authentic to us. PSA stated that the signatures were "likely not genuine". Upper Deck, referred to as the "gold standard" in the industry, made a statement that they stand by their product. I would think that we will be hearing more about this card.
Show is scheduled on HBO (main channel) at: 1/21 10:00 AM1/23 11:30 AM, 9:00 PM1/25 4:30 PM, 11:55 PM1/29 9:00 AM1/31 7:00 PM& other times on the additional HBO channels.

Junk on Ebay

2005-09-12T21:24:00.000-04:00

I am seeing more junk on ebay lately.
If you are an inexperienced collector, do not buy there, until you get some good advice.
It is a minefield of bogus autographs and criminals.
There is just too much for ebay to police and the crooked sellers are having a field day.

My Website

2005-08-31T10:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.richardsimonsports.com Thanks. You can also sign up for my mailing list. You will receive sale offers and all listings of new items I get for sale.

Visit My Web Site

2005-08-31T10:08:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder to visit my website, where I offer much more news about the autograph business, and many autographs for sale. I AM ALSO BUYING AUTOGRAPHS.

PSA Authenticating Invisible Autographs

2005-08-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

Let me let Jim Caravello tell this story: "I recently won the Ernie Banks Game Used bat in the American Memorabilia Auction from the 50's. The bat I purchased is unsigned - the way I like my gamers. Its an incredible piece of wood and I couldn't have been happier in winning the auction. It had a COA from Taube and Malta, game used examiners. Then I received a letter from American Memorabilia with another COA on the bat - this one from PSA / DNA authenticating the autograph on my Ernie Banks bat!! What autograph! I pulled the bat down from my rack again - there is no auto - I checked the Auction Catalog again and it didn't mention that it was autographed. The bat has no auto, yet I have a full COA from PSA / DNA on the autograph on the bat!!! What a Joke!! I guess if I sign the bat, the auto is real?!?" No comment is necessary from me.Here is the link to the bat in the American Memorabilia catalog: http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp? auction_id=16475&aucsearch=banks% 20bat&aucperiod=&auclisttype=&auccat=&tfm_orderby=&tfm_order=.
Now it seem PSA-DNA is authenticating invisible autographs. Another cursory examination I guess. (I had to comment :) ).

More Crooks Go To Prison

2005-08-23T17:48:00.000-04:00

Phillip and David Scheinman pled guilty in Federal court on August 12 for selling forged sports memorabilia. They owned and operated a store in Las Vegas called Smokey's Sportscards. They were prominently featured on TV when the FBI raided numerous establishements in Operation Bullpen. The raid on their store made TV news all over the country. They also sold on ebay. The father-son combination will be serving at least one year in Federal prison.

Read My Forgery Alert Page

2005-08-21T13:47:00.000-04:00

Go to my forgery alert page for lots of interesting info about the hobby.

www.richardsimonsports.com/hofauto2.htm

Muhammad Ali autograph forgeries stopped

2005-08-07T07:28:00.000-04:00

Los Angeles - Muhammad Ali settled a lawsuit against several sports collectibles dealers to block the sale of artwork and other memorabilia relating to the former heavyweight champion, including a Qur'an given to him by a former president of Egypt.An injunction issued after the lawsuit was filed in 2003 prevented the sale of hundreds of lithographs which bore forged Ali signatures, along with other items, Ali's attorney, Ron DiNicola, said on Thursday in a statement.Among the items were the Qur'an Ali received from former Egypt president Gamal Abdul Nasser, and a walking stick from Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of Zaire.The lithographs were copies of an artist's rendering of Ali's knockout of Sonny Liston in 1965. Handwriting and memorabilia experts determined that the signatures on the lithographs were forged, the statement said.
All the items were offered for sale without his knowledgeAli also inspected the items and confirmed that he had not signed them. All the items were offered for sale without his knowledge or permission.As part of the settlement reached this week, the lithographs will be destroyed and the companies will return to Ali the memorabilia in their possession. The parties agreed that other terms of the settlement will be confidential.Named in the suit, and included in the settlement, were Grey Flannel Auctions, B&E Collectibles, of New York; and roadway Ricks Strike Zone, of Florida.DiNicola said the memorabilia is expected to be included in the display of Ali memorabilia at the new Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Centre in Louisville, Kentucky, which is scheduled to open in November.

Great Blog for Met Fans

2005-08-03T17:14:00.000-04:00

http://metswalkoffs.blogspot.com/

New Autographs for Sale

2005-07-30T10:54:00.000-04:00

BASEBALL AUTOGRAPHS -
I refer to Exhibit cards in this list. If you don't know what they are - they are cards that were sold in vending machines, heavy cardboard stock, postcard size, blank back, with a nice picture of the player.
Walt Alston - Gold Hall of Fame plak $160
Dave Bancroft - unlined 3x5 card $150
Moe Berg - a type of premium issue (Goudey type) from the 1930's with facsimile signature and beautiful ink signature. Batting pose. 3" x 5 1/2". Attached to nice page from a quality scrapbook. Corners have 1/8" clip on each corner. Beautiful piece with this rare signature. $500
Ken Boyer - 1962 Topps card, excellent condition, in St Louis uniform. Beautiful signature across his uniform shirt. $125
Ken Boyer - Picture Pak picture, 5x7 glossy, in St Louis uniform. Outstanding signature across his uniform shirt. $165
Elio Chacon - toughest signature of all the 1962 Mets. 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 glossy photo. $100
Choo Choo Coleman - second toughest signature of all the 1962 Mets. 8x10 glossy color photo. $60
Choo Choo Coleman - 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 glossy color photo. $45
Tony Conigliaro - 3x5 index card signed on the unlined side. $150
Billy Cox - postmarked government postcard. Postmarked Brooklyn, NY Jun 15,1952. $160Dizzy Dean - Gold Hall of Fame plak $225Goose Goslin - 3x5 index card signed on the unlined side. $160Lefty Grove - Gold Hall of Fame plak $165Bucky Harris - Rowe Postcard in Senators uniform. $150Gil Hodges - a great piece. Fine signature on blank side of card from Bat-A-Way, which was a batting cage in Brooklyn during the Dodgers playing days. The card lists the address of Bat-A-Way in Brooklyn with the Bat-A-Way logo. $400Elston Howard - fine signature and inscription on postmarked government postcard.Asked about his greatest thrill he replies "Winning the MVP and playing in the World Series. Fine signature. $150Elston Howard - Rowe postcard in Yankee uniform. $150Elston Howard - 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 glossy photo in Yankee uniform. $150Elston Howard - McCarthy postcard in Red Sox uniform. $125Jackie Jensen - signed Exhibit card. $60Frank Kellert - the toughest signature to find of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and the key to that team's autograph collection. Difficult to find personal check. $295Ted Kluszewski - 1955 Topps card in near Exc condition (no creases) $65Ted Kluszewski - signed Exhibit card. $100Sandy Koufax - Rowe postcard in Brooklyn uniform. Outstanding pen signature. $150Ernie Lombardi - Rowe postcard. $115Heinie Manush - Rowe postcard. $150Billy Martin - 1960 Topps card in Exc condition. $85Carl Mays - 3x5 index card, signed on unlined side. $220Joe Medwick - signed Exhibit card. $190Joe Medwick - Gold Hall of Fame plak card. $165Eppa Rixey - 3x5 index card, signed on unlined side. (crease in card, touching y in Rixey). $165George Sisler - Gold Hall of Fame plak card. $165Pie Traynor - 3x5 index card, signed on unlined side. $175Paul Waner - New York World's Fair Laurel Card from Academy of Sport, School of Baseball, Outstanding signature, World's Fair logo on card. $325Tom Zachary - famous for being the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's 60th Home Run in 1927. Signature on postmarked government postcard. $150
BOXING AUTOGRAPHS -
Joe Louis - signature on inside leather cover (2x3) of address book. Perfect to mat. $225
FOOTBALL AUTOGRAPHS -
Emlen Tunnell - postmarked government postcard, writing about his greatest thrill in sports being his Hall of Fame induction. Five lines in his handwriting with superb signature. $150Bob Waterfield - 3x5 index card (personalized To Pat, definitely able to mat out To Pat), inscribed "best of luck always, Bob Waterfield" $175Bob Waterfield - signed Exhibit Card. Beautiful signature. $425

Hall of Fame Inductees

2005-07-29T08:49:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the latest Hall of Fame inductees: Ryne Sandberg and Wade Boggs.
The demand for their autographs will rise and forgeries will proliferate. Be careful what you buy.

Discount to Bloggers

2005-07-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

Visit my website and place an order for any items, other than those on * pages and mention the autograph blog and receive a 15% discount.

Bogus Auction Items

2005-07-25T07:14:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder - if you see any bogus autographs on internet auction sites, send me an e mail.
richsprt@aol.com.

And be sure to visit my website at -
www.richardsimonsports.com

If you have questions about autographs, drop me a line. I will try to answer all questions except those about values of items.

Check out my Forgery Alert Page

2005-07-23T10:03:00.000-04:00

Read my forgery alert page to learn about what is going on in the autograph market.

http://www.richardsimonsports.com/hofauto2.htm

Traffic to This Blog

2005-07-20T06:34:00.000-04:00

My traffic counter is showing that this blog is getting some hits. There are plenty of autograph collectors out there :).
Remember if you have something to sell please e mail me at richsprt@aol.com and if you are buying take a look at my price lists at www.sports-autographs-celebrity-autographs.com.
You can also sign up for my mailing list on my web site or send me an e mail to be placed on my autographs mailing list.
Please send me your autographs want list, I will keep it on file.

Baseball Photographs for Sale

2005-07-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

I have just posted a group of wire service unsigned baseball photos on my website. These are great for signing or matting.

http://www.sports-autographs-celebrity-autographs.com

Check them out.

Ebay Listings

2005-07-12T17:54:00.000-04:00

Forgot to post this - my ebay account is richsprt.
Check out my great offerings.

Offerings on Ebay

2005-07-12T17:32:00.000-04:00

I am offering a lot of interesting autographs on ebay right now.
Including Lee Harvey Oswald, Christy Mathewson, Judy Garland and many more.

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Forgeries on internet auctions

2005-07-09T21:45:00.000-04:00

I was looking for collectors who bought autographs from suspended ebay autograph sellers.
Contact me.

More and More

2005-07-07T17:41:00.000-04:00

Seeing so much bogus stuff on ebay, more and more all the time.
If anyone sees any bogus sports items on ebay, let me know.

I Am Buying Autographs

2005-07-07T09:50:00.000-04:00

Time for a commercial :)

I am buying autographs - vintage only. Sports autographs and celebrity autographs.
Send an e mail to richsprt@aol.com if you have something to sell.

PSA Strikes Again

2005-07-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

PSA also declares authentic signatures to be not authentic. Check out this ebay auction:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5215566428&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1

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There is an auction on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73396&item=5214330088&rd=1. The auction is for a "signed" Mark McGwire card, authenticated and graded by PSA. The "signature" on the card is rubber stamped. Sounds like another "cursory review."

Humorous Stories About Autograph Collecting

2005-07-02T09:47:00.000-04:00

This article about collecting celebrity autographs has been reprinted with permission of the author. I hope you enjoy reading his stories about autograph collecting. Celebrity autograph collecting has resulted in many humorous incidents, here are just a few.

Being a celebrity means dealing with fan demands for autographs, ranging from polite and appropriate to rude and overbearing. One time Katherine Hepburn was performing on Broadway and tried to exit backstage through a crowd of jostling autograph hounds. Bodyguards helped her to her limo and once safely inside the very private star rolled down the window and shouted," Run em down! We'll clean up the blood later!" The crowd scattered and the limousine sped away, pausing long enough for Hepburn to roll down the window and wave goodbye to her fans, accompanied by an evil laugh. Strangely enough, when she lived in Beverly Hills the seclusion loving Hepburn developed the habit of sneaking into her neighbor's houses as a hobby. She became expert at climbing trees, avoiding alarms and dogs, and revealing herself just before her nervous neighbors called the police.
Walt Disney had the strange experience in the 1930s of having his name famous around the world when his face was not. Often he would forget his identification and that combined with his casual attire sometimes kept him out of fancy restaurants. Later in the 50's he became a recognized figure because of his television hosting duties. The lack of anonymity made it increasingly difficult for him to walk through Disneyland without being badgered for autographs. Disney struggled not to be brusque while explaining he didn't have time, he was trying to make the park a better place. In the 60's when the company was trying to purchase Florida marshland for a second amusement park, he was warned by his advisors to stay away from the state, the real estate prices would go up once the identity of the buyer was known. But Disney couldn't resist. Eating in a Orlando diner Walt was approached by a curious waitress,"Pardon me. Aren't you Walt Disney?" Walt who was known for being brutally honest, replied," Hell no! And if I see that sob, I'll give him a piece of my mind."
Stars making movies at Universal Studios often try to avoid tour guides leading autograph hounds. One particular fellow became ingenious at tracking down Michael Caine, who toyed with the idea of having the young man fired, then decided, "What the hell, I'll just sign" and was gracious. It turned out to be a good move, the tour guide was Mike Ovitz who later became the most powerful talent agent in Hollywood.
When stardom is new, autograph signing can be a thrill. One night in Paris the 60 year old Cary Grant and 25 year old Sophia Loren wished to go out to dinner. "But the people will come up to us. I can't stand it!" said the jaded Briton. "I love it," said Sophia. When they left their hotel Grant complete with his hat pulled down,dark glasses, his scarf wrapped around his face, and his huge overcoat looked like the Invisible Man. Sophia looked like Sophia. As they walked the streets of Paris people began to come up to her for autographs which she joyfully signed. After a few fan encounters Grant began to get jealous. Down came the hat, off came the glasses, the coat and the scarf and soon he was standing under neon lights to get noticed.
Another English actor named Grant was thrilled by his breakout stardom due to the movie Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994). Hugh Grant would drive around New York looking for theaters where the film was playing then get out and wait in line, happy for the attention and to sign autographs. Later when he was arrested in Los Angeles for hiring prostitute Divine Brown, he turned down requests to put his signature on tabloids containing his mug shot.
Some actors just sign despite their annoyance. One time Arnold Schwarzenegger was being interviewed at a press junket when a reporter asked him for an autograph for his mother, a big no-no. The star grimaced and said,"Of course. I wouldn't want to disappoint your mother." He paused then added," I'm sure you have disappointed her enough already."
Autographs can cause internal conflicts for stars who take themselves too seriously. During the making of Klute (1971) Donald Sutherland received a written request from a fan who wished for an autograph for his daughter. Sutherland showed the letter to his humorless girlfriend Jane Fonda who expressed a strong opinion that he should not sign it, autographs imply that movie actors are somehow superior to others. Sutherland bowed to her philosophy and wrote a letter stating his reasons for refusing the request. The man wrote him back,"Dear Mr. Sutherland, thank you for your letter. We think you are full of it but we ripped off the signature and gave it to our daughter." Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks Fascinating Walt Disney and Tales Of Hollywood. The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining."
Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at http://www.hollywoodstories.com. Stephen Schochet orgofhlly@aol.com author and narrator of "Fascinating Walt Disney" and "Tales Of Hollywood". 310-876-1400 Hear RealAudio samples at http://www.hollywoodstories.com

Autograph Criminal Indicted

2005-07-02T09:42:00.000-04:00

MAJOR INDICTMENTS - Stan Fitzgerald, his wife and his mother were indicted by the Federal government, on April 20,2004 and taken into custody on April 23. The business he ran was STAN'S SPORTS MEMORABILIA. Tim Fitzsimmons of the FBI accumulated evidence that purportedly shows that Stan Fitzgerald sold at least $2,000,000 worth of fakes from Nov, 1995 to Oct, 1999. His fake autographs were always accompanied by COA's from SCAA or J. DiMaggio. Stan did have some private signings. Those items did not have those COA's.

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If you have any SOLID information about big money forgers then call Tim Fitzsimmons of the FBI. His number is 858-499-7814. Tim was the agent in charge of Operation Bullpen. I ENCOURAGE ALL TO CONTACT THE FBI WITH SOLID INFORMATION ABOUT FORGERIES.
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Some Stories About PSA and Autographs

2005-07-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

There is an auction on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=73396&item=5214330088&rd=1. The auction is for a "signed" Mark McGwire card, authenticated and graded by PSA. The "signature" on the card is rubber stamped. Sounds like another "cursory review."
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On June 7th an ebay auction was started for a baseball purportedly signed by Joe DiMaggio (auction #5206467320). The baseball had an "In The Presence" COA from PSA, supposedly meaning a PSA representative had witnessed the signing. A potential buyer submitted the auction ad to PSA for a "Quick Opinion," which came back "unable to render opinion." This despite the fact that the ball was supposedly "witnessed" by a PSA representative, as indicated by the advertised COA. (The COA was pictured in the auction ad, as was the PSA sticker on the baseball. They had matching ID numbers, 1A 37058).The buyer stated that he was puzzled: PSA cannot authenticate a signature that they supposedly witnessed.The buyer says he confronted the seller, who appeared to be as puzzled as the potential buyer. The buyer claims he has e mails showing that the seller contacted PSA. The e mails stated that (a) there are some “problems” with some of the DiMaggio balls, and (b) PSA would purchase the ball. The seller ended the auction early and promptly removed all pictures from his ad. Did Joe DiMaggio sign this baseball in the presence of PSA? Did he sign any baseballs in the presence of PSA? Are there other such “problems?

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Bill Miller, former publisher of Autograph Collector magazine (owned by Collectors Universe) is suing Collectors Universe (parent company of PSA-DNA). Bill has told me that THOUSANDS of COA's with his facsimile signature were issued by PSA-DNA. The number of items he examined was ZERO. Why has PSA implied that autograph authorities are examining the autograph submissions that they are receiving? Mr. Miller's attorney has deposed the head of Collectors Universe and will be deposing Joe Orlando, the president of PSA-DNA.

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A statement had been posted on the PSA website, stating: "Some of you may or may not have encountered a PSA/DNA Auction Letter in the marketplace...Please keep in mind these Auction Letters are NOT representative of full PSA/DNA authentication...Prior to the sale, the items are presented for a cursory review only. The items are NOT tagged with our synthetic DNA, are not issued with PSA/DNA serial numbers, and the items are NOT photographed (as they are on our full PSA/DNA authentication letters)...The full letter can be provided for a mere LOA upgrade fee." The dictionary definition of cursory is "HASTY and without attention to detail, NOT THOROUGH." They are admitting that they conducted hasty exams that were not thorough, and now want collectors to PAY THEM MORE MONEY to make up for the cursory work which has been done.

Some Advice for Collectors

2005-06-22T20:48:00.000-04:00

Be very careful when buying autographs on Internet auction sites. They are the favorite venue for crooked sellers.
Buy only from established dealers with a track record and the knowledge necessary for this business.
I suggest buying only from dealers who are dealer members of UACC or IADA.
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If you have vintage autographs to sell, I would be interested.
Please e mail me at richsprt@aol.com

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Introduction from the Owner

2005-06-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

This is the collectors and dealers blog about the autograph collecting hobby.
Unfortunately and obviously autographs are big business with lots of controversy.
Please don't use this blog to slander anyone in the hobby. Please use this blog to post useful information and questions about autographs.
I will moderate this blog and delete posts that I feel are unwarranted.
The owner is not responsible for material posted here but I will try to keep the tone civil and the rhetoric to a minimum.

Richard Simon
www.richardsimonsports.com