So, what's an autograph collector to do? LONG POST AHEAD

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

This is good advice, but can you honestly tell me that I'm saving money by going to Kevin Keating's website? I understand that he has a great reputation, but if I'm not paying for that reputation, I can't understand why the prices on his site are higher than any other outlet I can find.

I listed dealers that I know maintain authentic inventory. What else is more important than that.
Dealers can and do charge what they want.
I won't defend or attack anyone's pricing, the decision to buy from him is obviously up to you.
In the interests of openness, Kevin does buy from me.

[Exhibitman]

I tend to straddle the fence on this issue.

I do my homework. I study the signatures I go after and I do not buy unless I am completely comfortable with it regardless of TPA opinions.

I also buy the TPA cert. I use TPAs all the time. Regardless of personal opinions, they are accepted by the vast majority of collectors and create a resale market. I may not like PSA but if PSA will bless an item I know I can flip it into the "PSA Nation" of collectors who will buy it without a question.

Unfortunately, anything other than signed in your presence is a bit of a Fox Mulder "I want to believe" leap of faith.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I tend to straddle the fence on this issue.

I do my homework. I study the signatures I go after and I do not buy unless I am completely comfortable with it regardless of TPA opinions.

I also buy the TPA cert. I use TPAs all the time. Regardless of personal opinions, they are accepted by the vast majority of collectors and create a resale market. I may not like PSA but if PSA will bless an item I know I can flip it into the "PSA Nation" of collectors who will buy it without a question.

Unfortunately, anything other than signed in your presence is a bit of a Fox Mulder "I want to believe" leap of faith.

Totally agree on all points.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

I listed dealers that I know maintain authentic inventory. What else is more important than that.
Dealers can and do charge what they want.
I won't defend or attack anyone's pricing, the decision to buy from him is obviously up to you.
In the interests of openness, Kevin does buy from me.

You're right, nothing is more important than authenticity, but price is always a factor. My point is that, while you said earlier that dealers are pricing into their sales the cost of a TPA, the prices I'm seeing on the lists of the reputable dealers you have mentioned all seem to price their opinion into their numbers, nobody more so than Keating. He has some amazing stuff that I want, but not at those prices.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

You're right, nothing is more important than authenticity, but price is always a factor. My point is that, while you said earlier that dealers are pricing into their sales the cost of a TPA, the prices I'm seeing on the lists of the reputable dealers you have mentioned all seem to price their opinion into their numbers, nobody more so than Keating. He has some amazing stuff that I want, but not at those prices.

If you could magically remove all the bogus autographs from the hobby, thereby exposing the true rarity of the good ones, perhaps the prices asked by the handful of dealers with the golden reputations wouldn't seem so high all of a sudden. They know just how hard and expensive really great, legitimate stuff is to replace. The presence in the market of bad material drives the prices down for everything, good and bad alike. Each individual has to make buying decisions based on his situation and preferences, of course, but a truer perspective of the market value of genuine items would be revealed in a universe of only those competing with each other.
Hank Thomas