Golf Auto Qrtrly Special - Palmer legit?

burghman

Was hoping to take advantage of this quarter's golf auto special, but on closer inspection I don't know if it'll pass. It's on the back of a business card of my Father's that definitely predates 1970, so I wonder if this is a case where the samples that are out there for me to view are new enough that his autograph may have changed. The ones that I see on PSA's site and eBay don't have the same pronounced 'l' in the first name and the 'P' in Palmer is certainly different. I know it's legit because, well, I trust my Dad and he got a bunch of autographs on business cards while traveling through various airports back in the day. I just don't know that the PSA/DNA authenticators will see enough there to agree with me. Any thoughts are appreciated.

LarkinCollector

I won't guarantee it will pass DNA, but there's enough right with it I'd say it's highly likely it's good. The 'dented' A would be my biggest concern, those have been pretty smooth throughout the generations of his sig. Late 60s sounds correct, here's an early 60s IP example for comparison: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Arnold-Palmer-Signed-Autographed-Vintage-Album-Page-JSA-authentication/113844732310

Or his nicer 'sit-down' autos from 63/64: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Arnold-Palmer-Signed-Autograph-Golf-Instructions-Vinyl-LP-Beckett-BAS/202648198256

galaxy27

Jim I've seen hundreds, if not thousands, of legit Arnie autos over the years and if I wasn't privy to your backstory I'd say it's a horrific forgery. Moreover, if I worked for PSA/DNA I'd reject it in a flash.

I'm not calling your father a liar, but what I will say is that The King took great pride in his sig -- unlike many athletes of today. I guess there's a minuscule chance he was obliging a request while simultaneously running the 100-meter dash in an attempt to catch a flight, but I wouldn't park any money on that notion.

mis dos centavos

burghman

Thanks guys. LC - that first eBay sample looks pretty darn close except for the ‘A’, but probably not worth the gamble.

And thanks, galaxy, for your thoughts - I never noticed the links in your signature. Nice collection of golf autos and pics you have there, so I appreciate your experience and input as well.

galaxy27

Jim i read back over my post from yesterday and it came across as a bit churlish, even though that was not my intention. my apologies. a more effective way for me to state my opinion would have been to say that i personally would err on the side of caution with a signature like that, especially when there are so many other Palmer examples that are conspicuously dissimilar to that one.

i spoke to a guy today who is a consultant/authenticator for PSA/DNA in the golf realm. he really knows his stuff, so i showed him your business card to get his thoughts. he said it's possible that it's simply a sloppy sig as there are things he likes about it, but ultimately it looks off to him. he mistakenly thought i was a potential buyer and advised me to pass.

hope that helps, and thanks for the kind words

LarkinCollector

I would lean towards it being rejected by DNA also, but sigs of Arnie from the 60s are quite difficult to find. If it passes the gatekeepers, it should sell for a significant premium over most of his autos, but it's not one I would personally want either.

I took a quick scroll through all his autos on eBay yesterday and what I posted is all of them from the 60s currently available. There are a few early-mid 70s sloppy examples too, but 95%+ are late 80s-UD sets sigs.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARNOLD-PALMER-SIGNED-3X4-VINTAGE-GOLFING-PHOTO-AUTOGRAPHED-BECKETT-BAS-LOA/391951260708
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARNOLD-PALMER-SIGNED-3X4-VINTAGE-GOLFING-PHOTO-AUTOGRAPH-d-2016-BECKETT-BAS-LOA/391951261192
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARNOLD-PALMER-AUTOGRAPHED-HAND-SIGNED-3x5-INDEX-CARD-PGA-TOUR-w-COA/162225035399

burghman

Guys, once again thanks a million for the input and research.

@galaxy27 - you went way above and beyond to ask a legit authenticator and even show him my auto! That’s awesome and you don’t owe me an apology for your honest assessment in your first post - I took it in a positive light, not churlish in the least.

@LarkinCollector - thanks for all the eBay links. I did some searching myself but need to stop using “PSA” in my search terms because I miss so much with that restriction.

I’m going to hold off on sending it in for authentication based largely on your input - I appreciate the effort from you both.