Opinions about COA's at shows.

[icollectDCsports]

If COAs were issued with autographs as standard practice, then the promoter/issuers would include some extra charge in the auto fee for the materials and the effort. But not all auto purchasers care to pay extra (included or on top of the base fee) for this service. I don't go to many auto signings but, when I do, I don't opt to pay for a COA and would rather the base fee not include something I have no need for.

[mr2686]

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

If COAs were issued with autographs as standard practice, then the promoter/issuers would include some extra charge in the auto fee for the materials and the effort. But not all auto purchasers care to pay extra (included or on top of the base fee) for this service. I don't go to many auto signings but, when I do, I don't opt to pay for a COA and would rather the base fee not include something I have no need for.

+1

[drcy]

Yes, it should be included.

[Bigdaddy]

Keep your auto ticket and take a picture with your phone of the athlete signing your item. There's your COA.

Tom

[Lordstan]

I agree that for the prices the public is paying the cert should be included, but the one thing that is missing in your calculations is that the promoter COA costs nothing for them to give out except a little in printing costs. PSA/JSA are separate companies that the promoters would have to pay to provide the service. That would cut into their profit or would mean that the autos would be $10 more.
The reality is that for those who need certs to buy autos, a show cert may not mean much. The TPAs are "independant" and have successfully marketed themselves as "The" authorities, so they can get away with charging more for their services. Right or wrong, there is a portion of the population that will only buy certed items.
Personally, I would never pay for certification of anything unless I was going to be selling it in the short term, especially if I just saw it autographed in front of me.

[mcgwirecom]

Always take a picture. If it is a unique item then it is proof positive. The cool thing about in person autographs was that they used to let you take a picture for free. Look at my icon of me and Joe D. But they pretty much stopped letting you do that. But you can still get a picture of them signing your item.

[Huck]

COAs are a license to print money. There was a time when each signer had a stack of COAs next to them at the table. Then COAs started costing $5-$10. Then the big sell was online COA. Look up the COA for the signed item at any time, day or night! The thing is when these COA companies go belly-up (and they will) will the COA database remain online in perpetuity? The answer is "no". Case in point. The former owner of CSA, used to have online COA at every show. I don't know if the former owner had a piece of the COA business or the business was subbed out to another company. In any event COA online is toast. It will take the collective memory of hobbiests to remember if such a coa company even existed. Hobbiests will likely remember JSA, Upper Deck, perhaps Schwartz, Steiner to name a few. As another poster said take a picture. Keep the ticket stub (if possible, CSA does, MAB does not). Keep a show flier, advertisement in the paper, email from the company, something that proves the event took place, there is no reason to spend money on a COA.

[lrspaulp]

Great discussion. And I thank everyone thus far for their opinions.