Beware of Fake Signatures!

During a recent study of Mickey Mantle signed items on facebook, I found that over 50% of them are not authentic.  

To the untrained eye, signatures may look similar to authentic signatures, but please don't be fooled.  If the signature has been authenticated by PSA, JSA or UDA, it is likely authentic.  If so, just make sure that the COA (certificate of authenticity) contains a photograph of the signed item.  You should also be able to go to the PSA, JSA or UDA website to look up and confirm the registration number.

I've actually recently seen a baseball listed on ebay that claimed to be PSA authenticated.  It was in a PSA baseball cube and the ball had a PSA sticker on it, but it was obvious that the sticker had been removed from some other item.  When you remove one of those stickers, it modifies the appearance of the sticker.  

There are actually two inexpensive ways to get an opinion on whether a signature is authentic or not.  One is a PSA Quick Opinion (costs $10).  It is usually an option on the ebay page of the item in question.  The other is a facebook page called SafeOrOut.  I believe they charge $6.  Using either of these two sources will greatly decrease your chances of getting ripped off.