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Autograph Authentication
graypoet55
Posts: 21
I have several cut signatures of important writers (Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Melville, Stephen Crane, and others) that I would like to get authenticated and slabbed. There are no PSA dealers in my state, and the PSA website is somewhat confusing as to how to submit items. These are potentially very valuable if authentic. Any advice or instruction would be appreciated.
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JSA/BGS
Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service, you only pay $20.00 per item as long as it will fit in a slab. PSA/DNA will do signed licensed trading cards for $20.00, but they won't do signed cuts for that amount.
I just sent 10 items to JSA/BGS a couple of weeks ago myself. Saved a few hundred in authentication fees compared to PSA/DNA prices.
Hope this helps,
Mike
<< <i>Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service >>
As long as you don't have any Sal Bando autos you should be fine
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
<< <i>You can get a better bang for your buck by sending them here:
JSA/BGS
Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service, you only pay $20.00 per item as long as it will fit in a slab. PSA/DNA will do signed licensed trading cards for $20.00, but they won't do signed cuts for that amount.
I just sent 10 items to JSA/BGS a couple of weeks ago myself. Saved a few hundred in authentication fees compared to PSA/DNA prices.
Hope this helps,
Mike >>
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none
<< <i>Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA >>
Don't know I would go that far and I use BGS from time to time.
Ripken in the Minors * Ripken in the Minors Facebook Page
<< <i>
<< <i>You can get a better bang for your buck by sending them here:
JSA/BGS
Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service, you only pay $20.00 per item as long as it will fit in a slab. PSA/DNA will do signed licensed trading cards for $20.00, but they won't do signed cuts for that amount.
I just sent 10 items to JSA/BGS a couple of weeks ago myself. Saved a few hundred in authentication fees compared to PSA/DNA prices.
Hope this helps,
Mike >>
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none >>
BGS/JSA just started together. Give it a little time. I do believe though PSA/DNA will be the top choice for the auction houses for now because of their reputation
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none
I write:
It's not an advertisement. I have no connection to JSA/BGS. Just trying to help a fellow collector save a few bucks and still get industry accepted authentication. A little competition doesn't hurt and ultimately benefits the collector. I don't see many BGS/JSA items for sale at auction houses because the process just started in November and they haven't made it yet to the big auction houses with enough lead time to be included there.
I count among my friends two of PSA/DNA's historical authenticators, of which I even do some work for one and frequently consign to the other, but they are NOT the only way to go.
Mike
Another route you might consider if you wish to sell them and not have to pay for authenticating them, just send them to Bob Eaton of R&R Enterprises in New Hampshire. He is a PSA/DNA authenticator and if they are authentic, he will list them in his monthly catalog auctions, and for the really nice ones, will include PSA/DNA authentication. If they are not authentic, he'll just send them back. You can see their website at
R&R Enterprises
He is one of the leading dealers in historical autographs. I have consigned over $100,000 worth of stuff through him the past few years and have generally always been pleased with the return. He even gave me a special section in his April 2005 catalog called "The Mike Navarro collection" where I sold an entire Presidential run and if you have some nice stuff, he'll cut you some special consignment deals. He can be reached at 1-800-937-3880, and if you go that route, please tell them that Mike Navarro sent you. Since he does work for PSA/DNA, maybe Fandango will cut me some slack for "advertising".
Take care and best wishes whatever you decide,
Mike
<< <i>
I count among my friends two of PSA/DNA's historical authenticators, of which I even do some work for one and frequently consign to the other, but they are NOT the only way to go.
Mike >>
I totally agree, PSA is not the only way to go, competition is good, and before anyone brings up the JSA thing, ALL authenticators have skeletons in their closets they would prefer to remain out of sight.
<< <i>You can get a better bang for your buck by sending them here:
JSA/BGS
Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service, you only pay $20.00 per item as long as it will fit in a slab. PSA/DNA will do signed licensed trading cards for $20.00, but they won't do signed cuts for that amount.
I just sent 10 items to JSA/BGS a couple of weeks ago myself. Saved a few hundred in authentication fees compared to PSA/DNA prices.
Hope this helps,
Mike >>
mike,
what did you send in?
1992 GCL, 93 Stadium Club, 93 Greensboro,, 93 South Atlantic League, 93 Topps Marlins & Rockies,, 94 Classic Tampa, 94 Procards Tampa, 94 Florida State League & 95 Columbus Clippers.
just to play devils advocate for a sec
JSA JUST teamed up with BGS LAST MONTH...there are tons of SGC JSA items floating around no?
I sent in the following (results are in parenthesis):
George W. Bush - Typed Quote signed (Authentic)
George H. W. Bush - Autographed Quote signed (Authentic)
Gerald Ford - signed souvenir typescript (Authentic)
Gerald Ford - signed souvenir typescript (Authentic)
Saddam Hussein - signed souvenir typescript (Authentic)
Ronald Reagan - Typed Quote signed (Authentic)
Michael Jordan - early full named signed newspaper clipping (still under review)
Bill Clinton - Typed quote signed (non-authentic)
Ronald Reagan - cut sig (non-authentic)
Walt Disney - cut sig (non-authentic)
The results are exactly like I expected with the exception of the Clinton. I thought it was real, but evidently it was an autopen pattern that I missed.
The Reagan simple cut and the Disney simple cut, I did not think were authentic, but for the $20.00 fee, I couldn't risk selling them as secretarial if they were actually real. I buy a lot of small collections and sometimes have to buy some bad ones in order to get the good ones, but I always sell the bad ones as secretarial or forgeries. I despise those that sell them as real when they are not. I've even sold a JFK before that I thought was secretarial and a Ty Cobb that I thought was a forgery, as fakes, and then later on they were authenticated by PSA/DNA so I lost a lot of money by selling them as fakes when I didn't know for sure. So now, if its cheap enough, I'll even send in the borderline ones to make sure they are fakes before selling them.
Take care,
Mike
<< <i>Minor League Source,
I sent in the following (results are in parenthesis):
George W. Bush - Typed Quote signed (Authentic)
George H. W. Bush - Autographed Quote signed (Authentic)
Gerald Ford - signed souvenir typescript (Authentic)
Gerald Ford - signed souvenir typescript (Authentic)
Saddam Hussein - signed souvenir typescript (Authentic)
Ronald Reagan - Typed Quote signed (Authentic)
Michael Jordan - early full named signed newspaper clipping (still under review)
Bill Clinton - Typed quote signed (non-authentic)
Ronald Reagan - cut sig (non-authentic)
Walt Disney - cut sig (non-authentic)
The results are exactly like I expected with the exception of the Clinton. I thought it was real, but evidently it was an autopen pattern that I missed.
The Reagan simple cut and the Disney simple cut, I did not think were authentic, but for the $20.00 fee, I couldn't risk selling them as secretarial if they were actually real. I buy a lot of small collections and sometimes have to buy some bad ones in order to get the good ones, but I always sell the bad ones as secretarial or forgeries. I despise those that sell them as real when they are not. I've even sold a JFK before that I thought was secretarial and a Ty Cobb that I thought was a forgery, as fakes, and then later on they were authenticated by PSA/DNA so I lost a lot of money by selling them as fakes when I didn't know for sure. So now, if its cheap enough, I'll even send in the borderline ones to make sure they are fakes before selling them.
Take care,
Mike >>
Mike
George W. Bush
Ronald Reagan
Saddam Hussein
Gerald Ford's
Michael Jordan
I forgot to scan the George H. W. Bush before I sent it in.
Take care,
Mike
<< <i>Fandango wrote:
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none
I write:
It's not an advertisement. I have no connection to JSA/BGS. Just trying to help a fellow collector save a few bucks and still get industry accepted authentication. A little competition doesn't hurt and ultimately benefits the collector. I don't see many BGS/JSA items for sale at auction houses because the process just started in November and they haven't made it yet to the big auction houses with enough lead time to be included there.
I count among my friends two of PSA/DNA's historical authenticators, of which I even do some work for one and frequently consign to the other, but they are NOT the only way to go.
Mike >>
mike, i still havent seen any BGS/JSA items in the 2008 spring auctions, and the REA had a bit of everything (except any BGS items)...
has anyone seen any JSA/BGS stuff for sale ?
If you just want the fuzzy warm feeling that they are real, i believe the quick opinion is good for cuts also, and only 7.95 (just list the auto on ebay...you can cancel the auction once you get your psa/dna quick opinion. Would recommend that before submitting for slabbing anyway, just in case they aren't authentic.
LINK FOR QUICK OPINION
AND
...get 25% less for my item when I sell it.........
....my 50% savings was not REALLY a savings at all.
MY required "comfort level" is met by PSA/DNA. If the
market were to decide that another service was better,
I would move to that service. Currently, the market is
most comfortable with PSA/DNA.
Some very cool stuff Mike.
My eBay Store
BigCrumbs! I made over $250 last year!
<< <i>
mike, i still havent seen any BGS/JSA items in the 2008 spring auctions, and the REA had a bit of everything (except any BGS items)...
has anyone seen any JSA/BGS stuff for sale ? >>
I hesitate to reply, because I don't want to receive any more hostile PM's, but FWIW, Hunt Auctions has a bunch of JSA Beckett slabs in their current auction.
And please note that I happen to love my PSA/DNA slabbed cards (and plan on adding more to my collection), and have none from BVG/JSA.
<< <i>
<< <i>You can get a better bang for your buck by sending them here:
JSA/BGS
Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service, you only pay $20.00 per item as long as it will fit in a slab. PSA/DNA will do signed licensed trading cards for $20.00, but they won't do signed cuts for that amount.
I just sent 10 items to JSA/BGS a couple of weeks ago myself. Saved a few hundred in authentication fees compared to PSA/DNA prices.
Hope this helps,
Mike >>
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none >>
Please.....
I'll take Jimmy Spence over PSA/DNA, anyday. He pretty much was PSA/DNA, when it pertained to autographs, before he went and started his own company.
And for the record, I did not know it was an advertisement. Mike was trying to help another collector. Relax..
And even further, PSA/DNA has had their share of screw ups, too. None of them will ever be perfect. I recall PSA/DNA authenticating some cards that were stamped autographs, not hand signed, so explain that, if people want to bash.
There is no authenticator any better than Spence on alot of the big key vintage sigs.
As for the slabs at auction, it will even out with time. Mark my word.
<< <i>how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none
just to play devils advocate for a sec
JSA JUST teamed up with BGS LAST MONTH...there are tons of SGC JSA items floating around no? >>
I love mine:
Wantlist:
2001 Fleer Genuine Elston Howard Material Issue Jersey
2001 Leaf Certified Jackie Robinson Fabrics of the Game Jersey #32
<< <i>
<< <i>Fandango wrote:
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none
I write:
It's not an advertisement. I have no connection to JSA/BGS. Just trying to help a fellow collector save a few bucks and still get industry accepted authentication. A little competition doesn't hurt and ultimately benefits the collector. I don't see many BGS/JSA items for sale at auction houses because the process just started in November and they haven't made it yet to the big auction houses with enough lead time to be included there.
I count among my friends two of PSA/DNA's historical authenticators, of which I even do some work for one and frequently consign to the other, but they are NOT the only way to go.
Mike >>
mike, i still havent seen any BGS/JSA items in the 2008 spring auctions, and the REA had a bit of everything (except any BGS items)...
has anyone seen any JSA/BGS stuff for sale ? >>
Fandango.
Basically every autographed lot at the REA auction you mention was authenticated by JSA. Here's a direct cut and paste from their website:
"In addition to in-house specialists, Robert Edward Auctions utilizes the leading experts in all specialty areas of collecting to insure that all items are authentic and accurately described. In the field of autographs, we rely on the highly respected expertise of James Spence Authentication LLC, as well as various other noted specialists."
You are correct in that technically, there are not a lot of "JSA/BGS" at the major auctions yet. Primary reason is that JSA/BGS items MUST fit in a very small slab compared to PSA/DNA which would authenticate a signed house if you wanted it authenticated (wouldn't be slabbed, but would get a LOA) JSA/BGS doesn't offer authentication for items much bigger than a 3 x 5, BUT JSA will do a LOA on large items like a bus or house, just like PSA/DNA. Therefore, common sense tells you that when most items in an auction are bigger than a card, then most items WON'T be "JSA/BGS" because they don't fit in the slabs!!! However, if you read the fine print, you'll see that the Robert Edward ones were done by JSA, just not JSA/BGS.
I like PSA/DNA, JSA, and JSA/BGS, I primarily decide which to send to depending on the item, size and price. You get basically the same level of expertise but the same name can be a substantially different authentication fee depending on what company.
For my own personal signed rookie collection, I'm going to get them all slabbed PSA/DNA (even the ones that are currently in JSA/BGS or JSA/SGC holders) so I can display them on the set registry, as well as they are cutting me a deep discounted price on the regular submission price.
In my experience, both companies have been easy to work with, are reasonable people, have a decent level of knowledge of signatures, both make mistakes (some huge, some small, some major PR blunders), but both provide me with a comfort level that I'm satisfied with for the money I pay them.
Take care,
Mike
<< <i>I have to ask...Where do you get a Saddam Hussein autograph? Are there that many floating around? And where do they get exemplars to compare to? What does something like that run?
Some very cool stuff Mike. >>
The large majority of Saddam's you see on the market today were taken by US Soldiers during the current ongoing battle in Iraq. They were signed laws, promotions, demotions, civil rules and regulations, commendations, etc. I bought about 20 of them when they first hit the USA. Other authentically signed Saddam items include a few presentation photos, some signed notecards that were included with official Iraqi state gifts, and a few letters that he had written.
I've sold my Saddams in a wide spectrum of price ranges. all the way from $100 to $3500.00 apiece. I've got about $200.00 into each one. I"ve currently got one listed on ebay right now if you are interested, it's available for $150.00. Just search the auctions of ebay seller thenavarro
Take care,
Mike
Jay
Successful Deals: tennesseebanker, jvette,
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>You can get a better bang for your buck by sending them here:
JSA/BGS
Has the same good reputation as PSA/DNA but when using their new JSA/BGS encapsulation service, you only pay $20.00 per item as long as it will fit in a slab. PSA/DNA will do signed licensed trading cards for $20.00, but they won't do signed cuts for that amount.
I just sent 10 items to JSA/BGS a couple of weeks ago myself. Saved a few hundred in authentication fees compared to PSA/DNA prices.
Hope this helps,
Mike >>
didnt know advertisements were allowed?
psa/dna is the only way to go.....
how many BGS/JSA items do you see for sale at the auction houses? answer: none >>
Please.....
I'll take Jimmy Spence over PSA/DNA, anyday. He pretty much was PSA/DNA, when it pertained to autographs, before he went and started his own company.
And for the record, I did not know it was an advertisement. Mike was trying to help another collector. Relax..
And even further, PSA/DNA has had their share of screw ups, too. None of them will ever be perfect. I recall PSA/DNA authenticating some cards that were stamped autographs, not hand signed, so explain that, if people want to bash.
There is no authenticator any better than Spence on alot of the big key vintage sigs.
As for the slabs at auction, it will even out with time. Mark my word. >>
+1 James Spence is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best autograph authenticators in the country.
<< <i>
<< <i>
mike, i still havent seen any BGS/JSA items in the 2008 spring auctions, and the REA had a bit of everything (except any BGS items)...
has anyone seen any JSA/BGS stuff for sale ? >>
I hesitate to reply, because I don't want to receive any more hostile PM's, but FWIW, Hunt Auctions has a bunch of JSA Beckett slabs in their current auction.
And please note that I happen to love my PSA/DNA slabbed cards (and plan on adding more to my collection), and have none from BVG/JSA.
Huh, You get hostile PM's for having a opinion too? I figured it was just me that got those