Gfa......stay away

[darin223]

If you are a new collector and like players such as Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams, Mays, and so on, dont let sites such as UBID AND AT AUCTION Rip you off. They sell Ton of CRAP, that looks good and is Cheap. Most of their Products is Authenicated by GFA and the Great Steve Rocchi, LOL. This type of Crap tickes me off and kills this wonderul hobby!!! BE CAREFUL

[Fuddjcal]

G F A, J S A, P S A


Maybe these guys can explain it a little better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Y6UKMp8Qw

[darin223]

Thats too funny

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by Fuddjcal

G F A, J S A, P S A


Maybe these guys can explain it a little better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Y6UKMp8Qw

yep gfa, psa, jsa, one's as good (or bad) as the other,

6 on one side and half a dozen on the other. interchangeable alphabet certs and runaround. no end to the madness. If only one of them started with a W we might be saved.

[RichardSimon]

Don't forget the highest ranking card in the 52 card deck.

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by travrosty

yep gfa, psa, jsa, one's as good (or bad) as the other,

6 on one side and half a dozen on the other. interchangeable alphabet certs and runaround. no end to the madness. If only one of them started with a W we might be saved.

So you are stating that PSA and JSA are the same as GFA? GFA, the bogus company with no valid contact information that has certed what appears to be 100% fakes?

Just wanted to capture your statement and confirmation this is what you are publicly asserting.

[shelly]

I had no idea.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by travrosty

yep gfa, psa, jsa, one's as good (or bad) as the other,

6 on one side and half a dozen on the other. interchangeable alphabet certs and runaround. no end to the madness. If only one of them started with a W we might be saved.

This is just not true. If I see GFA, I won't even consider the auto. Not worth my time. Even if it is an authentic auto, I don't want to support them or anyone getting their autos certed there. Same with Morales, ACE, and a few others. If I see JSA or PSA, I will take a closer look at the auto itself.

[shelly]

I have no idea why there is anything to argue over. You pick you poison and you live with it. Yes we all know how bad most of the people are that authenticate.Just look at every cert handed out by man. It states " it is our or my opinion that this item is authentic". What does that mean ? If I have to tell you I will now start selling shares to the Bridge to Nowhere
Yes stay away from the people that are discussed over and over again on this site, but not one person on here is perfect.(David you dont have to say it.) I can tell you that GAI never met a B&J Dimaggio ball and many other items they didnt like.

[kengoldin]

http://gfaauthenticated.com/history/

I will be contacting GFA. It certainly appears to me that GFA is subtletly trying to put 'my favorite player' and 'B+J' in the same category as 'Upper Deck ,Score Board and Tri Star ' "The Big Four". Seems like a set up to authenticate M F P and B+J product as 'authentic' doesnt it? Reads like revisionist history based on their inclusion with legitimate companies that signed players to contracts and sold only authentic material. There never was a 'big four' and B+J was never a player in the autograph business. I used to tell people 'If you see a shrink wrapped ball, stay away because it sourced from B+J and is likely fake (except for the few good ones that were occasionally salted in with the bad).
I have no problems telling this board that when i started my own company in the late 1990s early 2000s i was offered well in excess of $100,000 cash to 'bless' Posada items and I told him to F off. Then, later, those items were magically certed by GAI...all worth less then the blank photos they ruined.

I know GAI 'authenticated' thousands of items for MFP i wouldnt wipe my ass with....because I wouldnt want my ass to be effected by the bad ink on them.

I do not beleve fighting forgers is a 'lost cause' nor do i believe it is fruitless to go after storefronts who routinely sell that product. I just think its necessary to bring back some of the tactics that were successfully used in the 1991-94 era to do so.

[Fuddjcal]

"yep gfa, psa, jsa, one's as good (or bad) as the other,

6 on one side and half a dozen on the other. interchangeable alphabet certs and runaround. no end to the madness. If only one of them started with a W we might be saved."

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

This is just not true. If I see GFA, I won't even consider the auto. Not worth my time. Even if it is an authentic auto, I don't want to support them or anyone getting their autos certed there. Same with Morales, ACE, and a few others. If I see JSA or PSA, I will take a closer look at the auto itself.

I agree with the second part of Travis's interpretation of 'Swingin the Alphabet" and Mighty Bombjack hit it spot on! You would Never bother giving a second look at a GFA. You KNOW it's a forgery. At least with PSA & JSA, you have a chance of it being right and that's all a collector needs for the warm and fuzzies.

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by Fuddjcal

"yep gfa, psa, jsa, one's as good (or bad) as the other,

6 on one side and half a dozen on the other. interchangeable alphabet certs and runaround. no end to the madness. If only one of them started with a W we might be saved."




I agree with the second part of Travis's interpretation of 'Swingin the Alphabet" and Mighty Bombjack hit it spot on! You would Never bother giving a second look at a GFA. You KNOW it's a forgery. At least with PSA & JSA, you have a chance of it being right and that's all a collector needs for the warm and fuzzies.

yeah, but you also have a chance of it being wrong, and that is worse than being wrong ALL the time, because people who have two brain cells to rub together with stay far away from GFA, but they will still send in their stuff to psa and jsa., talk about mxiing in the good and the bad together. who knows what you will get? that's the most dangerous thing. i would rather psa and jsa either got it right all the time, or wrong all the time, doesnt matter, but some opinions right and some wrong is what is killing the hobby because people still send their stuff in. flip a coin and save your money.

[kengoldin]

PLEASE POST if you have it, a viable address and phone # for GFA. Sent two emails in past 48 hours with no response. I guess i need to use FEDEX.
If you can supply this info, and it is accurate, it is appreciated.
certainly interesting that in 'about us' and 'contact us' there is no phone number and no address listed.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by kengoldin

PLEASE POST if you have it, a viable address and phone # for GFA. Sent two emails in past 48 hours with no response. I guess i need to use FEDEX.
If you can supply this info, and it is accurate, it is appreciated.
certainly interesting that in 'about us' and 'contact us' there is no phone number and no address listed.

Regarding sending them e mail,,,, welcome to the club.

[Mr. Zipper]

They may not respond to inquries, but fear not... there is some activity. They have updated the photo of Jackie Gomez.
http://gfaauthenticated.com/team/

I prefer the previous photo.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by kengoldin

PLEASE POST if you have it, a viable address and phone # for GFA. Sent two emails in past 48 hours with no response. I guess i need to use FEDEX.
If you can supply this info, and it is accurate, it is appreciated.
certainly interesting that in 'about us' and 'contact us' there is no phone number and no address listed.

Ken, we've been trying to contact GFA (Rocchi) since Sept. 2011, but to no avail.

No "public submissions" for their authentication services and no replies to our emails for the last 16 months.

[kengoldin]

Chris: (and rest of board) get me an address for GFA (or Steve Rocchi) to send them an attorney's letter, and I will do the rest.
I have received support from one of the 'major' LEGITIMATE memorabilia company CEOs who said they will support my efforts to go after forgers of athletes with whom they have invested money as well as protect their name from disparagement in the manner done in 'history' section of GFA web site. But its funny, how can you run an authentication company, post prices (which are high) NOT accept submissions, not post a phone #, not post an address or any way for people to contact you? Doesn't make sense...does it?
The only logical conclusion is that the website is set up for the forgers, who point to it to unsuspecting customers (likely mom and pop retailers, as well as sham online auction companies) and say 'see, this is who stands behind us, and look how expensive their service is'. Setting up a fake web site to justify prices is a crime of a different nature, who knows...maybe some authorities will find interest in that aspect as well.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by kengoldin

Chris: (and rest of board) get me an address for GFA (or Steve Rocchi) to send them an attorney's letter, and I will do the rest.
I have received support from one of the 'major' LEGITIMATE memorabilia company CEOs who said they will support my efforts to go after forgers of athletes with whom they have invested money as well as protect their name from disparagement in the manner done in 'history' section of GFA web site. But its funny, how can you run an authentication company, post prices (which are high) NOT accept submissions, not post a phone #, not post an address or any way for people to contact you? Doesn't make sense...does it?
The only logical conclusion is that the website is set up for the forgers, who point to it to unsuspecting customers (likely mom and pop retailers, as well as sham online auction companies) and say 'see, this is who stands behind us, and look how expensive their service is'. Setting up a fake web site to justify prices is a crime of a different nature, who knows...maybe some authorities will find interest in that aspect as well.

Ken, I've been in contact with UDA, Steiner, etc., over the last five years, but no one wants to get involved. It's good to know that someone wants to get involved.

That GFA website is one heckuva façade.

http://live.autographmagazine.com/fo...age=4#comments