More PSA/DNA Mistakes! When will it end?

The First Item is a Correctly assessed in Travis' opinion while the 2nd one is an incorrectly "stickerd" Chavez that ought to be Chuvalo.

Both items have stickers that are only 87 items apart, the good Chuvalo is K67412 and the Chuvalo they called a Julio Chavez is k67499.



Below is the following incorrectly PSA/DNA certified signature of Julio Chavez, when it is a George Chuvalo as provided by Mark Ogren, in his opinion; "PSA" thinks heavyweight contender George Chuvalo is Julio Cesar Chavez (K67499). Was this even a close miss? I guess I can see a "J", "C" and "Z" in there somewhere?"



So if you own the 1st one you are ok, but if you own the 2nd one and/or are about to buy it - u could have an issue.

The verification information from PSA/DNA reads as follows;
Item: Cut
Primary Subject: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ
Authentication Date: 09/28/2010
Result/Grade: Authentic



Here is an Ali signed boxing glove authenticated by Bob Eaton and Bill White at RR Auction, and James Bruce at Signature Arts. We then sent the scan along to PSA for an unbiased opinion. What do you think? Well there opinion was that is was not genuine. It's obvious that the mistakes that PSA/DNA are making are becoming more and more frequent. Are they getting to big and to busy to actually evaluate items thoroughly? Every day we are getting emails and phone calls about PSA/DNA mistakes.
When will it end?

“The Father of Baseball”

Who is “The Father of Baseball”? The answer is very controversial!

In 1895 upon the death of Harry Wright, Henry Chadwick commented that Wright was virtually the founder of professional base ball.

In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt presented the title of “Father of Baseball” to British born Henry Chadwick who is the only sportswriter enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1905 the Mills Commission was formed by Albert Spalding. It consisted of many major base ball executives including:

Abraham Mills, National League President
Morgan Buckeley, National League’s First President
Arthur Gorman, ex-president of Washington Base Ball Club
Nicholas Young, Fifth President of the National League
A.J. Reach, former Philadelphia Athletics player
George Wright, former player 1869 Cincinnati Red Jackets
James Sullivan, President of the Amateur Athletic Union.

These men issued their final report on December 30, 1907 and declared that their final decision was Abner Doubleday “invented” baseball.

Alexander J. Cartwright was inducted into the Base Ball Hall of Fame in 1938 and enshrined in 1939. His Base Ball Hall of Fame plaque reads that he is “The Father of Modern Baseball.”

Harry Wright comes back into the picture when Christopher Devine’s 2002 book is published with the title Harry Wright The Father of Professional Baseball.

Ron Keurajian who is accepted by most as the leading autograph expert on Baseball Hall of Fame autographs. One expert in the field recently stated that if you put all the so called self-proclaimed autograph authenticating experts who are on the staff of authenticating companies they wouldn’t add up to a pimple on Keurajian’s derriere.

Keurajian is working on the finishing touches of his massive book on Baseball Hall of Famers. He recently wrote a letter to Bud Selig who is the ninth Commissioner of Baseball and he has held that position since 1998. Keurajian asked Selig who he thought was the “Father of Baseball.” Selig’s response stated he believed that Abner Doubleday is “the Father of Baseball.”

Enter into the picture someone by the name of Keith Olberman. Many we have spoken to were unaware of who Keith Olbermann is. A quick check on Google states that he is an American News Anchor, sportwriter and political commentator. One article states he was fired by MSNBC another states he has been suspended by NBC.

On Olbermann’s blog he now becomes an autograph authenticator. He states: “There is a chance that’s not actually a letter from him (Selig)……so who knows, maybe this is a faked Selig letter.”

Signature Arts, Inc. and James Bruce was asked to comment on Olbermann’s statement and we had our genuine well documented autograph experts examine the Keurajian, Bud Selig letter. Every one has stated, without a doubt, the letter from Bud Selig is genuine and has been hand signed by the Commissioner.

It seems the Auction House formerly called Mastro is in trouble again!!

Here is an interesting story from the New York Daily News detailing the latest problems for the former Mastro Auctions. Written by Michael O' Keeffe. Will this kind of stuff ever end?

"Bombshell court documents filed by the president of a New Jersey card-grading firm say the company formerly known as Mastro Auctions knowingly sold him an altered baseball card and placed fake bids on items to artificially jack up prices. The counterclaim and third-party complaint filed late Wednesday in Illinois state court by Dave Forman of SportsCard Guaranty also says that former Mastro president Doug Allen sold a Joe Jackson T210 card for Forman in September 2009 to New York collector Corey Shanus for $300,000. But Allen told Forman that the card only sold for $250,000 - and then pocketed $50,000, the documents say. Allen's spokeswoman, Julie Stoklosa, disputed the allegation, saying that Forman told Mastro Auctions that he would sell the card for $250,000. Mastro officials kept the additional $50,000 as their fee for finding a buyer. "This is just another example of their fraud," countered Jeffrey Lichtman, one of Forman's attorneys. "It was flat-out thievery." Forman's filing offers a glimpse into the Justice Department's three-year investigation into Mastro Auctions and its founder, Bill Mastro, which has focused on allegations of shill bidding, card doctoring and other fraud. One of the former Mastro employees cited in the complaint, Pete Calderon, testified before the grand jury that has been reviewing evidence gathered during the government's third major sports memorabilia probe in 15 years, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Other witnesses who have appeared before the grand jury have testified about allegations included in the documents, the source said. Forman says Allen told him in 2007 that he wasn't worried about the investigation because Mastro officials had destroyed all bidding records prior to 2007 "that would expose its fraud." Shill bidding was an open secret at Mastro Auctions, according to the complaint. "In May 2006, Forman overheard Mastro on the telephone with a collector named Chris Larson. Forman overheard Mastro discuss that Larson wanted to buy a L-1 leather Ty Cobb item and was willing to pay up to $41,000 for it," the counterclaim says. "Forman had been keeping an eye on that item during the auction, which was bidding for $17,000.00 at the time of Mastro's conversation with Larson. However, several minutes later, the item was bidding at $41,000 and Forman believes that this was a result of the entry of fake bids by Ketap employees." The court documents, and a motion for protective order that was also filed on Wednesday, say Mastro Auctions controller Walter Tomala violated Illinois and federal laws by making 34 harassing phone calls in 46 minutes to Forman's home between 1:58 a.m. and 2:44 a.m. on Sept. 10. "I'm going to bring you down - one way or another, I'm gonna bring you down, because you are a piece of --- and your brother's a retard, so I will bring you down," Tomala, who first identified himself as "Bill Mastro," allegedly said in a message left on Forman's home voicemail. Tomala sent an email to one of Forman's attorneys to apologize for the phone calls shortly after the incident. "I had a bad day yesterday and I unfortunately took it out on Mr. Forman," Tomala's email said. Attorneys representing Mastro and Allen did not return calls for comment. Mastro Auctions was once sports memorabilia's biggest and most important auction house, reporting $45 million in revenue in 2006 and 2007. The company specialized in rare and expensive collectibles, catering to wealthy collectors who don't blink at the prospect of spending $100,000 or more for a baseball card. Bill Mastro was sports memorabilia's undisputed king, hailed in the media as the nation's top memorabilia dealer. But the Chicago-area auction house, now known as Ketap Company, shut its doors in March 2009, several months after the Daily News first reported that Mastro Auctions and its executives were at the center of an FBI investigation into shill bidding, card doctoring and other allegations of fraud. Allen and other former Mastro executives purchased Mastro Auction's assets and launched a new company called Legendary Auctions. Allen and his partners vowed that all Mastro Auctions business will be "seamlessly facilitated, processed and completed through Legendary Auctions," but many consigners complained they had been stiffed by the company. Allen told The News last year that Mastro Auctions was struggling with cash-flow problems because some bidders had not paid their bills. The company filed a lawsuit in June 2009 alleging that Forman owes Mastro more than $400,000 for items purchased n 2007 and 2008 auctions. Forman's counterclaim says Mastro Auctions failed to credit almost $22,000 to his account from the sale of baseball cards and comic books the auction house sold on his behalf in 2008 and 2009; the company also owes almost $157,000 for vintage baseball cards Forman consigned for auction but were never sold or returned. The counterclaim also says Forman purchased a 1913 T200 card in 2008 for $13,200. Forman later learned that when Mastro had sold the card in 2004 for almost $3,900, the catalogue noted that it had been altered - a fact that had been omitted from the 2008 catalogue. Doctored cards are generally worth much less than cards that have not been altered. "Mastro instructed Pete Calderon, a Ketap employee, to change the description for the Joe Jackson Fatima by omitting the material fact that it had been rebacked prior to the May 1, 2008 auction," the complaint says. "The rebacking of the Joe Jackson Fatima significantly devalued the card." According to the documents, Mastro officials also used the names of several associates - including Andrew Filipowski, the entrepreneur whose private investment firm purchased the auction house in 2005 - to create accounts for shill bids to artificially escalate prices and auction house commissions."

For the sake of accuracy it should be stated by me that Mr Forman's attorney is an acquaintance of mine. He is a vital member of Net54 the leading website forum on the internet to discuss collecting.

Roy Rogers Museum Auction Museum Closed in 2009, Collection sells for $2.9 Million Roy Rogers' stuffed horse Trigger and His Saddle are top sellers!

The stuffed horse belonging to cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers along with his saddle took top dollar at an auction in July for memorabilia from the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum Collection.

The Museum closed in December 2009, less than six years after it picked up and moved from its longtime Route 66 home in Victorville, California, to Branson, Missouri.

Christie's auction house, which ran the sale along with Western auctioneer High Noon Americana, said the collection of items related to Rogers' and wife Dale Evan's roles on television and in the movies brought in $2.9 million.

Trigger, the palomino horse which Rogers had stuffed after it died in 1965, was bought by rural cable television station RFD-TV for $266,500, while his saddle fetched $386,500 from a private buyer.

Other top sellers included Roy Rogers' 1963 Pontiac Bonneville and the Nellybelle jeep, an iconic emblem on the Roy Rogers Show, which ran on television in the 1950s and 1960s.

The more than 300 items included in the sale ran from Roy's sunglasses to a sterling belt buckle and a Roy Rogers directors chair. Here is a partial listing of some of the items that were sold at auction:

Roy 's 1964 Bonneville sold for $254,500, it was estimated to sell between 100 and 150 thousand dollars.

His script book from the January 14,1953 episode of This Is Your Life sold for $10,000 (est. $800-$1,000)

A collection of signed baseballs (Pete Rose, Duke Snyder and other greats) sold for $3,750

A collection of signed bats (Yogi Berra, Enos Slaughter, Bob Feller, and others) sold for $2,750.

One of many of Roy 's shirts sold for $16,250 and one of his many cowboy hats sold for $17,500.

One set of boot spurs sold for $10,625. (He never used a set of spurs on Trigger.)

A life size shooting gallery sold for $27,500.

Various chandeliers sold from $6,875 to $20,000. Very unique and artistic in their western style.

A signed photograph by Don Larsen taken during his perfect game in the world series against
the Dodgers on Oct.8, 1953, along with a signed baseball to Roy from Don, sold for $2,500

Two fabulous limited edition BB guns in their original boxes with numerous photos of Roy,
Dale, Gabby, and Pat sold for $3,750.

A collection of memorabilia from his shows entertaining the troops in Vietnam sold for $938.
His flight jacket sold for $7,500.

His set of dinner ware plates and silverware sold for $11,875.

The Bible they used at the dinner table every night sold for $8,750.

One of several of his guitars sold for $27,500.

Nellybelle sold for $116,500.

A fabulous painting of Roy, Dale, Pat, Buttermilk, Trigger, and Bullet sold for $10,625.

One of several sets of movie posters sold for $18,750.

A black and white photograph of Gene Autry with a touching inscription
from Gene to Roy sold for $17,500.

A Republic Productions Poster bearing many autographs of the people that played in Roy's movies sold for $11,875.

Dale's horse, Buttermilk (whose history is very interesting) sold below the pre-sale estimate for $25,000. (est. 30-40K)

Bullet sold for $35,000 (est. 10-15K). He was their real pet.

Dale's parade saddle, estimated to sell between 20-30K, sold for $104,500.

One of many pairs of Roy's boots sold for $21,250.





It's no wonder Trigger fetched over $266,000 at the auction. He was a genuine Hollywood star. Roy and Trigger made 188 movies together. The horse began it's "career" in show biz in the 1930s. Do you remember the 1938 movie The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland? Well Olivia rode Trigger in that movie.

Trigger was bred on a farm co-owned by Bing Crosby. Roy bought Trigger on a time payment plan for $2,500. Trigger even out did Bob Hope by winning a P.A.T.S.Y. award (animal equivalent of the Oscar) for the movie Son of Paleface, in 1953.

Longtime Forger Using Third Party Authenticators To Flood Market With Fake Autographs

Well a longtime forger from Missouri who was once well known for passing many forgeries of John Wayne Gacy on unsuspecting collectors and dealers is back and working under three aliases.

His expertise with the pen is signing autographs of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson.

The forger has recently been scared of being exposed and refunded a dealer on 500 signed photographs of Muhammad Ali. The forger well aware of and taking advantage of the incompetence of the high profile third party authenticators sent in 10 photos with forged signatures of Ali. The forger gets them COA’d and shows the photographs to a dealer along with the COA’s. The forger wants $50 a piece for the forged signed photo.s However, and here’s the game, if you take others with the same style signature without the COA’s you can have them for only $30. Therefore the dealer only has to pay $15,000 for the 500 signed photographs.

The dealer felt $20 per photo was a huge savings. He also knew that with a volume of 500 photos he can get the authenticating company to authenticate them for a fraction of the $20. However, the incompetent authenticating company got the 500 photos and turned them all down. The dealer who now owns the photos screams bloody murder telling the authenticating company that they OK’d 10 from the same batch just weeks before.

The well known high profile authenticating company states they get nervous when they see so many of the same item.

What ever happened to being able to authenticate a signature whether it’s on one item or 500?

This is not an isolated incident. Problem is if the submitter is a forger of signed pieces and is someone known or a good customer to the authenticating company, the items get passed. Thus the forgers have an ally in the authenticating companies. The high profile authenticating companies are flooding the market with forged autographs.

Beware!!!! More Fake Williams and Mantles Hit the Internet!

I am seeing waves of bogus Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Sandy Koufax and Mickey Mantle autographs on pictures and baseballs. On August 2 I saw a "signed" photo of Mays, Mantle, Dimaggio and Snider (with a COA) sell for $97 on ebay!! If it was legit it would sell for $700 or more. Don't buy those horrible items, you cannot get bargains in autographs. You can only buy good items at realistic prices or junk items at ridiculously low prices but then again, if all it costs a crook is $2 for a photo or $6 for a ball and $1 for his own sharpie, then he can sell Mantle and Williams for less than $50 and still make a huge profit. Lots of guys are getting rich off the unknowing buyer. Don't let them get rich off you! These items come with COA's also. Be careful out there!
ps. There is an e mail in circulation on the internet which actually names the man who is distributing many (or maybe even all) of these forgeries. Perhaps it is time for a new Operation Bullpen!!

RR Auction Doesn’t Do The Right Thing!

Neil Armstrong's Customs Declaration Form,
Allegedly Stolen, Seized From Auction House

What’s wrong with Bob Eaton of RR Auction? Does he not have common sense?

When someone comes to any legitimate autograph dealer or auction house and they offer for sale an “Official” legal document belonging to the United States of America, what is the first thing you would think of? You are absolutely right, no question, it’s stolen!

That light bulb doesn’t go off inside Bob Eaton’s head. Someone offered Eaton a United States Customs Declaration filled out and signed by Neil A. Armstrong and Eaton went for it.

When was the last time anyone saw an original United States Customs Declaration for sale, anywhere?

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong’s Stolen Custom Declaration Form Offered by RR Auctions

It is said this form was allegedly stolen by a U.S. Customs worker who along with a cohort tried to pass it off through RR Auction based in New Hampshire.

The two men will face a federal grand jury and if found guilty of stealing an official government record they could face 10 years in prison and a very hefty fine of a quarter million dollars. What about the dimwit who tried to sell it at auction?????? Isn’t the seller part of this fiasco? It is our opinion, proper procedure would have been to get as must information as possible from the consignor, take possession of the item and immediately call the authorities. That is the right thing to do, not participate in the sale of an obvious stolen document that should be in the files of the United States Government.

Armstrong was returning from his well publicized trip overseas visiting U.S. troops as part of the “Legends of Aerospace Tour.” His March 13th American Airlines flight 105 from London to New York was diverted to Boston, Massachusetts due to inclement weather.

One of the customs inspectors at Boston was Thomas Chapman and he received the Customs Declaration from Neil Armstrong. Instead of filing the form as required with Homeland Security officials, it is said Chapman kept the document.

Chapman showed the form to his friend Paul Brickman and the two located an unidentified individual who had experience dealing in autographs. The item was consigned to RR Auction and with a ridiculous opening bid of only $200 in their May 22, 2010 auction. Bids exceeded $1,000 before the item was seized by Homeland Security.

One dealer commented “it was refreshing to see a genuine item being pulled from an RR Auction instead of the usual mis-authenticated items.”

Sgt. Pepper Lennon Lyrics -- The Real Deal -- $1 Million

The last song on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record was A Day in the Life, written by John Lennon. It's considered by many the best song on the album.

In Rolling Stone Magazines list of 500 Great Songs of All Time, it was #26. And, in terms of handwritten lyrics, it's probably #1.

An American collecto paid $1.2 million for it at the Sotheby's auction. They had estimated it would get between 500,000 and $800,000.

It's on a double-sided piece of paper, with Lennon's edits and corrections in black marker and blue ball point pen. There were a few corrections in red ink.

This piece is cool for so many reasons. Aside from handwritten lyrics by the Beatles being huge to begin with, get this. One side of the sheet is written in Lennons cursive script. The other side is written in all capital letters and has all the corrections. I think this is so much cooler than the "All You Need is Love" lyrics which sold for $1.25 million in 2005.

Time for a Lawsuit? It could be coming soon!

The following is an email from a reader named Jeff. It says what other emails state, just clearer.

“I enjoy your site. I wanted to point out yet another reason some sellers use PSA and JSA. PSA has the ability to email eBay with their “Quick Opinion” findings, and eBay will then immediately hit a button and close the item down and remove it from the system. All based upon an email from PSA, without any info being given to the seller. If you have 5 Sophia Loren’s listed, and PSA decides in their infinite wisdom they don’t like them, eBay then (because of multiple closures) sends you an email that REQUIRES you as the seller to get every item you list in the autograph category pre-authenticated by one of their approved companies. And even worse, I’ve also heard from sellers who have been completely suspended due to these emails from PSA. Only PSA has this system set up with eBay….PSA charges $7.50 a pop, then “shares” the info a potential buyer paid with eBay. This really does give PSA sole authority over what is, and isn’t listed on eBay. There are tons of cases where PSA closes an item that’s 100% authentic. The seller is left holding the bag. eBay won’t share the email they got from PSA, and won’t give more than a canned response to any requests for info.

The only way to stop PSA from doing this is for sellers who have items closed down, and have been financially damaged, to file suit against PSA. A seller basically can’t sue eBay, as they have a ton of rules set up to protect them as part of the user agreement. IF enough people go after PSA, maybe the $7.50 an item won’t feel like enough to go through all the trouble.”

Signature Arts response is that many, for years, have been calling for a law suit to be filed against PSA. Some attorney needs to come forth and take on these incompetent authenticators who are scamming collectors. Collectors and dealers who have been harmed will come forward! For the record, eBay largest seller of autographs (over 100,000 feedbacks) got caught up in this authenticating scam. 100% authentic autographs were removed on eBay from the sellers site and they closed him down. He could not get back on unless he paid one of eBay’s incompetent autograph authenticators to go to his office and authentic the autographs he would put back on eBay. Could this be collusion between eBay and their so-called authenticators? Could the authenticating company have shared the money with eBay, sort of like a finders fee? It cost the dealer $5,000 to have an autograph authenticating imposter, approved by eBay to come over and attach stickers to every item the seller showed him. The seller told us that the authenticating imposter was not aware of many of the names he was placing the silly stickers on. After the scam was said and done the seller got a lousy tea shirt. You may find this hard to believe, but the same authenticating company asked this seller of autographs to be one of their authenticators. This seller is willing to tell his story to a judge in court.

For the record, this seller opened his own website, is holding weekly auctions, and after a year, sales are much better than they ever were on eBay. Not to mention no longer paying the buying and selling fees and being held hostage to Payal (owned by eBay).

A fabulous and we mean fabulous, alternative to eBay is coming. Scheduled for October 2010, in our opinion, sellers of autographs will be ecstatic when they hear the news.

Pablo Picasso Fakes Sold on E-Bay!

CHICAGO – A suburban Chicago man pleaded guilty Tuesday to swindling at least 250 people out of more than $1 million through the sale of counterfeit prints advertised as the work of Pablo Picasso and other major contemporary artists.

Michael Zabrin of Northbrook admitted sometimes paying between $1,000 and $1,500 for counterfeit limited edition fine art prints produced in Spain and Italy and reselling them on eBay for many times that amount.

In his signed plea agreement with prosecutors, 57-year-old Zabrin said he would send away to his Italian source for fake Picassos, saying: "I need some P's." When he needed bogus works by Roy Lichtenstein, he would say: "I need some L's."

In the summer of 2004, Zabrin purchased eight counterfeit works purportedly by Marc Chagall for $20,000 "which he resold at no less than three times his cost," according to the plea agreement which was presented to Judge Robert M. Dow Jr.

Zabrin agreed in the document that he caused foreseeable losses of more than $1 million but less than $2.5 million with works turned out by "the Spanish guy" and another supplier in Italy. He also admitted trading fake art works with other dealers.

Zabrin was among seven people charged in March 2008 on charges of trading in fake works by Picasso, Lichtenstein, Chagall, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. He was the first to be convicted. Charges against the six others are pending.

Zabrin pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. But prosecutors calculated that under federal sentencing guidelines Zabrin could be facing a prison term in the 10- to 13-year range.

Dow set March 23 for sentencing.

According to the plea agreement, Zabrin had been previously convicted of telephone harassment, mail fraud and retail theft.

Zabrin admitted conducting 280 sales of fraudulent art on eBay through his companies, Fineartmasters and ZFineartmasters. When some customers realized they had bought fakes, they returned them. Zabrin acknowledged that he then waited a few months and resold them to someone else.

Eisenhower Autopen Signature Discovered

A new Dwight D. Eisenhower Autopen (machine) signed signature has been discovered by the noted expert of U.S. Presidential autographs, Andreas Wiemer who is based in Germany.

The signature has some similarities to other identified Eisenhower Autopen examples however this is not a variant. This new discovery matches other signed items by Eisenhower exactly. Up to this time, they were thought to be genuine.


Newly identified Eisenhower signature from a letter dated February 14, 1949


Same Eisenhower Autopen signature on a letter dated September 27, 1949

The above signed document is considered one of the most 100 important historical documents in U.S. History. Note : "Eisenhower Library" stamp. This document is also illustrated in "Our Documents-100 Milestone Documents from the National Archives" page 181.



Andreas Wiemer is a co-author with Stephen Koschal. Their popular book "Presidents of the United States, Autopen Guide" first, signed limited edition sold out quickly however some unsigned copies are available through the authors.

James Spence & Steve Grad of PSA/DNA

Re-Write WWII History

Authenticate Pacific Fleet Admiral Nimitz

Signed German Surrender Dated 10 Years After His Death

This is an amazing story that needs to be told. It is mind boggling that it took about 60 years for us to finally learn the truth. This is a "War Story" that needs to be told.

We start by going to eBay item number 6589943097, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Terms of Surrender Certified by PSA/DNA.

Illustrated (right) is the item for sale, a copy of a souvenir German Surrender Document signed and dated by Admiral Karl Dönitz, 27.7.76. Immediately after Hitler’s death suddenly and to his great surprise Dönitz became head of the German State. It fell to Dönitz to negotiate the surrender of the German forces to the Allies.
The signature of Karl Dönitz is very common and it would be near impossible to find an auction house or dealer who has not sold his signature at one time or another. Exemplars are plentiful.

However, the "experts" James Spence and Steve Grad sign off on a PSA/DNA Certificate of Authenticity dated Thursday, April 24, 2003, Re: CU14136-27, PSA/DNA Certification Number B16187 (see below). These "experts" state this Surrender Document was signed by Chester Nimitz. This is the first time we discover that it was our own Admiral Nimitz who surrendered the German Forces to the Allies in the European Theatre. An amazing historical discovery. Incredibly, he also managed to sign and date this copy over ten years after he died.

The signatures of Dönitz and Nimitz are by no means similar. A novice in the field of autographs can easily tell you which is which without looking at exemplars. The only way we can even stretch a similarity is that both signatures end in "itz."

However, the "experts" James Spence and Steve Grad sign off on a PSA/DNA Certificate of Authenticity dated Thursday, April 24, 2003, Re: CU14136-27, PSA/DNA Certification Number B16187 (see below). These "experts" state this Surrender Document was signed by Chester Nimitz. This is the first time we discover that it was our own Admiral Nimitz who surrendered the German Forces to the Allies in the European Theatre. An amazing historical discovery. Incredibly, he also managed to sign and date this copy over ten years after he died.



The signatures of Dönitz and Nimitz are by no means similar. A novice in the field of autographs can easily tell you which is which without looking at exemplars. The only way we can even stretch a similarity is that both signatures end in "itz."

This mistake is beyond ludicrous. This is the ultimate display of incompetence! How serious is this mistake? This authenticating company is one of the choices of eBay to authenticate autographs. They do so without seeing original documents and give "opinions" based on a scan.

What can one learn from this story?

1) How can these people who are called authenticators also be called experts?
2) Authenticators with this talent should be called "opinionators."
3) These opinionators cannot recognize common signatures.
4) These opinionators cannot be looking at exemplars as this would never of happened if they did.
5) How much research could have been done to get this so wrong? The document was dated by Dönitz on July 7, 1976. Chester Nimitz died on February 20, 1966.
6) The uninformed collector learns how useless are the many COA’s being offered in the market.
7) Most informed dealers are aware who are the professional authenticators. It’s time to start looking at some of the dealers who continue to support certain authenticating companies. These dealers and auction houses have become part of the problem.
8) Based on PSA/DNA’s Certificate of Authenticity, the eBay seller issues his own COA with this item. Two COA’s for the price of one.

The document offered here teach the world that American Fleet Admiral (Pacific Fleet) Chester Nimitz surrendered the German Forces to the Allies, and he came back from the dead to do it. History re-written, authenticated and certified by PSA/DNA all for the low cost of $429.00.

Autograph Sting Operation!!

It appears that a "sting" operation has taken place in the autograph hobby. Computer reprinted photos, with purported autographs, were sent to some authenticators including Signature Arts, Inc., who then misidentified these items. I believe that the individual or individuals behind the sting tried to perpetrate this sting on me also. I received a group of four photos with alleged autographs on them. One of them turned out to be a copy of an autographed photo. I identified it as such to the person who sent me the photos. A couple of weeks later that same person sent me one more photo, which was also a copy of an autographed photo. I also correctly identified the alleged autograph as not being an autograph but a copy of an autograph. If these incidents were actually a sting, and trying to make me look incompetent, well guys it did not work. And to Mr. XXX in New Jersey and whoever else may have been involved in this, if indeed it was a sting, thanks very much for sending me authentication fees for five items. I am gonna take the Mrs. out to a nice dinner with your compliments.

The 100 Day Volunteer Certificates & the Proliferation of Facsimile Abraham Lincoln Signatures!

In the fall of 1864 thousands of Union volunteers who served a hundred days of service that summer were issued a certificate of thanks by the War Department --an impressive looking, partially-printed, engraved document, bearing the signatures of Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, and the President, Abraham Lincoln. Other than clerical editing and transcription on the document, all text on the document is printed, including the signatures of Stanton and Lincoln.

In the century and a half that's followed the issue of the certificate, perhaps no Civil War era document bearing Lincoln's signature has been the source of more confusion and fraud, and subsequently, bought and sold as authentic by seasoned dealers, auction houses, and collectors. Even more disturbing is the trend over the past decade of destroying the certificates for Lincoln's, and to a lesser extent, Stanton's, signatures. Authentic American Civil War documents have been routinely mutilated by a handful of unscrupulous dealers-clipping the facsimile signatures from the documents and selling them as real.


A Hundred Day Certificate for the Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin Volunteers

The Hundred Days Men, or 100 Day Volunteers, was the nickname for the short-term, volunteer enlistments mustered in the summer of 1864 for 100 days of service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. These lightly trained troops were intended to free veteran units from routine duty to allow them to go to the front lines for combat purposes.

The concept of the hundred-day volunteer was first proposed by the Governor of Ohio, John Brough, in the spring of 1864. Brough was concerned with Confederate incursions and invasions of the North, such as Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan's cavalry raid into Ohio in 1863. Brough's idea was to federalize the state militia into service for a period of 100 days to provide short-term troops that would serve as rear echelon guards and laborers to free veteran units for combat duty. This would increase the number of fighting men in the Union armies campaigning in the South, which, ideally, would achieve victory for the North within one hundred days.

Brough contacted the governors of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and New Jersey to do likewise in an effort to raise 100,000 men. They submitted their plan to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, and the proposal was immediately approved by President Abraham Lincoln.

In total, approximately 81,000 men were mustered for a 100-day period. Over 35,000 were federalized from Ohio alone. The remaining numbers were primarily from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. These veterans became known as Hundred Days Men. Unfortunately for the North, the primary objective of the Hundred Days Men-defeating the South within one hundred days-fell short by a few months.

Nevertheless, in recognition of their efforts, at the end of their duty the Hundred Day Volunteers were issued a certificate of service by the War Department. These documents, a "Certificate of Thanks," were issued to the tens of thousands of men who had volunteered. They were partially-printed, with "THE UNITED STATES VOLUNTEER SERVICE" arcing across the top margin over an ornately engraved eagle clutching the American flag. There were at least two versions of the document printed. One version recognized the men who volunteered from the states of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin inclusive; another was issued exclusively for the men of Ohio (presumably because of the high volume of volunteers from that state). Signatures of Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, and President Abraham Lincoln appear at the bottom of the document.


A Hundred Day Certificate for the Ohio Volunteers

Like other partially-printed, original, presidential documents from the Civil War, personal information--names, dates, rank, etcetera--was filled in by a clerk's hand. However, not original are the signatures of Edwin M. Stanton and Abraham Lincoln. Their signatures were prepared from traced engravings onto the printing plate as part of the form document.


The Engraved Signatures of Edwin Stanton and Abraham Lincoln

Over the years copies of the Hundred Day Volunteer certificates have gradually entered the autograph marketplace as authentically signed Lincoln documents. It's understandable why. To the trained or untrained eye, at first glance, without several certificates to compare with, the signatures of Lincoln and Stanton appear to be original. On close inspection, however, what stands out is the contrast in ink between the clerical writing and the rest of the document. The iron-based ink from the clerk's hand has rusted and turned brown and relatively faded with age. Secondary is the uneven flow and impression one would expect from handwritten script. In comparison, the facsimile signatures of Lincoln and Stanton, perfectly imprinted onto the document, are the same color ink and age-toned as the printed text of the document.

Though naïve, unsuspecting, and yes, unscrupulous dealers and collectors alike have bought and sold the volunteer certificates as original Lincoln Documents Signed, in recent years awareness of the printed signatures on the document has grown. The practice of has been stemmed in large part by the informative efforts of honest dealers and auction houses, and websites like the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency <http://www.illinoishistory.gov/signature.htm>.

The practice that does continue, and what dealers and collectors need to be aware of, is the printed Lincoln signatures that have been cut from the document and sold as authentic full Abraham Lincoln signatures. These signatures were sold into the marketplace in the late 1990s and early 2000s by a handful of unscrupulous dealers via the web. The rise of online auctions, in particular eBay, with no checks, standards, or independent, qualified authenticating authority, allowed for the proliferation of the facsimile Lincoln signatures.

The tell tale signs you may have a facsimile Lincoln signature cut from the Hundred Days certificates are:
a) Lincoln placed a period at the end of his name for the engraving
b) The dark, even flow of ink which is common of printed text
c) The faded, browned text common of iron-based ink is absent
d) The full Abraham Lincoln signature



If you're still uncertain check for traces of possible dot removement. There may be instances where a dealer may have tried to remove the dot to make their signature look different, or may have clipped the period off which would render the "n" in Lincoln at the very edge of the right margin.

It is certain that there are many presidential autograph collections with the facsimile Lincoln signature in them. It's only a matter of time before the generation of collectors who acquired these signatures as authentic begin to return them to the marketplace. Every effort should be made to trace back to the originating source of the signatures to compensate the victims down the line. If your Lincoln signature matches the one above return the signature to the dealer for a refund. It is important, at this juncture, for the autograph community to recognize and weed out the facsimile Lincoln signatures from the marketplace. Whether intentionally or innocently, the continued selling of the facsimile Lincoln signature by anyone at any level is a discredit and blow to the hobby.

Autograph Authenticator Looses Lawsuit

The HBO cable television channel won dismissal of a $5 million defamation lawsuit by a Brooklyn, New York handwriting expert. Frangipani, who claims he can authenticate autographs accused HBO television channel and "Real Sports" host Bryant Gumbel of tying him to an autograph forgery ring.

This weeks ruling by Manhattan U.S. District Judge George Daniels in federal court rejected claims by Donald Frangipani. Frangipani claims he has more than 40 years of experience in forensic documents. This experience supposedly includes authenticating sports autographs and other memorabilia by Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods and more.

HBO is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

In his 2008 lawsuit, Frangipani alleged that HBO violated New York State defamation law over a January 2006 "Real Sports" segment, "Forger's Paradise," in which the program portrayed him as an authenticator of choice for a forgery ring broken up by the FBI in 2000.

Frangipani also accused large authentication companies of violating federal antitrust and racketeering laws by conspiring to keep him out of the market.

Among the defendants were Gumbel, who hosted "Real Sports," as well as narrator Armen Keteyian and several producers.

In the 15-page decision, Judge Daniels said the plaintiff failed to show that the authentication companies violated federal antitrust and racketeering laws by scheming to freeze him out of the market, or that customers refused to use his authentication services.

Because Frangipani's federal claims were dismissed, Daniels declined to exercise jurisdiction over the state law defamation claim.

The case is Frangipani v. HBO et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 08-5675.

F.B.I. Snatches Autograph Thief!

Over the last few months, William J. Scott of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, an 18 year old freshman at Drew University in New Jersey, was stealing valuable letters while working part time at the University's United Methodist Archives Center. He sold thousands of dollars of letters and F.B.I. agents found others in his dresser drawer after executing a search warrant of his dorm room. Scott was handcuffed when led into the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey for a bail hearing. He faces a $250,000 fine and up to ten years in prison if convicted.

Authorities said Scott, a Drew freshman, worked as a paid student assistant at the Archives Center since approximately October 2009. The Archives Center is home to the official archival repository for The United Methodist Church. Its collection includes records from the various denominational agencies within the United Methodist tradition, and personal papers of several bishops, denominational leaders, and missionaries from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Many of the documents housed at the Archives Center are maintained in a secure storage room that is locked and only accessible to those who, like Scott, are given keys by the Archives Center.

Included among the papers stored in the secure storage room at the Archives Center are approximately 145 letters of John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism. The letters were written in the 18th and 19th centuries and are valued on the open market at between approximately $5,000 and $12,000 per letter. Also included among the documents at the Archives Center are various letters written by past presidents of the United States, including Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower, to various Methodist Bishops and other important Methodist figures.

“It is a sad day when a student at one of our nation’s learning institutions pilfers great cultural and historical resources, rather than respects and learns from them.” U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

Items stolen include twenty-one pieces from John Wesley, and several from U.S. Presidents including Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, FDR, Eisenhower and Nixon.

Scott sold many of the letters to leading dealers throughout the United States and as far away as England, it was reported. The F.B.I. is in the process of attempting to retrieve the stolen items. According to the agent in charge the F.B.I. will try and help the dealers involved get refunds.

Anyone who has purchased items from William Scott during the last few months, or sent checks to his home address in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, should contact Signature Arts, Inc. via eMail at j.bruce@sigartsinc.com. We will put you in touch with the F.B.I. Special Agent in New Jersey who is handling this case.

Michael Jackson autographs, be careful!

It’s come to my attention that there is a flood of very good but not authentic Michael Jackson pieces being sold. With the very hard work of authentication community we have started the breaking up of a very large ring of non-authentic items. We did catch these early so they have not got out of hand yet but would probably get by a lot of dealers and some authentication services.What I will do here in this article is show you what the non-authentic ones that are being mass produced look like. I won’t tell you what makes them not right as then the persons doing these will try to fix it. We do know the origin of where these started coming from and are working on catching the people red handed.




To the common collector these may look authentic but they are not. They are all signed by the same person and in my expert opinion do not believe it is Michael Jackson. These are not being sold a little bit at a time either. These are being sold sometimes in big lots and you have to buy all or none for prices that are just to low to believe. If you have any doubts whatsoever contact a dealer or authenticator that you have a relationship with and ask their opinion. It might be the best $15 you ever spend.

As always “be careful”
James Bruce

James Spence Authentication (JSA) Simply No Excuse For All The Mistakes

We have not been publishing all the mistakes this company has made lately because we feel our readers got the message on this so called autograph authenticating group.

However, when a group like this hit’s a new low the story needs to be told. Currently listed on eBay item # 110412169299 for $499 is a letter said to be signed by Warren G. Harding.

ANYONE who collects items signed by the presidents of the United States would know that the signature on the bottom of this letter is secretarial. And a well documented secretary at that. Reference books on presidential autographs and educational articles have been written about this "very common" secretarial signature.

It certainly appears as if the authenticators at this company either just don’t care, do no research or are just dysfunctional.






Harding Secretarial Signature mis-authenticated by JSA and his team of authenticators
as an authentic Harding Signature



llustrations of Harding Secretarial Signature and Authentic Signature from a common autograph reference book

It certainly appears this autograph authenticating business has become more of a scam than anything else.

JSA (James Spence) who likes to use the phrase "Follow the Leader" is not only responsible for this blunder but takes it one notch lower with extreme incompetence.

Look at the illustration of the signature closely. Notice the oval coloration starting at the capital "H" and ending near the "g" in Harding’s last name? One of the half wits working for Spence placed the JSA Certified sticker on the back of the Harding letter basically right over Harding’s signature.

By the way, the presidential/political authenticator for James Spence authentication is none other than John Reznikoff of University Archives. Anyone surprised?

When The Good of the Hobby Needs to Come Before the Almighty Dollar!!

This duo, the RR Auction/Reznikoff gang is at it again.

We have heard from several knowledgeable collectors and dealers complaining about the authenticity of items in the RR Auctions February 2010 sale from presidential signed items to sports celebrities signatures. We will focus on just one item in this story since the item is so well documented.

It is a shame, even a disgrace, that some people still try to authenticate presidential autographs when they have failed at it so often and so miserably in the past. The latest Reznikoff/RR Auction mistake has been brought to our attention by a handful of collectors and dealers. It is the Lyndon B. Johnson The White House card in the current RR Auction, item #79.

We know for a fact that Bob Eaton and some of his staff at RR Auctions have been notified early in the last week of January in writing that this Johnson signature is NOT genuine. RR Auctions has NOT responded to any of the emails from collectors and dealers and several days later, as of Feb. 1, the item is still listed for sale. This item has 12 bids and is now at $1,433.00.
The sale is over on February 10th.



Item #79, February 2010, RR Auction
being sold as genuine yet bearing a non-authentic
signature of Lyndon B. Johnson

In the past, with the information available at the time, the signature on this card was believed to be genuine by two people; Mike Minor who owned the card and Charles Hamilton. Minor believed that of all of the similar LBJ cards that have turned up, his was the only known genuine example.

Mike Minor was called by autograph expert Stephen Koschal, and Minor was told the signature of LBJ was not genuine. Koschal walked Minor letter by letter through this signature explaining in detail why he believed the signature was NOT genuine and Minor agreed. Minor stated that in an upcoming new printing of his book From The President's Pen, he would make the correction about this LBJ card.

In the very popular autograph reference book, The History of Collecting Executive Mansion, White House and The White House cards Signed by the Presidents and their First Ladies by Stephen Koschal and Lynne Keyes, the authors illustrate and devote a full page to this exact card. Koschal also made front page news about this same card in the journal of the International Autograph Collectors Club and Dealers Alliance, Vol.#5, No.4, July/August 2001.

Most importantly, most educated collectors and dealers are well aware the incompetency of most third party authenticating companies. Does it surprise anyone that Bob Eaton of RR Auctions and John Reznikoff of University Archives are part of the authenticating team of both PSA/DNA and JSA, James Spence Authentication?

There are ten more days before this auction ends and many are watching to see if the almighty dollar trumps selling genuine autographs with this auction house.

Authentication Stickers Affixed by Morons?

Much has been said about affixing unsightly self-advertising autograph authentication stickers to autographed material. Nothing said about it is positive. One of our last articles had someone who is a member of one of the high profile companies that claim to authenticate autographs returning an autographed photograph because it had one of these stickers affixed to it. The company he is listed as an authenticator places these type stickers on original autographed items.

No one to date has come to us advising how these horrific stickers can be removed form an autograph without damaging the original item. Many collectors would like to know?

This sticker fiasco begs the question of all our readers. PSA/DNA has added this sticker to the original 1930's card and basically has ruined the originality of the 80 year old collectible card. What happens if some person wanted to submit the card to PSA/DNA for grading? Maybe, they'll just grade the front of the card!

The following is a copy of a email from one of our educated readers and how he feels about the sticker atrocity:


From their new 2009 Goudey baseball product, they have inserted original Goudey cards that were autographed. As you can see, PSA/DNA has attached their sticker to an original 1934 Goudey card. What a bunch of morons!


Original 1934 Goudey Baseball Card Defaced by PSA/DNA Authentication Registration Sticker

JSA-James Spence. Autograph Industry Embarrassment

What else can you call this guy who has embarrassed himself through PSA/DNA and continues under his own name telling everyone to "follow the leader." Spence has got to be delusional. This self-proclaimed "leader" will help fill your collection with fake autographs or tell you your genuine autographs are fake. He has taken rubber stamped and preprinted signatures and issued his worthless COA stating the item is genuine. What else can you expect from someone impersonating an autograph authenticator?

Spence has made a fool of himself at shows authenticating forged signatures as genuine of a celebrity who was attending the same show as an autograph guest.

A popular item sold on eBay was the taped interview of Spence on Fox News where Spence authenticated as genuine signatures that were specifically forged for Spence to examine.

Another ridiculous situation, James Spence is one of eBay’s authenticators. The above mentioned tape was eventually pulled from being sold by eBay. It was one heck of an embarrassment. With Spence and PSADNA being authenticators for eBay it’s no surprise why so many bad autographs are being sold as genuine on eBay. Not to mention that good autographs are being taken down. These authenticating imposters just don’t know. We can assure you that eBay is very much aware of this autograph authenticating mess. Many are calling these authenticating companies, scams!

If anything imaginable could go wrong authenticating autographs at James Spence Authentication, you can be assured it has many times over. Do you want another reason to avoid anything that comes with a James Spence Authentication?

Go to eBay, item number 220555250928. B-E Collecibles is offering a Chris Short Single signed baseball. B-E Collectibles states in their description that a Certificate of Authenticity is included from reputable JSA". Now, where did B-E hear that JSA was reputable? We have to believe they know better but this is just one more reason to avoid doing business with any seller who sells something authenticated by one of the companies who claims they can authenticate autographs. This ball got 8 bids from 5 uneducated bidders. It sold for $145.50.




A Gary Sheffield Signed Baseball That was
James Spence (JSA) Authenticated as Chris Short Signed Baseball



"Follow the Leader, James Spence" to the bottom of the autograph barrel. Spence at a minimum needs to be tarred and feathered before fleeing this hobby. Whatever happened when an inexperienced authenticator got it wrong by saying a forged autograph was genuine and issued their worthless COA. Just as often, these simpletons failed genuine autographs. It appears those were the good ole days. Let’s "Follow the Leader" to a new lower level. The signature on the ball illustrated above is NOT of Chris Short. It is the fairly common signature of Gary Sheffield. James Spence you hit rock bottom and need to find another vocation. The hobby needs to rid themselves of these quasi-authenticators.

In future B-E Collectibles sales., will they still use James Spence Authentication and state "included from reputable JSA"?

Most card shops and shows that have James Spence Authenticating are well aware of his authenticating incompetence. It’s all about making a buck and these business need to be avoided. They are all contributing to having a continuous flow of mis-authenticated items enter collections.

The hobby is still attempting to self police itself. Collectors need to avoid all shops, shows and the few auction houses left that use these wannabe autograph authenticators!!

Come on Upper Deck!!! Really?

LOOK AT WHAT UPPER DECK DID TO THIS SIGNATURE

Just look at the Maris autograph on this card. I would never offer this type of autograph to my customers. Parts of letters missing all over the Maris autograph and you can have it for only $20,000 on ebay (or make an offer). This is something the card companies have done to create chase cards. Obliterating autographs seems to be a fun thing for them to do. This really should not happen. Even Beckett has criticized the card manufacturers for this practice with this statement: "Many auto cuts of late have been mis-cut, not fitting on the card, and simply, not of top quality presentation." This is a wonderful comment by Beckett on the sad state of these cards. I don't know of any serious autograph collectors who buy these obliterated cards.

News in the Authentication World!

Lawsuit Claims Heritage Auction Galleries Uses Fake Bidder to Manipulate Auctions

An interesting story about one of the largest auction houses in the country, a company that has very large sports auctions. Click the link to read about Heritage Auctions and alleged shill bidding. http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2009/09/lawsuit_claims_heritage_auctio.php

Beware of single signed baseballs, now more than ever before

A few different sellers are now selling forged single signed "autograph" baseballs on ebay. The quality of most of these forgeries is poor. The sellers are selling them as "replica" baseballs, but the novice collector should be especially careful now when buying single signed baseballs. When buying single signed baseballs (or any autographs) KNOW YOUR SELLER, know that he is a hobby veteran, know that he will honor a lifetime guarantee and that he will stand behind his autographs.

History destroyed by Topps

The trend of card companies placing signatures on trading cards has hit a new low. Even the Beckett Company has made negative comments about what card companies have done on these cards.
In order to make these cards more "valuable", and I use that term valuable in a very derogatory fashion, they place a signature on a trading card and number it 1/1,2/15, 3/1000, etc.

Observe the card illustrated below and see what Topps has done. The signature of Andrew Jackson, a great American President, has been obliterated for the purpose of creating a trading card that is allegedly more "valuable" than his regular signature. Let's look at the facts here. Andrew Jackson always signed his name on one straight line. This signature was cut from a document and then cut in half in order to place it on this card. In addition, note how parts of some of the letters have been destroyed. All for the sake of creating "rare, manufactured memorabilia". In my opinion, this is a pitiful and pathetic practice, you should be ashamed of yourself Topps. This card has appeared on ebay at least twice, the seller has reduced his price, and it has not sold.


American Memorabilia still not paying

It appears that complaints against American Memorabilia are piling up on various internet sites. They still, apparently, are late paying their consignors or in some instances have not paid at all. Various websites and blogs are reporting this. I don't have first hand knowledge of this, but I am seeing reports on websites and blogs. Apparently threats to report them to the BBB or take them to court don't even work anymore. The rating of American Memorabilia with the Better Business Bureau is now an F as of 12/7/09. That is the worst possible grade from the BBB. As of 1/20/10 the grade has been raised to a D+. That is still a pretty awful grade to have from the BBB. I have received several e mails from collectors who have read my info and still are waiting for payment from American Memorabilia for past auctions.

What to beware of on ebay

I am seeing many fake certificates of authenticity on ebay used by sellers of fake autographs. Check out what you see very carefully in ebay auctions. Make sure you get the number of the COA and check the legitimacy of it. Make sure the COA has a name, address and phone number of the person/company that is authenticating the item.

Mastronet still owes consignors from February auction.

Blogs and forums on the Internet are still running threads and posts from nervous and angry consignors who have not been paid for their consignments from the February auction by Mastronet. An auction house that was quick to criticize others is now under intense scrutiny and has created a very difficult situation for many who are still owed serious amounts of money. What goes around comes around.


What is going on here with Mastro/Legendary auctions?

It is now apparent that the reshuffling of Mastro Auctions into another entity Legendary Auctions has created a very unhappy situation for many consignors to Mastro. Forums on the internet have been flooded with complaints from consignors who have not been paid for their consignments. Rumors abound about their business practices. Have they shipped auction lots to winning bidders without being paid? Are they financially capable of paying off consignors? I guess what goes around comes around.

BE CAREFUL!!

With the death of Michael Jackson, the hobby will be flooded with bogus Jackson autographs, especially on internet sites. BE CAREFUL who you buy from.


American Memorabilia update

The Las Vegas auction company American Memorabilia now has a grade of F from the Better Business Bureau of Southern Nevada. Consignors are posting messages on forums and message boards stating their complaints against this company.

New World Record Set!

World Records Eclipsed During $4.2 Million Heritage Auctions Sports Sale

Babe Ruth, “Pistol Pete” Maravich continue to rewrite record books with huge prices realized

DALLAS, TX -- A Babe Ruth game used bat, dating to the Boston Red Sox' 1918 World Series winning season – arguably the most important bat from baseball's most iconic player - realized $537,750 at Heritage Auctions Oct. 1-2 Signature® Sports Memorabilia Auction. The auction totaled just more than $4.2 million. All prices include 19.5% Buyer's Premium.

"It’s a testament to what happens when you bring the hobby’s best collectibles to the industry’s largest bidding clientele," said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports at Heritage Auctions. "Heritage is able to set new records in every auction because nobody is more aggressive than we are in seeking out bidders willing and able to pay top dollar for special pieces."

The Babe Ruth bat, used by the iconic slugger during the Boston Red Sox’ historic 1918 World Championship season and later returned to the Louisville Slugger factory to be used as a template for future Ruth lumber, became just the second to summit the half-million dollar mark at auction, and is topped only by the model used to club the first home run in Yankee Stadium history on April 18, 1923.

"It’s also worthy of note that the 1923 Yankee Stadium bat was beautifully autographed," said Heritage Auctions' Ivy, "which would give our bat the distinction of holding the World’s Record for the highest price ever paid for an unsigned Ruth gamer."

Much of the pre-auction media coverage focused on a trove of Lenny Dykstra memorabilia, consigned by Beverly Hills, CA "Pawnbroker to the Rich & Famous" Yossi Dina, when the troubled slugger and one-time "financial genius" failed to redeem a ticket at Dina's place of business. As in his playing days, "Nails" didn't disappoint, as his lots were the subject of intense bidding resulting in more than $160,000 realized for 11 lots. It was Dykstra's 1986 New York Mets Championship ring that brought the highest price and the fiercest competition, tripling the pre-auction low estimate by bringing $56,762.

More than 20 years after the sudden and tragic passing of Basketball Hall of Famer “Pistol Pete” Maravich, the beloved cult hero continues to rewrite the record book, eclipsing two longstanding marks for top auction prices realized. Most notable is the ball with which Maravich netted his 68th point during the most dominating performance of his professional career on February 25, 1977.

“The auction result of $131,450 sets a World’s Record as the highest price ever paid at auction for a game used basketball,” said Ivy.

Maravich’s presence on a basketball signed at the 1987 Hall of Fame induction ceremony was also the key to establishing the new world record price on an autographed basketball, $20,315, which exceeded the pre-auction low estimate by a multiple of 10.

The trading card portion of the auction, which closed Thursday Oct. 1 in an Extended Bidding format, carried the auction almost to the midway point of its final tally, with strong showings across all disciplines of tobacco, candy and bubble gum cards, both sports and otherwise.

“The most noteworthy result was arguably the $77,675 result realized for a PSA VG 3 example of the rare T206 Eddie Plank card, a figure well in excess of those achieved for every VG-EX 4 and EX 5 specimen sold by Heritage Auctions' major competitors over the past five years. The same $77,675 figure was garnered by another profound rarity of the T206 set, the coveted Ty Cobb with Ty Cobb Back, exceeding the result of another Fair 1.5 example realized by a top competitor in 2008 by more than $10,000.
Let us know what you think!!