HOF collection

[theshleps]

With all the forged signed cards and plaques out there, let alone cuts etc- part of me wants to shift focus on my vintage HOF collection to team sheets, contracts, etc. Not things like checks and non baseball related items. Does anyone else feel this way?

[homerunhitter]

I feel this way too. In your opinion in our hobby what percentage of items would you say are fake? I ask because people are always so quick to post "know your autographs/signatures" but I find that totally absurd because nowadays forgers are so good that many autographs especially HOF autographs of forgers look exactly the same as if the players signed himself. I feel nowadays forgers unfortunately are "that good" that its hard to sells fake for authentic. what do we ask collectors do when tpas like psa, jsa, gai get it wrong sometimes, forgers are getting better and better and even "certified" pack autographs are seeing more and more "certified fakes".

[tazdmb]

Originally Posted by theshleps

Not things like checks and non baseball related items.

What is wrong with checks and non baseball related items? I completely agree with keeping cuts out of my collection, but some of my toughest autographs (Wilkinson, Thompson) are on non-sport postcards. Good luck finding most any 19th Century players on baseball related items. I have some beautiful letters by Tinker, Evers and others but none of them have baseball content. That being said, they are (nearly) impossible to forge.

I think, like anything, provenance is key. By collecting only baseball related items, you make it impossible to collect certain HOFers that are otherwise obtainable.

[theshleps]

I agree. I should have said I'd prefer to collect them on baseball related items. My Cartwright isn't baseball related etc. main concern was even though my collection is mainly rare signed cards and I only got them through reputable sources- I might be better off shifting as others have said forging is getting better and even though I collected signed cards in person back in the mid 1960's and through the mail- I do not know how many people did it back in the 30's and 40's. How many goudey did Ruth sign etc. How many of the slabbed ones are real.