I can't imagine anything more painful than paying $150 to find out something isn't good.
That really provides a collector with an easy way of finding out if their item is good or bad without paying $150 for a full fee. JP: I really think it's our $10 opinion that sets us apart from everybody else. What areas would you say you are forerunners in, or that you've established a niche in? SCD: Global is into a lot of areas of authentication. I generally won't use something that somebody else has authenticated as an exemplar. I do use books occasionally for reference material. JP: I've obtained most of mine in person. JP: We definitely get our fair share of vintage material to look at, but I would say the majority of the stuff we do is modern autographs. SCD: With your authentication prices I would imagine you get more submissions on modern players whose values don't lend themselves to the more pricey services? The letter is dated and at the bottom it has a disclaimer regarding the grading. But we really can't guarantee the grade for the life of the ball because it could age and fade, depending on how it's stored. JP: The ball is encased on a cube and it actually sits on a piece of plastic so it won't move in the cube. SCD: Is the ball encased in anything so it remains in the condition it was at the time of grading? Is there a date put on the LOA? SCD: It can't be graded unless it has an LOA first? You can have the signature graded itself and that's $20, or you can have the ball itself graded and that's $20, or to have the ball and the autograph both certified it's $35, and that's all on top of the letter of authenticity fee. SCD: Grading an autograph - how does that work? The difference (between the COA and the LOA) is if it's a vintage item like Ty Cobb, then we would issue a letter, but most modern players, we issue certificates with. If it does pass, you pay for the certificate, and that's an additional $20. If the item does not pass, that's all you pay. JP: The $10 opinion is the evaluation fee to look at the item and determine if it is genuine or not. What is the difference between those three levels? You've got a $10 opinion, a $30 certificate of authenticity and a $60 letter of authenticity.
SCD: We'll run a chart to summarize GAI's services available, but I wanted to clarify one area of your fee structure. We've obviously been established in the hobby, and I have a well-recognized name with collectors and they trust my judgement. JP: It's more about experience and how many autographs you've actually looked at, not how long you've actually been professionally authenticating. To be a vintage authenticator, and to have the experience that some of the other authenticators would suggest you need, what's your response to those who would ask how you can be a 24-year-old autograph authenticator, particularly on vintage items?
SCD: Some of the other authenticators have been authenticating for longer than that.