[Huck]

Whoa, whoa, whoa....I did not state nor was it my intention to say that there is a right or wrong way to obtain autographs. How one obtains signatures depends on the comfort level of the collector. I have been collecting autographs since 1991 and fraud was a common complaint then. At the time, I just decided to try and get all of my signatures in person. There was plenty of signed material at the former Tuff-Stuff shows in Richmond, VA, but I did not buy anything. Heck, I drove all the way to Kentucky to see Mantle and the very next year he appeared at the Richmond show! All the major (Williams, DiMaggio, Mantle, Aaron etc.) signatures in my collection are IP. I branched out to TTM, mail order, family and friends because, I can't be everywhere and some signatures could only be had at a private signing.

I think it is great that you are comfortable with your knowledge/expertise of signatures to purchase on ebay or anywhere you please. This isn't my first rodeo but I am just not comfortable buying signed material on ebay or at shows. One has to wonder as to the authenticity of a Mantle or DiMaggio or Williams selling cheaply on ebay. Lesser names, sure, I have dropped under $20 on a Ferris Fain b&w 8x10 for a project I was working on. If the signature is fake, so be it. I have viewed what I believe to be bad signatures on this board but did not comment because I am not expert. Recently, there was a signed card that looked off to me but other experts said it was "good". The thing is without seeing it signed or a strong provenance, no one really, really knows.

With bigger/popular/$$$ names I would be really careful.

I would enjoy adding a Cobb, Ruth or other big names to the collection, but it would take an ironclad provenance before I would shell out any $$.

On the subject of fraud, the entire PSA fake flips worries me. All I purchase is PSA slabbed cards and I am not an expert in flips and casings.