DIFFERENCES OF OPINION

Everyone knows it takes a big man to admit his mistakes. In the autographed sports memorabilia business it's crucial to watch out for authenticators who make too many mistakes. One of the great dilemmas in this business is what to do about authenticators whose judgment and certificate of authenticity, ultimately, are based on their opinion. There are those who believe certificates are crucial to the verification, if not validation, of an autographed item, even though the item may have been witnessed by the collector. But what about the vintage item? The Babe Ruth ball that came out of Uncle Charlie's attic? Or the item that came with a credible story from some dealer at a collectibles show? Or the item that Joe Bob Collector is trying to sell. "It comes with a letter of authenticity," he may pine. "It comes with three letters of authenticity," another willing seller may state.

Consumers want those letters to equal some kind of ironclad guarantee. The truth is collectors are buying an informed opinion, nothing more. The operative word here is "informed." Too often, such letters offer little information other than a sentence that states that this autograph is consistent with other such autographs. Certificates at autograph shows are pretty clear cut. Guest ABC appeared at a particular time, date and place and the signature was witnessed, et cetera, et cetera. Of course, this only means something, really, if the collectible changes hands. For the vintage item, a detailed analysis should be provided, if not demanded, by the consumer. There are some authenticators who are notorious for producing certificates willy-nilly on items that may or may not be authentic. The FBI busted a couple of "authenticators" who knew the items they were certifying were bad. Those guys out of business and are doing time, while countless collectors are left with little, if any, recourse. The FBI supposedly is looking for more such culprits. We wish them godspeed.

There are numerous perfectly credible authenticators, though, who most collectors know or believe to be sincere and honest and knowledgeable.
However, to err is human, and even these folks have erred.

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