In answer to the above regarding my COA, My bill of sale IS a COA on everything I sell as its sold with a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. I used to issue formal COA's on all of the private signings I did back in the 1980's and 1990's only to document and prove the fact that the item/items were signed in person.
When I buy collections I NEVER ask for COA's but many times I ask the seller to reference a bill of sale to find out initial origin.
I've never offered a formal authentication service because well ....there are only 24 hours in a day and I stay pretty busy as it is AND I never felt comfortable charging money for an OPINION which in most cases is no more difficult to do than telling you what time it is if I had a wristwatch and you didn't.
But in the course of redesigning my new web site which is still being worked on I was encouraged to offer a quick opinion link which I'll be incorporating into the site soon. Since I'll be working from scans its not designed to be the last word and won't be able identify photo copies or laser copies but I think where collectors might find it helpful is in weighing a Jim Stinson quick opinion PRIOR to a purchase. And avoid having to chase the seller after the fact or better still if certain TPA's of your choice are part of your collecting format it will help save money in that it will eliminate having to pay top dollar for an item that is going to come back as fake or secretarial anyway.
More on this later regarding specifics when all systems are go. In the meantime questions and suggestions are welcome.
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jim@stinsonsports.com
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stinsonsports.com