3rd party authentication

In an earlier post I talked about the importance of authenticity and that there are only a few companies worth getting a 3^rd party authentication from.  I want to follow that up with a few thoughts about 3^rd party authenticators and what that exactly means because I get asked all the time about them.

First let me define what a 3^rd party authenticator is for those who are already lost.  A 3^rd party authenticator is someone or a company where you send an item that is already signed to have them inspect it and give their opinion as to whether or not your autograph is real. 

A Letter of Authenticity (LOA) or Certificate of Authenticity (COA) states that in the person’s BEST OPINION that item is real.  Let me repeat that and be very clear, it states that in their BEST OPINION.  It is not stating a fact, it is merely stating an opinion based off of their expertise.  

As I said earlier anyone can have a COA or LOA that states that an autograph is real, but if that company’s reputation is a bad one, then most people aren’t going to believe their opinion.  Companies like James Spence and PSA/DNA make their money based off their reputation.  People trust those two companies because of their reputation.  A store like John Doe’s Collectibles in Kalamazoo’s reputation for authenticating is probably not as reliable as that of the big two.  

The same can be said for 1^st party authenticators.  A 1^st party authenticator are companies like Ironclad, Steiner, Mounted, etc that actually go out and do the signing with the player and place their own COA on the item.  You trust that when you order a signed baseball from Ironclad it is 100% real because of Ironclad’s reputation of only selling real signatures.  The same goes for all the other big companies.  

I hate to pick on John Doe’s store again, but if you see a John Doe’s hologram on an item you may think twice because you don’t know the reputation of John Doe’s store.

The Game-Used Memorabilia Craze

Some of the most sought after collectibles in the sports memorabilia industry are items that have been game-used. Although typically very expensive, collectors are often willing to dish out thousands in order take home a memento that has been used in a memorable game or by a favorite player. The reason for this game-used craze? It gives collectors the rare opportunity to own a piece of sports history.

Some of the most popular game-used items tend to be game-used baseballs and baseball bats. Many collectors seek out baseballs and bats from milestone games or from their favorite players, such as the bat used when a particular player reached their 1,000 career hit. Others enjoy collecting the more unusual items, such as infield dirt, seats, etc from their favorite stadium.

Recently, Minnesota fans have been able to take home a rare piece of Twins and Vikings history when a massive snowstorm caused the Metrodome roof to collapse. While some would look at the now defective roof as garbage, many Minnesota sports fans have been gathering swatches of the roof and doing different things with them. Ironclad Authentics recently created an exclusive item by having Cal Ripken Jr. sign a few pieces of the roof to commemorate his 3000^th hit, which he collected at the Metrodome during the 2000 season.

When collecting game-used artifacts the often debated question is “Should I have that piece signed?” Many collectors believe that by having the game-used item signed it makes it more valuable, while others believe that by altering the game-used items it ruins the historical significance of the item. Those who do get the game-used items signed typically will pay extra to add an inscription to go along with the signature. Popular inscriptions to add tend to be ones that include the date of when the item was used or of a milestone that was reached during the particular game.

Interested in finding a piece of game-used memorabilia? The most important thing to remember is making sure that the item is really game-used. Although it may appear simple to find a piece of game-used memorabilia online, it is often difficult to find one that is truly authentic. Just like autographs, many fake game-used items flood the market, making it difficult for consumers to know what they’re truly buying. Major League Baseball has tried to put a stop this by establishing their very own Authentication Program. With this program, each game-used item is witnessed by an MLB representative and is given a sequentially numbered, tamper-proof hologram. For items that are not authenticated by MLB, it is always important to find out where the item came from and to make sure that it comes from a trusted source. A few companies that carry MLB authenticated game-used items are Ironclad Authentics, Steiner, and Mounted Memories.

Incomplete Inscriptions

As I have been reading articles on the internet the past few days I noticed a common theme among baseball columnists.  Records.  Columnists and experts are obsessed with records and love writing about them, whether it is Rivera’s 602 saves or Jeter’s 3000^th hit, recently baseball has been flooded with articles on records and whose record is better or more unbreakable.  Records are a common inscription request amongst all collectors as it adds to the uniqueness of the item.  Over the years we have gotten some crazy inscription requests, but that’s for another time…

Every year we hold a few mail order signings where people can send in items to be signed by some of the athletes we work with, such as Cal Ripken Jr. and Joe Mauer.  Each signing we get several different inscription requests and without fail the same questions get asked.  “Which inscription is better for Cal to sign?  “2,131 consecutive games” or “2,632 consecutive games?”  I always answer it the same way.  What is the final record tally?  Is the record 2,131 consecutive games or is it 2,632 consecutive games?  Obviously the record is 2,632 and even though the record used to be 2,130 it isn’t anymore so we always say go with the full record.  There is one exception however; if you have a photograph or a piece of memorabilia from either of the 2,130 or 2,131 game then we recommend going with the partial record stat.

Think about it for another player.  Would you want a Hank Aaron inscription with 715 Home runs when he ended up with 755?  How about a Greg Maddux inscription with 330 wins when he finished with 355?  We see this with a lot of other companies and collectors where they get an inscription for an incomplete record.

As for players that are still current and playing baseball we NEVER recommend getting an inscription like “3x HR champion” or “only AL catcher to win a batting title” reason for this should seem pretty obvious, the minute that player wins another HR title or another AL catcher wins a batting title that item becomes extinct and the value is greatly diminished.

Moral of the story… put some thought into your inscription.  Is it something that makes sense?  Will it stand the test of time?

Why does the value of my autographed item keep changing?

Collecting sports memorabilia is very different then collecting anything else.  Yes it shares similarities to other collectible items such as cars, records, wine, cigars, etc.  There are some key factors that help determine that value of the item.  The rarity of the item, condition and quality of player are key determining factors in establishing the value of an item, but that is where the similarities end for sports memorabilia and other hobbies.

I will preface this by saying that for everything there is always an exception to the rule and I am just generally speaking in regards to sports memorabilia.  There are several unique factors though that makes Sports Memorabilia such a different animal in regards to collecting.  First and foremost, you are collecting items autographed by a person who is still potentially creating new memorabilia, not a manufactured item.  They will never again be making another 1958 Corvette, so you know that the number of 1958 Corvettes will only diminish as time goes on making your item rarer.  Sports memorabilia on the other hand players are usually signing until they pass away.  So even though players like Yogi Berra, Brooks Robinson, Stan Musial, etc are no longer playing baseball, they are still easily accessible for autographs, meaning more of their autographs are out in the market.  Once a player passes away their value goes up because like that Corvette... there will no longer be anymore AUTHENTIC signatures by that player.  Take Sparky Anderson or John Mackey for example.  Immediately following their passing companies were getting swarmed and overselling their autographs because the demand became so high.

Another factor in determining the value of your item is the current opinion/how the player is playing.  Take a player like Matt Kemp.  In 2009 he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award and he was looking like a sure fire All star for the next decade.  His value had never been higher.  Stores and online companies were selling out of his autograph and ordering more to keep with the demand.  Then the 2010 season came and he was unable to build off his previous year’s success and had a "down" year.  Critics questioned his ability among other things and he had a lot of negative press.  Those companies that stockpiled his autograph from the previous year were sitting on mounds of inventory they couldn't move, and were forced to sell them at cost or just above it.  In 2011 however Kemp is having another huge year and many are predicting that he may win the NL MVP, so once again his value is as high as ever and those stores that were selling his autograph at cost are now sold out again.  The same goes for retired players as well.  If a retired player does something post playing days to attract attention his collectability can either sky rocket or crash depending on the severity.

The last factor that makes this hobby different than others is that unlike collecting cars or other items, you do not want to use or play with your memorabilia.  Wearing an autographed jersey to a game or having a catch with a Babe Ruth baseball (yes Scotty Smalls I’m talking to you) is NOT a smart idea.  This makes collecting sports memorabilia similar to collecting things like wine or cigars because the minute you drink a bottle of wine or smoke a cigar… it loses all collectability since its gone!

Factors like the ones above make collecting and investing in sports memorabilia a risky one but a fun one that you can show off to your friends and everyone will enjoy! 

The Importance of Authenticity

With the rise of the e-commerce over the past few years local mom and pop stores have suffered, especially in the trading card and Sports Memorabilia industry.  Where cities and towns used to have several card stores, now you’re lucky if your town has one.  Websites such as EBAY, Sportsmemorabilia.com, Hall of Fame Memorabilia, Ironclad Authentics, Steiner Sports, etc save you a trip to the store and give you one click shopping from the convenience of your own home.  No matter where you purchase your autographs there are several things you must consider. The most important thing to consider is the authenticity.  Many people sacrifice the authenticity for a lower cost.  This is wrong and makes no sense because you could be purchasing a forgery which is just wasting your money

The industry standard for Certificate of Authenticities or COA's has drastically shifted from when the industry first started years ago.  Back in the day, every store and their mother had a Certificate of Authenticity.  This allowed forgeries to run free and saturate the marketplace.  You could go to Bob's Sports Shop and buy an autographed baseball signed by Player X and it was most likely accompanied by a Bob's Sports Shop COA.  You personally may have known that Bob was a trust worthy guy, but when either selling the baseball or trying to get it appraised, no one else knew Bob making his COA worthless. 

Once people started realizing this, the next advancement in the world of COA's was the accompanying picture.  Take the same baseball you bought from Bob's Sports Shop.  Now, instead of just getting a COA from Bob, you were able to get a picture of Player X signing a baseball.  This worked great until people started realizing that just because Player X was signing a baseball in the picture; it wasn't necessarily the exact baseball you purchased.  To this day people will still try and sell items based off having a picture of the player signing.  If this is the only proof or COA avoid purchasing this at all costs! 

The most recent progression in the COA world is the creation of holograms and stickers.  These holograms or stickers are placed directly on the autographed item, usually in a place that does not take away from the signature.  Some athletes have their own hologram/sticker COA and most of the major memorabilia companies have their own individually numbered holograms.  Each piece of memorabilia has its own individual hologram and unique number that is also in a database and that can be retrieved online, usually by visiting that company’s website.  The hologram is the best and most assured way of making sure your signature is real and authentic.

Another very important thing when purchasing autographs is that when you are purchasing an autograph, make sure the hologram comes from a company you know of and have a good reputation.  Anyone can make a sticker or hologram and put it on an item, but if they are an unknown company not a reputable company, their hologram means nothing.

So often we will see that someone is ready to pay a lot less for an unauthenticated autographed item, only then to find out that the item was a fake and worth nothing.  Don’t be afraid to spend a little bit more money on a guaranteed authentic item, you won’t regret it later