Autograph Authentication: Where to Get Autographs Authenticated...and More March 12 2021

Autograph authentication is an integral part of the autograph collector’s journey in building a fine collection of signed memorabilia.

Do you need to authenticate an autograph? By reading this article you will have the information required in order to know how to authenticate a signature.

Autograph authentication services are provided by companies that - for the most part - only do that, and are not dealers (do not sell autographs).

Whether you have purchased an autograph or had it signed in front of you, it may be important to get it authenticated as it provides solid third party verification of its status as a “real” signed piece, as well as increasing its monetary value.

Here we overview the process of signature authentication, and provide you with information and prices of some autograph authentication companies.

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Tamino Autographs, an authentic autographs company, does NOT offer autograph authentication services as an external service, be it free or paid, but some companies do.

Tamino Autographs is an autograph dealer - we buy and sell autographed items.

If you just want to authenticate an autograph, please contact an autograph authentication service company, such as one of those listed below.

This article was written to help you make better choices when you need autograph authentication, be it before you make a purchase decision or before you sell autographs.

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"FREE Autograph Authentication Near Me"

This query is constantly searched on Google by all kinds of people who found or inherited something, most are not collectors.

Such a thing does not exist, doing good authentications takes a lot of expertise and time. If you want professional authentication either for insurance or IRS, or just to satisfy your curiosity about something you have, then you should pay for the service. Some are very affordable ("quick opinion authentication").

See below the list of companies we recommend.

Collectors look for autograph authentication help to know they

are looking at legitimate autographs they are interested in buying, and as such will pay extra money for the certification. Without verification from a trusted source and their invoice or Certificate of Authenticity or both, you might find yourself inadvertently devaluing your collection, which if you come to eventually sell, end up getting less for the many dollars you spent.

For some collectors, getting proof from independent companies is the absolute most important thing when it comes time to buying or selling, especially as how easy it is to fake certain signatures these days. With printers able to recreate a perfect scan in any kind of ink style as well as artificial ageing processes for the paper or whatever medium its signed to, autograph authentication could be a must if you don´t trust your seller.

So what is the best autograph authentication company to get your autographs authenticated? Autograph authentication can be carried out by better-known autograph authenticators such as PSA Authentication and Grading Services, Beckett Authentication Services, and JSA (James Spence Authentication).

While we think PSA and Becket are two of the best sports memorabilia authentication services, for performing arts (dance, music, film and TV), we have different recommendations for you, read below.

Keep in mind that - according to research published in professional autograph collecting magazines - autograph authentication companies offer, at best, up to 60% accuracy in their results.

Note well that these autograph authentication services have a role distinct from the work and responsibility of an autograph dealer: whilst many dealers do of course have a high level of expertise and experience of evaluating an item’s genuineness, it is autograph authenticators and their place as an independent party outside of the buy/sell process who are fully dedicated to authenticity as a business.

This is like car dealers and those that repair cars, both are in the car business, but one sells cars, while the others offer a service related. Well, in a similar fashion you have autograph dealers and autograph authentication services. Some dealers also offer paid authentications, but most don´t.

Although it is important to say, this does not necessarily mean they are the best source and the last word on that.

There are certainly dozens of autograph authentication companies in existence today. From forensic document examiners to so-called handwriting experts, to corporate institutions and others that claim to use state-of-the-art technology with fancy-sounding names like Color Spectral Deconvolution or Video Spectral Comparator. As such, the autograph authentication choices available to a collector as well as the process itself can get a little confusing, so in today’s article we’ll explain the key things autograph collectors need to know about autograph authentication.

FOR AUTOGRAPH AUTHENTICATION in PERSON, read below under EVENTS.

What is autograph authentication?

Autograph authentication is a paid-for service utilizing a multi-step process that includes examination and analysis of ink and medium, evaluation of the object, side-by-side signature comparison, a structural analysis, tagging and certifying. It also called, but lesser known as, signature authentication.

After a comprehensive analysis, the best autograph authentication services will provide their opinion on whether an autograph is authentic or fake, and give you a letter of authenticity (LoA) or certificate of Authenticity (CoA) to formalize their verdict.

How to get an autograph authenticated?

As a client, the process begins with completing a submission form, either filled out in person or online. This form allows the authenticator to take possession of the item and properly authenticate it, leading to the first stage in the autograph authentication process: examination and research.

There are also “quick opinion” services at a lower cost - some professional authentication companies offer these services - where you only upload a scan of the item in question, you do not send it.

Examination

The first thing an authenticator will look to establish is the date of the item. It’s important to determine the supposed era of the autograph since a person’s handwriting evolves over time. For example, a Babe Ruth signature from 1920 will look very different to one signed at the latter end of his lifetime in 1948.

Authenticators will be on the lookout for other elements

to back up the piece’s providence, such as the fact that older inks tend to have acid that actually etches the paper over time - thus one must look to see if such an etching is present.

Equally, modern paper deteriorates quickly over time and becomes more brittle, so again, an authenticator will see if the paper’s condition is justified for the time the signature was supposedly applied. If the signed object is a piece of memorabilia like a ball, bat, jersey or other equipment, more technical and complicated methods may be involved to properly age the item with the signature.

In addition to their dating techniques, authenticators will also use various equipment to examine the item in more detail. High magnification loupes (essentially professional magnifying glasses) determine if the ink is “live” i.e. hand signed rather than done by an autopen or a facsimile (printed, part of the image if it is a photo).

This is especially common in the knock-off market today where the internet is flooded with inkjet laser printed items being sold as “authentic” or labeled as “RP”, which means they are reproductions of autographed photos, without clarifying what RP means.

Fakes can be difficult to detect unless an authenticator has them in hand and put under a lit-loupe where they can see the printer’s dot matrix around the autograph. Color Spectral Deconvolution can also be used, which helps separate an autograph from the colour of the background, allowing for a more detailed analysis, as well as Video Spectral Comparator Analysis, that reveals erasures, detects different ink types and shows up masked signatures that might otherwise be hidden.

Having confirmed the date of the piece and the fact it has been signed with “live ink”, there will be an intense handwriting analysis, research where the autograph will be compared and contrasted to an exemplar autograph database containing a huge library of noted celebrities and persons on interest in chronological order, as well as examples of facsimiles and fakes.

Certification

Once your item has been through this process, you will receive a certificate of authenticity (COA). There are two types of COA you can get to prove an item’s authenticity. One is your basic certificate that’s usually appropriate for inexpensive items. It will come with a unique certification number, and your item will have a sticker with that number on it.

You might choose to have a Letter of Authenticity (LOA) instead, which is an upgraded (and hence costlier) version of your basic certificate, featuring more details specific to the item and images.

Collectors tend to choose this option for more expensive items, and indeed some authenticators will only have this choice available for items over a certain threshold (e.g. JSA insist on a Letter of Authenticity for items valued at more than $200). With the Letter of Authenticity you will get the option of having the sticker on your item or just on the letter of authenticity. LOA’s will also have a photo of the item on the letter as additional evidence of your piece’s authenticity.

If your item is not authentic you will receive a one page form outlining some of the reasons why your item was not authenticated, including reasons such as inconsistencies with the slant, flow or pressure of the pen.

The result will either say it was not an authentic item or that the professional is unclear about its status. If the result is deemed inconclusive, you will usually be issued with store credit.

Verification

Your item will be tagged once the authentication process is complete. As mentioned above, either your item or the Letter of Authenticity will be tagged with a sticker that is usually a foil hologram label and is also tamper-resistant.

This label will have a serial number which is then entered into a database for future identification, which you can access easily online too, on the authenticator’s website.

WHERE TO GET AN AUTOGRAPH AUTHENTICATED

Important companies in autograph authentication

In the US there are several authentication services, here are some:

PSA Authentication and Grading Services

https://www.psacard.com/

Beckett Authentication Services

https://www.beckett-authentication.com/

JSA (James Spence Authentication)

https://www.spenceloa.com/

AutographCoA.com

There are also professional sport authenticator companies and individuals, many of them unfortunately would take an autograph of a celebrity in another area that is not their expertise and issue a letter with a verdict. This is why we narrowed down to the above 3, which, in our opinion, offer more reputable services.

So how do you decide out of these three which to use? There are a few factors at play. The first could be based off your location. PSA is based out of California, Beckett is based out of Dallas, Texas, and JSA has two locations in New Jersey and Florida. So if you live nearby, one might be a better option over the other. Of course you do have the option with each of these service-providers to pack and ship your items to them. Each authenticator has its own shipping guidelines on their site, but essentially involves packing your item securely enough that no external damage comes to it, but not so tight that you inadvertently damage it yourself.

It is very important to note that a very large number of autograph dealers and auction houses do not consider authentication companies in general as accurate and reliable services, hence do not accept their judgement about their inventory. Do not be surprised if they are only 60% accurate at best.

This is a highly controversial point and opinions vary from one person to another, and there are many different business interests in play.

In our experience we have had cases of great, accurate results but also autographs we obtained in person that were labeled by authenticators as fakes, while known fakes that were certified as authentic. Inaccuracy is high and you never know who did the actual authentication work, if it was done by a real expert, or an assistant and the expert just signed the certificate (most likely).

Opinions and comments aside, let’s look into the various services these three heavy-hitters of the industry offer.

Services on offer

Authentication - ALL

The authentication service will be similar between the three companies, but PSA has authenticated far more autographs than JSA and Beckett, at some 35 million collectibles. You need to keep in mind that PSA items will many times tend to fetch a higher resale value, so that might be something to consider also.

In our opinion, PSA and Beckett are great for sports autographs, not so much for entertainment and performing arts. Both PSA and Beckett are overwhelmed with requests and the quality is questionable, both tend to issue generic letters with the same analysis over and over, even the same words and nothing very specific. Make sure whatever result you get in writing is something that applies to your submitted autograph and not to anything else.

Pricing: authentication fees will depend on how many items you’re getting certified (with discounts for bulk orders), as well as who the signer is.

The fees vary within similar ranges:

PSA: $10-$500

Beckett: $20-$150

JSA $20-$100

Basic Certification/Letter of Authenticity:

JSA: $20-$30/$35

PSA: Items with an authentication price lower than $50 will be issued with a small Certificate of Authenticity, with upgrades to a Premium Letter of Authenticity at an additional $15. These premium LOA’s are available for +$50 items for no extra cost.

Beckett: As per PSA! I.e. Items with authentication price lower than $50 will be issued with a small Certificate of Authenticity, with upgrades to a Premium Letter of Authenticity at an additional $15. These premium LOA’s are available for +$50 items for no extra cost. They offer Beckett Quick Opinion as well, a fast track to their opinion.

Encapsulation - ALL

It used to be the case that only PSA offered this service, but now Beckett and JSA have added this to their roster of available services. Encapsulation preserves your autographs from the elements with a hard plastic case to ensure protection from most damage.

Moreover, they are usually tamper-evident, and sonically sealed so that you and others know it has remained unopened since authentication and remains in the best condition possible. It’s important to note that not all items can be encapsulated as your autograph has to be able to fit in the holders available. In addition to the ordinary plastic cases supplied, PSA has special Funko POP! Holders to add extra flare to your prized autograph.

Encapsulation also means you are not in need of the Letter of Authenticity as the details of authenticity, serial number and other item information are on the plastic case. Collectors can choose to have both encapsulation and LOA but this will incur an extra charge.

Pricing:

PSA: For items with an authentication fee of $50 or more, this service is free. For those under, encapsulation is only $10 (additional Certificate/Letter of Authority +$10).

Beckett: $30 (additional Certificate/Letter of Authority +$10)

JSA: $40 (additional Certificate/Letter of Authority +$10)

Grading - ALL

All companies offer autograph grading. Once a celebrity autograph is authenticated it can then be "graded" on its condition on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest quality. This looks at the item’s contrast, strength of signature, autograph placement, streaking-smudging, creasing, stains, and tears in the item. The amount of the grading fee depends on the piece’s authentication price.

PSA: from $10-$50
Becket: from $10-$50
JSA: from $25-$100

Quick Opinion (PSA)/Beckett Signature Review/First Look (JSA - "coming soon”)

If you’re purchasing an autograph online and are after a preliminary review/opinion of a professional PSA, Beckett and JSA all offer such a service. Of course authenticity cannot be guaranteed, but it might give you more confidence and peace of mind with the transaction. This usually involves sending an Ebay Auction URL or scan of the item, and for $10 you will be told if it is “likely genuine” or not.

Fast opinion/quick authentication is a good option for pre-purchases of autographs online if you have no idea. And some people stay with just this.

For example, AutographCOA.com, a rather new company in the autograph authentication services, has certified 100,000+ autographed items in just 2 years, and about 65% of them has been inspected in person while the rest has been inspected only on scans. This means that about one third of requests do not proceed to full authentication and stay with quick opinion.

Anti-Counterfeiting (PSA Only)

PSA have a unique anti-counterfeiting service that provides additional assurance to collectors and buyers alike: once an autograph is noted as genuine, the item is marked with invisible ink that contains a “synthetic DNA sequence specific to PSA”. Along with this sequence you will also be provided with a corresponding alphanumeric serial number.

Pricing: on request

Personal Statement of Final Wishes (JSA)

Collections can be a deeply treasured part of a person’s life, and when it comes to their passing, it’s only appropriate that an expert should be on hand to guide the departed’s estate on how best to properly distribute the property. JSA offers this “Personal Statement of Final Wishes”, a consulting service that provides guidance on fair market value and authenticity. They remain as autograph authenticators only during this process, so that you know you are dealing with a neutral third party and no conflicts of interest.