[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

I've seen this line repeated many times here and elsewhere. While this may be technically true, it is a bit deceptive.

You can often ascertain authenticity with an extremely high level of accuracy on items that were not signed in front of you.

Examples include signatures on official documents, signed items with lengthy inscriptions or dedications, etc., etc. I could go on, but looking at the whole picture, a knowledgeable collector can often arrive at an assessment that is highly accurate.

Of course, part of the "whole picture" is a realistic assessment of the risk level of the autograph. For a Babe Ruth item, virtually any type of deception is possible and highly skilled forgers have been pecking away for generations. For items of significant lower value, highly skilled fakes and elaborate deceptions becomes far less likely.

+1