Been reading "Operation Bullpen" and finding it fascinating and disturbing, but also noticed that the forgeries invariably involve really famous stars and celebrities. Which makes sense, since that's where the money is. But what about signatures of more common players, how much do I need to worry about the authenticity of those too?
For example, here's a listing for a signed photo of my granddad Billy Sullivan
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BILLY-SULLI...bY2&rmvSB=true. The auto looks like the signature on letters I have, but more than that, I can't imagine a forger bothering to learn how to forge small fry players who aren't going to sell for a lot. Is this a reasonable assumption, or am I giving them too much credit, and underestimating the amount of forgeries in the business? I would note that this other listed signature of his doesn't look so good to me, despite its COA.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BILLY-SULLI...cAAOSwOdpX0zgC
And what about someone like my great grandfather, whose was no Babe Ruth, but whose autograph, if real, is apparently worth a few hundred dollars due to its scarcity (
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Billy-Sulli...QAAOSwICpZ7j-V. Do forgers do this kind of obscure stuff, or do they really only focus on big names whose autographs would be desirable for someone not knowledgeable about sports memorabilia? Las Vegas tourists, for instance, or someone who just wants a signed Jeter?