Quote:
Originally Posted by Lordstan
That is probably true, but telling authentic autos from fake ones take a lot more skill than deciding on whether or not a corner is creased or the image is off center.
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I agree with this, as grading cards and authenticating autographs are VERY different enterprises. I think it would be fairly easy to train an intelligent young person with sharp eyes to grade cards well and consistently. They wouldn't even have to have any prior knowledge of sports or sports cards at all, really. Becoming an autograph expert, on the other hand (and as pointed out here regularly and correctly), takes years and years of experience and a breadth of knowledge. What you (or in this case, Spence) could teach someone in a three-month training program would only help identify the silliest and most blatant of forgeries (think the snow white baseballs with wet sharpie Martin Dihigo autos in roaches corner auctions), not the sophisticated and well-done stuff that regularly gets submitted to large auction houses.
While ageism generally makes me wince, it is doubtful that the guys in that picture have had anything but the most perfunctory of authentication training, which is not very helpful. This is a field where experience trumps all.