Quote:
Originally Posted by Deertick
Herman, Thanks for responding. It is a rare opportunity for insight into an authentication.
I think we all agree, that on any purchase of such magnitude greater diligence is required. Rick, should have at least called you, googled you, (asked a guy on the street, for god's sake) rather than just saying "I never heard of this guy."
I have a question for you on your authentication of this item. how much did the story of who, why, and how this was signed weigh on your decision? I ask this in reference to the erasure, and as importantly, the Shoeless inscription.
Under what circumstances do you feel someone would feel the need to clarify a plainly obvious signature, especially on a book referencing that individual? As far as the erasure, are there other examples of such behavior? This would have had to have been witnessed, noted, and related to someone in order for it to be considered with great weight, would it not? From whom did you receive these bits of info?
I ask these as common sense (to me) issues that I would have asked the authenticator if I were in the position to purchase such a rare artifact.
Jim Marinari
PS. The intelligence or lack therof of forgers can be easily debated in another thread. I have seen a Gehrig signed in sharpie.
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I'm not sure Herman will clarify his answer to these questions, although I would be really interested in the answers.
"I don't remember the story behind the book signing - it was 18 1/2 years ago." This would hold more weight with me if not for his definitive answers in his original post. It appears that he remembers the details quite clearly. His defense of his original OK seems to hinge on extraneous information from SOMEONE. If that someone was a party to the signing, it would be some nice corroboration to his finding. IF that is the case, why the generic LOA? Wouldn't it be prudent to note any provenance rather than "It looks good to me"?
On the face of it, it appears that 'legend' turned into 'fact'. None of this has any direct correlation to authenticity of the signature or not. However, the quick certainty with which several of these questions were answered (without attribution) makes me nervous.