More additions at PSA Autograph Authentication

[RichardSimon]

Rich Albersheim has now joined the PSA autograph authentication team.
That makes three vintage dealers who are now out of the buy/sell business in the last couple of months.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Rich Albersheim has now joined the PSA autograph authentication team.
That makes three vintage dealers who are now out of the buy/sell business in the last couple of months.

Auctions are the dealers now.

[earlywynnfan]

Are they actually out of the business, or will they continue to sell?

I've enjoyed Albersheim's recent auctions, I'd be sorry to see them go.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

Are they actually out of the business, or will they continue to sell?

I've enjoyed Albersheim's recent auctions, I'd be sorry to see them go.

I believe it is the policy of PSA that they have to give up their business.
I am not 100% certain but I think that is true.

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

I believe it is the policy of PSA that they have to give up their business.
I am not 100% certain but I think it is true.

I assume this policy started after Spence left?

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Rich Albersheim has now joined the PSA autograph authentication team.
That makes three vintage dealers who are now out of the buy/sell business in the last couple of months.

Hi Richard,
So I'm thinking that's Rich Albersheim, Phil Marks, but who is the 3rd vintage dealer?
Just curious...

[Republicaninmass]

Bill corcoran and kevin keating

Im not sure where Phil Marks went

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Bill corcoran and kevin keating

Im not sure where Phil Marks went

Phil Marks has told me that he only is selling PSA slabbed cards since the National last year.

[Klrdds]

The first 2 are
Kevin Keating and Bill Corcoran.
My understanding was Bill had to give up his business but Keating kept his.
No Phil Marks.
But the authentication process is still basically unchanged. They seem to be there only for the older and rarer items . Your ordinary players , including the Ruth's , Cy Young's , Mantle's, Jackie Robinson's etc still follow the same pattern.

[khw]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

The first 2 are
Kevin Keating and Bill Corcoran.
My understanding was Bill had to give up his business but Keating kept his.
No Phil Marks.
But the authentication process is still basically unchanged. They seem to be there only for the older and rarer items . Your ordinary players , including the Ruth's , Cy Young's , Mantle's, Jackie Robinson's etc still follow the same pattern.

But the authentication process is still basically unchanged. They seem to be there only for the older and rarer items . Your ordinary players , including the Ruth's , Cy Young's , Mantle's, Jackie Robinson's etc still follow the same pattern.


can you expand on this

[tazdmb]

Kevin Keating (Quality Autographs) is alive and well and I just e-mailed Kevin last month about an item. I feel there is an independence issue here.

[Michael B]

Albersheim's website is still active. He appears to still have listings on ebay under the listing name extremelyrare.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

The first 2 are
Kevin Keating and Bill Corcoran.
My understanding was Bill had to give up his business but Keating kept his.
No Phil Marks.
But the authentication process is still basically unchanged. They seem to be there only for the older and rarer items . Your ordinary players , including the Ruth's , Cy Young's , Mantle's, Jackie Robinson's etc still follow the same pattern.

I had gotten reliable information that Bill Corcoran had to give up his business and I had not heard about Kevin and Rich having to do so but it seemed logical to me that if Bill had to do that then the others would also.
It seems strange to me that Bill has to give up his business and Kevin and Rich do not.
And are you sure about the authentication process? I would think that Ruth, Robinson, Young, etc. would be the ones that would require their opinions rather than a very occasional Ed Delahanty or Joe Kelley.
If these three are not looking at Ruth, Robinson, etc. then who is? I am sure the submissions of Ruth, Robinson,etc far outnumber the very, very occasional Ed Delahanty.
And if they are only looking at the occasional very rare signature would Bill actually give up his business for that??

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

I had gotten reliable information that Bill Corcoran had to give up his business and I had not heard about Kevin and Rich having to do so but it seemed logical to me that if Bill had to do that then the others would also.
It seems strange to me that Bill has to give up his business and Kevin and Rich do not.
And are you sure about the authentication process? I would think that Ruth, Robinson, Young, etc. would be the ones that would require their opinions rather than a very occasional Ed Delahanty or Joe Kelley.
If these three are not looking at Ruth, Robinson, etc. then who is? I am sure the submissions of Ruth, Robinson,etc far outnumber the very, very occasional Ed Delahanty.
And if they are only looking at the occasional very rare signature would Bill actually give up his business for that??

These are good points. I would guess the amount of income given to each would play a roll in these answers. It would make sense that one of them would look at Ruth, cu young, gehrig etc.

[RichardSimon]

If you go to the PSA website and look at the list of their experts it states this about Kevin Keating: "He has been an autograph consultant for PSA/DNA Authentication Services since 2009, where he is now a full-time authenticator."
Though the site does not use those exact words in their descriptions of Rich Albersheim or Bill Corcoran. Though like I said before Bill Corcoran gave up his business and I would assume he is a full time authenticator. Nobody else in their listing of experts is claiming the qualifications to inspect vintage sports autographs.
I just noticed that the site also lists titles for their people. Consultant/authenticators and authenticators are their descriptions. Kevin, Bill, Rich and Zack Rullo are all listed as authenticators. A couple of others are listed as consultant/authenticators.
http://www.psacard.com/experts/

[Republicaninmass]

Phil sold\is selling everything off.

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[OlderTheBetter]

What is the status of John Reznikoff per PSA? Appraiser, authenticator, dealer and accused shill bidder?

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by OlderTheBetter

What is the status of John Reznikoff per PSA? Appraiser, authenticator, dealer and accused shill bidder?

According to his website:

Currently authenticates and consults for:
UACC, the largest trade organization in the field, since 2006. First approved authenticator/appraiser, and sole person designated to opine on “Famous Figures”.
PSA/DNA, the #1 authenticating service, since 2004, for American & historical autographs. PSA/DNA is the largest and most respected service of its kind, and the last word in authentication.
James Spence Authentication (JSA), the #2 authentication service, since 2006.
R&R Auctions, the largest monthly autograph auction in the world, since 2003.

[Bcwcardz]

I really doubt any of these people actually give up their business when hired by TPAs, they just arent in their name anymore. Thats my gripe with these companies is all the conflict of intrest that comes up. The job is too subjective and lucrative for me to have any faith in them.

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[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Bcwcardz

I really doubt any of these people actually give up their business when hired by TPAs, they just arent in their name anymore. Thats my gripe with these companies is all the conflict of intrest that comes up. The job is too subjective and lucrative for me to have any faith in them.

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IMO you are wrong.
I do not endorse the corporation at all but I trust the three people to do the job right. What happens outside of their authenticating is another story and that is why I do not endorse the corporation but I have known those three guys for a long time and I do trust them.

[HexsHeroes]

.
.
... found the following notice posted to Kevin Keating's
Quality Autographs and Memorabilia of Virginia website this morning:

[packs]

Can I throw a hypothetical situation at the TPA detractors?

Person A is a well respected authority on autographs in the hobby.
Person A is someone people turn to for opinions.
Person A charges a fee for his opinions.
Person A is able to sell his own merchandise to collectors with his name attached as insurance that the item is real.

Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.

Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by packs

Can I throw a hypothetical situation at the TPA detractors?



Person A is a well respected authority on autographs in the hobby.

Person A is someone people turn to for opinions.

Person A charges a fee for his opinions.

Person A is able to sell his own merchandise to collectors with his name attached as insurance that the item is real.



Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.



Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

I would assume so...

[Lordstan]

Originally Posted by packs

Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.

Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

It's simple really.
Yes, someone in financial trouble certainly could be tempted to defraud collectors, but these TPA's are in the same position. They want to make money period. What separates an individual from a corporation is that I can look a person in the eye and discuss things with them. I know who to blame if they defraud me. Who is to blame for the errors in the TPA? The fact is no one knows. You trust a corporation to provide you with an expert opinion without the knowledge that they actually are experts.
Sure, if I knew that Kevin saw my item and said it was good or bad, I can trust that, but we don't know who is handling our items. The buyer gets a letter from a company with all the authenticator's names, but that's it.

Paying for an expert opinion, like Kevin, Bill, or Rich's, is one thing. They each have 30ish yrs of autograph experience to draw from not just a group of photos on a hard drive to compare to. Do I really want to pay the exact same amount, or anything at all for that matter, for some guy who's experience is a mystery? No. I don't. It is a good thing for PSA, etc that you and many others like you do. If I am paying for an opinion, I'd like to know who is actually giving it and what their level of expertise is.

One last difference is that if someone defrauds you, you have financial and legal recourse. If the TPAs make a mistake, it's "Whoops. We're sorry, but you are only paying for our opinion." There is NOTHING that should make you feel more secure than a money back guarantee from a dealer. TPAs guarantee nothing.