New charges of sports memorabilia and art fraud

[hawaiian bam bam]

I’m glad I started focusing on collecting topps factory certified autos instead of signed cards authenticated by PSA, JSA etc. (I still have some in my collection) but for the most part I try to go with the topps factory certified autos first. I know those can be faked too but I think the topps factory certified autos have more of a Chance of being authentic be TPA slabbed autos

[HexsHeroes]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

I’m glad I started focusing on collecting topps factory certified autos instead of signed cards authenticated by PSA, JSA etc. (I still have some in my collection) but for the most part I try to go with the topps factory certified autos first. I know those can be faked too but I think the topps factory certified autos have more of a Chance of being authentic be TPA slabbed autos

But Al, just curious, isn't Topps using the same autograph market sources for the autographs they use in their certified autograph cards as collectors such as myself ? Not sure how that protects Topps (and therefore you) any more than buying either with or without TPA LOA from the marketplace. Or am I missing something in how Topps sources authentic autographs ?

[HexsHeroes]

.

It's certainly no guarantee that a bad autograph (intentional forgery, secretarial, mistaken identity, etc.) does not slip through, but something veteran autograph dealer Kevin Keating shared in a SCD article several decades ago struck home to a young collector (me). Identify who the "good guys" are in the vintage autograph market and concentrate your purchases from them. Good guys meaning integrity, expertise, knowledge, and willingness to stand behind the items they sell. Unfortunately, many of those "good guys" have retired or moved on to other parts of the autograph business. Certainly more difficult identifying who the good guys are now. And perhaps far fewer of them.