As an avid collector for several years now, I know the thrill of getting or buying an autograph of a favorite or "hot" player. I also know that autographs are not that easily obtained & would require a valiant effort on the part of a collector to get them themselves. That is why I say that when you are purchasing an autograph from someone that does or does not have a COA with it, ask yourself a few questions before investing your hard earned money. Does this person have tons of autographed items for sale claiming to have obtained them in person? If so, think about what it would take to be able to do that. Endless hours at ballparks, hotels etc. Hard to imagine that the average person has that kind of time. If there are COA's with the items, are the from a shop/store that you are familiar with? If not, perhaps the COA is not all that great. Is there a picture of the COA? Why would a reputible seller not want to include a picture of a nice COA with his item? Does the COA have name, address & phone number on it of who it is from so you could ask them any questions? Just know that before investing big money in autographs, they are extremely hard to obtain & I am speaking from personal experience. One is better off to pay more & stick with the trusted companys like Upper Deck, Steiner, Scoreboard, etc. to insure that you are getting the real thing. More expensive fro sure, but worth avoiding the feeling of buying something only to discover that it is a fake. It is a long expensive journey learning about this type of collecting but the most enjoyable in my opinion if done with some caution & care. Hope this is helpful to some collectors out there.