Groups such as the UACC (Univeral Autograph Collector's Club) and the FBI have estimated that as much as 80% of the autographs for sale online are not authentic. So how can you protect yourself from fakes, forgeries and the like? Here are a few simple steps from an 11 year autograph seller and UACC Registered Dealer (#RD208).

1. Purchase from UACC Registered Dealers. The UACC has a list of Registered Dealers on their website. There are only about 200 autograph dealers WORLDWIDE who have met the UACC's stringent Registered Dealer standards. Dealers must go through a three-year process before becoming a Registered Dealer, and then must put themselves under significant accountability as long as they are an RD.
   
2. Disregard  Certificates of Authenticity (COA's). Unfortunately, most are not worth the paper they are written on. This is a little known fact, but COA's generally provide buyers with almost zero legal protection. Insist upon on a hand-signed or hand-initialed receipt that itemizes each autographed item that you purchase. According to court precedent, this is the only way a customer is truly protected!
3. Research, research, research! If you are dealing with an autograph dealer for the first time, research both the company and the signature(s) you are interested in. Note that autographs can change significantly over time and can vary according to when and how they were signed, so look at several different authentic examples.
   
4. Do not rely solely on the opinions of the well-known autograph authenticators. They can and do make NUMEROUS mistakes. Many of these mistakes are well-documented and are quite alarming.
   
5. Check out the other items a seller has for sale / has sold. Has he/she sold 10 Joe Montana's, 15 Marlon Brando's, 20 Michael Jackson's? If the seller is selling dozens of the same mega-superstars over and over again, chances are he's signing the items himself! A legitimate dealer's inventory will consist of a relatively small percentage of mega-stars, and a relatively large percentage of lesser stars. If a dealer is only selling one mega-star after another, he/she is probably not legit.
6. Find a couple or a few reputable dealers that you can trust. The higher the number of dealers you're buying from, the more chance you have of buying some un-authentic material. Find some dealers you can trust and stick with them.
   
7. If you're interested in educating yourself and building a great collection of legitimate autographed material, join an organization such as the UACC. It's very inexpensive to be a regular member of one of these groups, and you can learn a lot from the collective wisdom of the members.
   

Now let's look at some misnomers about purchasing autographs.

1. Private Auctions. While we personally do not use private auctions, a private auction is not a particularly good indicator that an autograph is not authentic. Some of eBay's most reputable dealers use private auctions. Why? Because there has been an explosion in fake Second Chance Offers and the like, particularly for higher priced items. In order to protect their customers, some sellers have found it necessary to use private auctions.
2. COA's. Again, as mentioned above, the vast, vast majority of COA's are absolutely worthless! Insist on a SIGNED RECEIPT and keep it with your autographs in case a problem ever arises.
3. Feedback. A high percentage of positive feedback DOES NOT necessarily mean that a dealer is selling legitimate autographs. All it means is that he/she is good at getting people their items promptly, packages well, etc.
   

By following these relatively simple steps, you can drastically reduce the liklihood of buying a fake autograph. So be careful, have fun and Happy Collecting!