Autograph Authentication & Grading: What It Takes To Make Autographed Memorabilia Official

THE PRO'S GUIDE TO AUTHENTICATING AUTOGRAPHED SPORTS CARDS AND MEMORABILIA AUTHENTICATING YOUR AUTOGRAPHED SPORTS CARDS AND MEMORABILIA COMBATS COUNTERFEITING AND PROVIDES PEACE OF MIND. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE UNTIL YOUR ITEM IS EVALUATED BY THE PROFESSIONALS. WHAT MAKES AN ITEM VALUABLE? ITS CONDITION AND AUTHENTICITY *** WHAT DOES THE AUTHENTICATION PROCESS INVOLVE? • Experts examine the signatures. • Ink is studied and analyzed. • Autograph is compared to an existing bank of athletes' signatures. O Item is examined under a microscope and using UV lights. Graphology experts and legal industry writers are consulted, if necessary. 1 A letter of authentication is produced, a serial number assigned to the item, and the item is submitted for authenticating. • Item is protected, respecting high security standards, with invisible ink and holograms. Any attempt to remove the serial number will leave UV residue and invalidate the certificate. • Once the authentication is validated, item is entered into a database to protect you, as a collector, when it comes time to buy or sell. ANYONE can issue a Certificate of Authenticity (COA). BUT IS IT REAL? If you're looking to have your autograph authenticated, be sure to choose one of the RESPECTED and EXPERIENCED companies offering authentication services. GLOBALLY RESPECTED AND TRUSTED COMPANIES PROFESSIONAL SPORTS AUTHENTICATION (PSA/DNA) World's leading and LARGEST 3rd party authentication service for cards and memorabilia, using a 4-level authentication system. Has processed over 20 MILLION items, valuing over $1 Billion. • PSA Grades on a flat 1-10 scale. PROFESSIONAL DA 9rts AUTHEN ATOR PSADNA AUTHENTICATION SERVICES STEINER SPORTS (SS) • World's LEADING producer of authentic autographed memorabilia. • Relationships with more than 2,000 STAR ATHLETES. STEINER SPORTS MEMORABILIA JAMES SPENCE AUTHENTICATION (JSA) JSA James Spencena Authentication follow the leader Worldwide reputation and LEADER of autograph authentication. Aligned with Beckett Grading Services (BGS). Impressive database of 500,000 files to compare autographs. BECKETT GRADING SERVICES (BGS) The ULTIMATE authority for grading autographed cards. Uses a 10 point system that goes from 1 to 10, and includes .5 point increments. Was named PEOPLE'S CHOICE BECKET by Card Trade readers 6 years in a row! GRADING BECKETT'S GRADING OF AUTOGRAPHED CARDS FIRST, CARDS ARE GRADED BASED ON THESE ATTRIBUTES: CENTERING The width of the border should be equal on the left, right, top, and bottom making it feel balanced. CORNERS A card with 4 sharp corners can trump other concerns. Slight corner imperfections, such as barely visible "white," could rate a BGS 9 or a BGS 9.5 EDGES Edges should be sharp and color should be constant, free of dings, dents, or subtle discolorations. Barely visible white is rated the same as corners. SURFACE Judging the condition of the cardboard as a whole. Scratches on the surface of glossy cards, white spečks on the card due to missing foil, creases, moisture damage, and ink smearing affect the surface evaluation. BECKET B. GKADING AUTOGRAPHS *** BGS gives the autograph a grade of 1 to 10, separate from the BGS grade given to the card itself. Autographs must be "out of pack" (not hand signed in person). 9.5 10 8.5 10 10 Here is a breakdown of what qualities are needed to attain an AUTOGRAPH score of 5 to 10: 10 A bold, nearly perfect and aesthetically pleasing autograph. 9. Signature with slight imperfections and nearly perfect positioning. Signature is visually pleasing with some bubbling or minor scuffing and scratching. yellowing, smearing. or fading, and slightly imperfect positioning (up to 10%). 8 7 Flaws are evident (heavy bubbling, noticeable yellowing/fading. scratching), small amounts of smeared ink are allowed. Up to 20% of an autograph may cut or bleeding off the edge. Heavy flaws are highly visible and portions of the autograph invisible. Up to 35% of a cut autograph may be missing: whole letters of the signature may run off or bleed to the card's edge. Very heavy, highly distracting flaws. Signature may have heavy yellowing/fading, smeared ink, or scratching throughout and 50% of a cut autograph may be missing. 5 Each attribute is given a grade between 1 and 10, then COMBINED to give the card a final grade of 1 to 10. Anything above a 9 is worth book value or greater: 10 RSTEENSTRASURG AU AUTOGRAPH For example: • BGS 9 is known as a "Mint 9" • BGS 9.5 is Gem-Mint, a nearly flawless card, a condition most collectors shoot for. • PRISTINE 10 is the holy grail. Pristine 10's are rarely handed out, and can turn a $10 card into a $1.000 one! BIG SPENDERS DID YOU KNOW... .the highest yielding team-signed photo was the 1927 Yankees? It sold in a private sale for $370,000! (PSA/DNA NM-MT 8) a Babe Ruth Contract was the highest valued signed sports document and sold for $1,028,500? (PSA NM-MT) Rawbino,n * OFFICIRL BRLL * NATIONAL LEAGUE .the most expensive game-used baseball sold for $3,000,000? A Mark McGwire Official National League Baseball, 1998 Home Run #70! os Co STRANGE SPENDERS... What do die-hard collectors spend $10,000 on? One big collector paid that for Nolan Ryan's jock strap, while another only received Luis Gonzalez' (already chewed) bubble gum for their investment. Could there be a grading system for these strange items? You can get an autograph yourself! Just take a ball, jersey, or card and go to a game or practice. The best thing is you KNOW it's the real deal, and it makes for a great memory. But get it authenticated by the professionals and you've got yourself a winner! BROUGHT TO YOU BY DACARDWORLD.com Check out our huge selection of autographed items at dacardworld.com/sports-memorabilia SOURCES: http://www.psacard.com | http://www.spenceloa.com/AboutJSA | http://www.beckett.com/grading/about_bgs http://sport-it.com/sportscollectibles/steiner.htm | http://sgccard.com/AutographGradingScale.aspx http://sportscardcollector.com/cardgradingoverview.html | http://www.psacard.com/Services/AutographAuthenticationProcess/ http://www.acagrading.com/en/grading/autographAuthentication.htm http://www.ehow.com/how_4963401 sports-autographs-authenticated.html http://www.cardboardconnection.com/collecting-101/sports-card-grading-101/4, ixzz3AJDWJLTP http://www.cardboardconnection.com/basebal/10-moct-valuable-2012-topps-heritage-baseballixzz3AIGdWdht CO