I believe it was JSA that authenticated a Geo. Dixon autograph a few years back and the auction listing even said it was a one of a kind. so how could they do that if they didnt have an exemplar?
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/3624634
here is the listing, note the listing says that they know of no other. Then how in the world can it be authenticated by JSA. HELP! It was offered by Sotheby's. A big time auction house. Could they see the conflict between no other examples known and a JSA cert. JSA's certs state that the pen pressure, slant, flow are consistent with other exemplars we have seen in our professional careers. REALLY? What is the proper pen pressure for a George Dixon autograph? Maybe JSA had another Dixon exemplar but didn't tell Sotheby's?
Here is the other George Dixon auto I have seen, precertified by PSA/DSA.
http://www.liveauctionworld.com/George-Dixon_i9361592
Now where is their exemplar? Did they use the JSA certed Dixon as an exemplar. you can't do that! One signature that is not on an official document cannot be used to cert one other one. Not enough exemplars! Plus true exemplars have to be established autographs that we KNOW are good, usually official documents signed with witnesses, contracts, notarized, etc.. You can't use one as a chicken and egg type authentication. I don't know what they used as exemplars so I can't accuse them of using none or faulty exemplars but maybe they can tell us what they used? Comparing these two Dixon signatures, it is inconclusive if they came from the same hand. They look a little alike and a little different. More exemplars are needed. Many more.
I did not see the passport of Sayers. But I do want to find another exemplar of Sayers signature. Is there one out there? I am trying to track one down. There is a monastery on a top of a mountain in Lhasa, Tibet that supposedly has one. Guarded by Shaolin monks. I got a guy on a satellite phone trekking his way up there right now. Spare no expense, we will find a Sayers exemplar.
All accounts were that he was illiterate. A long written out letter does not seem to be what someone would expect from him, but certainly issuing LOA's based upon belief of provenance is not a good idea.
Saying that psa and jsa withdrew their LOA's is one thing, but to say that they still believe it to be real but they can't prove it due to lack of exemplars is grasping at straws, and is another attempt to try to put legitimacy to it by saying that psa and jsa like it. If they can't prove it then it doesn't matter. It's suppose to be 150 years old. It was found in someone's papers. Who knows how he got it or if it is real or not.