Can you trust autographs in the hobby?
It's now been a couple of months since Brett Lemieux posted on Facebook that he was being investigated by federal authorities and that he was responsible for around $350 million in sales of fake autographed memorabilia and cards. The investigation will take time and the true total might be never be known, but it's worth asking - are the autographs collectors are buying really what they think they are?
According to Lemieux, autographs and holograms from such industry leaders as Panini, Steiner Sports, Fanatics, Tristar and JSA were forged. Given this news, one would expect the affected parties to get out in front and respond, if for nothing else than to reassure their customers. In general it's been strangely quiet, which begs the question - is the silence because there's nothing to see here, or is it because it'd be easier to sweep such unpleasantries under the rug?
How can collectors protect themselves? Fanatics did put out a statement, which included the following: “The best way for collectors to know that they are buying officially licensed, 100% authenticated memorabilia is to buy from a reputable primary source." The takeaway? Be careful. There are many reputable and honest 3rd party dealers out there - do your homework! Know who you're dealing with, and if in doubt, go directly to the source.
Another topic which recently reared its ugly head - the Leo Messi autograph cards which, well, may not have exactly been signed by Messi himself. PSA had refused to authenticate several autograph cards because they couldn't be sure the signatures were authentic. Since then, Topps has found a solution for their customers - they are "standing by" the autographs as authentic but will replace any cards PSA won't authenticate.
There's been confusion on the part of many collectors regarding the language on the backs of autograph cards. Almost all of these include include a guarantee of authenticity based on a "representative" of the card company witnessing the signing of the cards. How is "representative" defined? Is this always an employee of the card company? A friend of the athlete who says he was there and all is well? Can 100% of these representatives be trusted? It would be interesting to learn a bit more about how exactly this process is conducted.
Brian Hough became a fan of the hobby by opening packs of 1986 Donruss and 1987 Topps baseball with his dad and little brother. He has been writing about the collectibles industry for years, initially as a price guide editor for Tuff Stuff Magazine, which was a monthly sports magazine focused on sports cards and collectibles, particularly known for its price guides and checklists, that initially launched in April 1984.