Signature authentication – verified autographs with a reputable certificate of authenticity
At Memorabilia Germany only genuine autographs are offered. A complex authentication process carried out by independent specialists in the USA ensures that signatures are 100% verified. A reputable certificate of authenticity and other security features come with the memorabilia items Here you get a quick overview of the authentication process of a signature.
Detailed information on the process and the individual authentication service providers is also provided under the quick overview.
Quick overview:
Authentication of the signature on each item is carried out by an expert from one of the major market-leading authentication companies (Beckett, James Spence Authentication, PSA/DNA, Fanatics).
- Authentication companies (“Third-Party Authenticators”) are independent companies that have no economic relationship with sellers of Memorabilia but verify the signature objectively and only certify genuine autographs.
- After the authenticity has been verified, all items are provided with a security hologram that is equipped with a serial number. The expert himself sticks the hologram directly onto the verified item.
- All items also come with a certificate of authenticity, which is also provided with a serial number. There are physical and digital certificates of authenticity.
- The hologram and the certificate of authenticity show matching alphanumeric serial numbers which can be queried online in the authentication company’s database. So you can verify the authenticity of the signature on your Memorabilia live!
Process of signature authentication:
How is a signature verified and gets eligible for a certificate of authenticity?
A signature is authenticated through a complex process.
The expert analyzes the structure of the autograph in detail.
The type of the used ink or pen is checked here. Ink or pen color may have penetrated the surface of the signed object to varying degrees, which can be compared with the age of the object.
In addition, the linework is examined, from which it can be seen whether the signature was applied in one piece. This step is similar to handwriting analysis. The used techniques are the same used for forensic handwriting assessment.
Every letter, every nuance and every component of the signature is carefully examined.
Details considered include starts, stops, letter angles, style, and signature flow.
Tools such as ProScope microscope cameras and so-called “Video Spectral Comparator” instruments
that work with ultraviolet light and that are also used in forensics are used for the authentication.
With the help of these instruments it is possible to detect fraud attempts.
For example, erased, wiped away or covered parts of the signature, which could have been left behind by professional autograph forgers
and which would not be visible to the naked eye can be recognized.
If necessary, a database comparison can also be carried out in order to be able to finally verify the characteristics of the signature in a direct comparison.
Only genuine autographs will be certified with a certificate of authenticity.
Authenticator information:
Reputable authentication service providers employ experts and notaries who exclusively deal with the verification of signatures.
In addition, notaries are often sent to signings, where they accompany the transfer of each individual signature by a star and document and testify to its authenticity.
We only sell items that come with the authenticity marks and certificate of authenticity documents from the market leaders to ensure we offer 100% genuine signatures. We would be happy to introduce you to these service providers.
Beckett
Beckett Authentication Services (BAS) is a subsidiary of Beckett Media, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
BAS est spécialisé dans l’authentification de Memorabilia signés.
The team of experts is made up of renowned specialists, most notably Steve Grad, who has shaped the industry for many years
and has authenticated collectibles known worldwide.
Examples include items such as Babe Ruth’s 1918 contract with the Boston Red Sox or the “1857 Laws of Baseball”, which were auctioned for more than 3.2 million US dollars.
Among other things, Grad can also be seen as an expert in the well-known show “Pawn Stars”, which can be seen worldwide on the History Channel.
Since spring 2021, Beckett has replaced the physical certificate of authenticity with a digital version. Newly verified objects are equipped with a new type of hologram that includes an individual QR code that leads directly to the Beckett online database and identifies the respective article.
Alle Memorabilia mit Beckett Authentication könnt ihr direkt hier online verifizieren: https://www.beckett-authentication.com/verify-certificate
Since spring 2021, Beckett has replaced the physical certificate of authenticity with a digital version. Newly verified objects are equipped with a new type of hologram that includes an individual QR code that leads directly to the Beckett online database and identifies the respective article.
Alle Memorabilia mit Beckett Authentication könnt ihr direkt hier online verifizieren: https://www.beckett-authentication.com/verify-certificate
James Spence Authentication
Another big player in the authentication market is James Spence Authentication.
The company was founded in 2005 and is run by a family that is now in the fourth generation of world-renowned autograph dealers.
The story of James D. Spence goes back to the 1930s,
when the then young man organized what is now classic autograph collecting with stamped return envelopes.
His son James J. Spence Sr. got the hobby from the cradle, so that he, too, began to put together an impressive collection of autographs,
coins and stamps as early as the 1940s.
In the 1980s, the hobby was then professionally set up by the man of the third generation of collectors.
The company’s current president, James J. Spence Jr., advanced to become one of the world’s best-known autograph dealers and began to create a database of signature examples from famous stars.
Together with his son James J. Spence III, he founded James Spence Authentication to provide security for the rapidly growing scene of autograph and Memorabilia collectors.
Today’s database includes around 700,000 entries of genuine signatures, which serve as the basis for the authentication process.
JSA experts are hired around the world to verify objects that are equipped with the signature of a celebrity. They furthermore have a certificate of authenticity category called “Signature Debut” for rookie signings.
You can verify all Memorabilia with JSA Authentication directly online here: https://www.spenceloa.com/verify-authenticity
JSA experts are hired around the world to verify objects that are equipped with the signature of a celebrity. They furthermore have a certificate of authenticity category called “Signature Debut” for rookie signings.
You can verify all Memorabilia with JSA Authentication directly online here: https://www.spenceloa.com/verify-authenticity
PSA/DNA Autograph Authentication Services
Third and largest market giant is PSA/DNA, a subsidiary of PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator),
which was originally dedicated to “grading” Trading Cards and has graded more than 40 million pieces with a value of more than 1 billion US dollars.
The company was founded in 1998 and, in addition to branches in the USA, also operates locations in Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
The authentication of a signature is described by PSA/DNA as a 4-step process, whereby each Memorabilia is first verified and authenticated before it receives the security features, the hologram and additionally an invisible ink with a synthetic “PSA/DNA structure”.
This is followed by the issuing of the certificate of authenticity and, in the fourth step, the documentation in the database as a real autograph with verified status.
You can verify all Memorabilia with PSA/DNA Authentication directly online here:
https://www.psacard.com/cert/
Fanatics
In contrast to Beckett, JSA and PSA/DNA Fanatics Inc. is not a pure authenticator.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, the company is much more of a leader in selling licensed sports and merchandise items.
Fanatics has been on the market since 1995 and sells its goods online. Above all, however, the company contractually operates the e-commerce websites of all major US sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, PGA, MLS and UFC) as well as many other well-known addresses such as Paris Saint-Germain or the US Olympic team . The authentication of each individual signature on Fanatics items is organized in-house, in line with the size of the company. Authentication security is also at a very high level.
You can verify all Memorabilia with Fanatics Authentication directly online here: https://www.fanaticsauthentic.com/verify-authenticity/x-391716+z-95228376-3107284990
Fanatics has been on the market since 1995 and sells its goods online. Above all, however, the company contractually operates the e-commerce websites of all major US sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, PGA, MLS and UFC) as well as many other well-known addresses such as Paris Saint-Germain or the US Olympic team . The authentication of each individual signature on Fanatics items is organized in-house, in line with the size of the company. Authentication security is also at a very high level.
You can verify all Memorabilia with Fanatics Authentication directly online here: https://www.fanaticsauthentic.com/verify-authenticity/x-391716+z-95228376-3107284990
