PSA Says It’s Real, Steve Grad Says It Isn’t + Fake Jackie Robinsons + Autograph Horror Stories
Sports Cards LiveShow Notes
How certain can anyone really be that an autograph is authentic?
Steve Grad joins Jeremy and David Chase for a fascinating deep dive into autograph authentication, beginning with one of the most controversial signed cards currently in the hobby: the 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle that PSA has authenticated and Steve believes was NOT signed by Mickey Mantle.
Steve explains why he believes the signature is secretarial or clubhouse signed, walks through the exemplars and signing tendencies he uses to reach that conclusion, and discusses what it's like to publicly disagree with another major authenticator when hundreds of thousands of dollars may be at stake.
But how certain is an autograph authenticator? Steve explains when instinct enters the equation, when an authenticator should simply "punt" on an autograph, and even recalls reversing one of his own authentication decisions after going back and doing more research.
The conversation then turns to another potentially enormous issue: signed 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson cards. Of the nine known examples discussed on the show, Steve says he has seen five that he believes are not authentic.
They also discuss increasingly sophisticated forgery techniques, autopens, aging ink, whether autograph grades should have expiration dates and why an autograph sitting inside a slab can still change dramatically over time.
Then things get considerably more entertaining.
Years ago, David bought a collection of celebrity autographs on eBay, each accompanied by a letter of authenticity. He sends them to Steve for his verdict live on the show.
Michael Jackson. Aerosmith. The Sopranos. The Goonies. Michael J. Fox and more.
The verdict isn't pretty.
Meanwhile, Jeremy puts his own three vintage hockey autographs in front of Steve, including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman, with dramatically different results.
Finally, Steve explains why education remains a collector's greatest protection. Learn the signature. Learn the signing habits. Learn the known secretarial and clubhouse versions. And never assume that simply because an autograph is already inside a slab, the question has been settled.
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