Why am I writing this blog
today? Yesterday my friend and client
Patrick Cullinan send me several links to a charity who was hosting an
event. While looking both at the video of
the autographed auction items displayed and then further investigating the provider
of the items, it was clearly obvious that the autographed items were 100%
counterfeit autographs. Patrick is very
familiar with the autograph industry and after showing him the obvious clues,
he said and I quote “Now I see why you are so irritated with the charity fundraising
counterfeiters out there who scam charities.”
How could I tell they were counterfeit (aka Fake)?
When I see charities across the
United States being scammed or stolen from, it irritates me to the highest
degree mainly due to my background after spending (20) years as a Maryland
State Trooper. However, I must say,
after spending (12) years trying to educate charities on the “Reality of the
Authentic Autograph World”, charities absolutely must educate themselves before
they partner with an charity autograph provider.
Ask yourself this question – Would you
or your charity like to be featured on your local or national news about being
scammed or stolen from by a Charity Fundraising autograph counterfeiter? Would you like your guest to take the item to
an authenticator and after finding out the autographs are FAKE, they demand
their money back? If you don’t mind
this, stop reading. But if you do care,
read on and share this to all of your friends.
Here are some easy tips for the uneducated
eye to use:
#1 – “Who Authenticated the items” - Are
the autographed items authenticated by an “Authentic Authenticator” or accepted
autograph authenticator? (FACT: There are only a hand full of accepted
authenticators in the world. These
authenticators are – JSA James Spence Authentication (https://www.spenceloa.com/) PSA/DNA (https://www.psacard.com/) or Beckett (https://www.beckett-authentication.com/).
#2 – “Availability” – Are the items available
in the real world and if they are not, why not?
The autograph industry is available to anyone, in fact, when someone is
conducting an autograph signing, the entire autograph memorabilia industry is
notified. Also, how easy is it to get in
contact with Musicians or Celebrities? Most
“A” Celebrities and Musicians (mainly the iconic or well know musicians) must
be “chased.” What does “chased”
mean? Someone must find out where they
are or going to be and go there and wait till they come outside then ask for
their autograph. Iconic Musicians such
as the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffet, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Eric Clapton etc. live
all around the world. It is nearly
impossible to get them all at once – then to get them to sign a large amount of
autographs.
#3 – “Price” – Plain and Simple,
authentic autographs are EXPENSIVE. As
an example, a well known Charity Fundraising autograph provider provides
Rolling Stones full band signed items to charities for under $3,000.00. However, I know of only several authentic
band signed Rolling Stones autographed items which are proven to be 100%
authentic that are slightly under $10,000.00 and a guitar, well that’s nearly
$17,000.00. These items are
authentic. Bruce Springsteen rarely
autographs anything, when you find an autographed item from him and it’s
authentic, it’s going to be very expensive.
#4 – “Certificate of Authenticity” –
I hear this from many different charities “Well it has a Certificate of
Authenticity”, which means absolutely nothing!!! Anyone can make their own Certificate of
Authenticity. Think about it, if the
autograph is fake, won’t the Certificate of Authenticity be fake as well? They must realize that the Thief or Charity
Fundraising counterfeiter is going to provide a Certificate of Authenticity
just to make the item or items appear legitimate. Again, going back to #1, it’s all about WHO
AUTHENTICATED the autograph.
#5 – “All that Glitters isn’t gold” –
Charities get caught up in the “Glitz & Glamour” and don’t look passed
it. Like a large mouth bass who are
routinely caught by a shiny object flowing through the water, charities see an “autographed
Cowboy Hat” or a “Band Signed Guitar” and think “Wow, that’s really cool” and
just move forward. Do you want to be the
charity who is responsible for selling a counterfeit item to your
supporters? One provider is actually
showing on their website a Robert Plant & Jimmy Page autographed photo
which is as real as the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus rolled
into one. These items just simply DO NOT
EXIST.
#6 – “Proof Positive” – This is
really easy? Before accepting anything
for your Live or Silent Auctions, ask them who authenticated the items. But then, there is a well known term in the
auction industry called “Provenance.” The
definition of this is “Provenance - This term refers to the history of
ownership of the item being sold. An interesting or unusual provenance can add
to the value of a piece, such as when an item was previously owned by a famous
(or notorious) person, a popular celebrity, or an important historical figure.
Proof of provenance is critically important. Hearsay, or family legend does not
meet the criteria for provenance.” The
provider should know where it was autographed, when it was autographed and if
they are REAL authentic autograph item provider, they will have either a photo
or a video showing it being autographed.
Anyone real will have this to verify that they are not thieves or
counterfeiters.
Charities, please for your own
protection – learn what an authentic item looks like and the simple methods any
layman can use to ensure the items are real.
Remember, the #1 way to protect yourself and your charity is – Who authenticated
it?
Just ask these simple questions?
Are the autographed items
authenticated by JSA, PSA/DNA or Beckett?
If they say no – RUN
What are the prices of these
fantastic items? If they aren’t very
expensive – RUN
What date and where were the items
autographed? If they don’t know – RUN
Do you have exact proof such as a
photo or video of the items being autographed?
If they don’t – RUN!!!
If you follow this simple advice,
your guests will be protected and so will your charity.
Whether you get items from BW
Unlimited Charity Fundraising or someone else, first and foremost, we want you
to be protected 100% of the time. If you
have questions or concerns about your items or if you would like to learn more
about the “Reality of the Autograph World” – call us at 443.206.6121 or email
us through our website at www.BWUnlimited.com – we would love to help you.
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