Authenticators are the targets of criticism, controversy and negativity. Why are they there in the first place? They are providing a service to weed out problems. Just like the police, who often face the same problems of public perception. It is a service that arose to regulate crooks and forgers. Their job entails dancing through a minefield of signatures armed with accumulated working knowledge and hopefully, a solid exemplar and data file. They are humans and humans make errors. They are trusted and people are disappointed and upset when they make mistakes. There are also some collectors that have had some rejections through an authentication company and then bad mouth them until the cows come home. Autographs are big business, big money, and this brings out crooks. To be successful, crooks have to successfully undermine and outmaneuver the authenticators. You can never eliminate forgeries but you can try to contain them(yes, like the game plan to defense Barry Sanders).

The "I know better than anybody" philosophy does exist among some collectors. As you mention, they sometimes do know better. Collectors are probably pretty brave when voicing their opinion because they do not have money riding on their voiced opinion. The authenticators whole business survival is based on their credibilty.

I do some selling on EBAY and give COA's if requested by customers. Most of my collection is from in person signings. I tell people that the authenicity is good for the lifetime of the autograph. Afterall, if it's good today, it's good tomarrow, I put my name and money behind it.

What do I think of COA's? Not much. I do not look for them and they do not alter the price I am willing to pay for a "non authenticated" item.

When I look for an autograph, I look for the quality of the signature and the condition of the item signed(oddball items are a bonus).

Say company "z's" authentication sticker on an item is in vogue now and these items sell for a premium as a result. Five years down the road, company "z" has a scandal and goes out of business. Those authenticated items could see a drop in value as a result. I would not like the value of my items to be susceptible to fluctuating due to an authentication companies future success. Investment companies often say that "past performance does not guarantee future results".

Keep it real and report fake autographs when able. Hobby discussion of questionable autographs is also beneficial. Good authenticators are open minded and listen to these debates.

Well, I for one will only buy (or sell) autographed merchandise from a handful of companies - Steiner, UDA, All About Autographs...

I trust these companies and I feel that dealing with them is the next best thing to getting the signature myself. Am I susceptible if Steiner is exposed as having 30 small children in a signature sweatshop in their basement? Probably - however, I still prefer those odds to buying from some yahoo selling an autographed Jeter jersey for $100 on eBay.

As consumers we should do everything we can to ensure that we only give our business to reputable sellers, only sell authentic items and report fraudsters.

The crooks are just too good for most of us to judge a fake from the real thing; on items of deceased players we must be EXTRA careful and this is where an autheticator can help approximate if something is legitimate or not - they CAN NOT and SHOULD NOT guarantee anything.

Be smart - if it sounds too good to be true - it is. Even on eBay - even if the guy has a 100% positive rating on 20,000 transactions. Look around, compare, read and learn all you can about the business - the time spent can save you a lot of headaches - and MONEY!

Peace,
ADam