JSA Team...

[jgmp123]

So JSA's team came out today to a local shop and offered their services. Not questioning their accuracy, but the kids they sent out looked like they just graduated high school....c'mon Jimmy!

[RichardSimon]

Those children are autograph authenticators?
OMG, that is funny and sad at the same time.
Does JSA give discounts when the children examine autographs?
Somehow, I doubt that.
This is disgraceful.

[Lordstan]

That is pretty funny.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Those children are autograph authenticators?
OMG, that is funny and sad at the same time.
Does JSA give discounts when the children examine autographs?
Somehow, I doubt that.
This is disgraceful.

I have no idea but would guess that the grading companies have the same type of employees to grade cards.

[Lordstan]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I have no idea but would guess that the grading companies have the same type of employees to grade cards.

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.

[travrosty]

i am sure they are listed on the website as autograph authenticators. whats the world come to?

[mighty bombjack]

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.

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.

[mighty bombjack]

I will add this for argument's sake: Maybe those guys simply collect and tag stuff to take in to JSA? Or are only there to do the "signed in the presence" stuff? Would their age make difference in those circumstances? I have never submitted anything in person, so I don't know for sure, but I didn't think you could get anything cert-ed on the spot like that.

[RichardSimon]

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.

+++

[Leon]

I would hope they are taking in submissions.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by jgmp123

So JSA's team came out today to a local shop and offered their services. Not questioning their accuracy, but the kids they sent out looked like they just graduated high school....c'mon Jimmy!

btw, is that dan mckee (card guy) waiting on his authentications? I could only imagine..

[Teamgluck]

I am the youngest person on net 54 at 20 and have been collecting for years but I am not close to being autograph expert yet. I wonder if those kids would pass a little quiz.
I am fine if someone is there signing in person and they are just giving out the certificate/letters of authenticity but authenticating requires experience and this is another loss of faith for the 2 industry giants.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by jgmp123

So JSA's team came out today to a local shop and offered their services. Not questioning their accuracy, but the kids they sent out looked like they just graduated high school....c'mon Jimmy!

James,
Good idea taking that photo. It has started a lively thread.

[Klrdds]

That photo is not a great endorsement for JSA who as we all know has had authentication issues in the past . Nor is that photo of the 2 youngsters looking at their database for exemplars ( those computers probably contain all their experience and expertise ) going to give me confidence in their opinions or JSA. I think I have been collecting for both of their ages combined.

[earlywynnfan]

Time for me to repeat my one and only JSA story: had a free coupon, so thought I'd get a Gene Conley ball authenticated, more as a lark. If anyone's seen Conley's sig, it's very legible. So I hand the ball and the coupon to the kid (if he wasn't a teenager, he was close!) who walks to the other side of the booth, but comes back to me with a puzzled look on his face. I say "It's Gene Conley." He nods, smiles, puts a sticker on it, enters the code into the computer, hands me the ball, and I walk away amazed that these people were raking in money all day long.

To this day, the part that gets me the most is that I wasn't smart enough to start a company like this!

Ken

[travrosty]

They got everybody you never heard of it seems, but you never heard of them because they ain't listed on the site, but thats the system now.

[packs]

Not to defend JSA because I have no idea what those people's credentials are, or even if they were certing items. However, I have been a collector for a very long time even though I'm young for the Board. I cannot tell you how frustrating it was to be at a show and ignored, or talked down to simply because of my age. I frequently knew more about the materials in a sellers case than they did.

Like I said, no idea what these guys backgrounds are. BUT, if you think just because you're young you've got nothing to offer, I can't help but be reminded of those old guys behind their cases.