It’s a problem – let’s not fool ourselves. On the surface it seems like a pretty easy scam – I’ll just copy someone’s signature, stick it on ebay and before you know it I’ll have made a fortune.

Well, unfortunately that seems to be the thought process of a number of scammers that exist out there. So, our job as collectors, fans etc is to keep as vigilant as possible and make sure we’re not one of the scammers victims.

So, how do we go about doing this? First off – make sure if you aren’t actually getting the autograph in person yourself (ideal scenario!) then get a Certificate of Authenticity. ‘Great - end of story, job done. That was easy’- you may be thinking. Well, unfortunately it ain’t that easy. You see the COA is good, but it’s far from foolproof and does not guarantee that what you’ve got it authentic. People make mistakes when authenticating, so to minimise your chances of being caught out then I would tend to suggest you need to do some homework.

If you go online you can check signatures from established traders. Have a close look at the pictures that are available online, get to know the autograph in question and study it well. You can save these pictures, or print them off (check re: permission first though) and take them with you when going to see an item. Obviously you need to make sure you are printing off a picture from a reputable website / dealer so I’d tend to suggest you use UACC or IACC accredited sites. If you know that a dealer is reputable then so long as you feel completely happy using them then that’s fine too.

There is an issue with more famous subjects. The more famous they are the more likely you are to come across a counterfeit autograph. It makes sense. So, if you come across the opportunity to buy a real ‘biggy’ then make sure you do as much homework before hand as possible. Some autographs can fetch thousands, so if you’re contemplating spending any amount that would hurt if you lost it then take your time.

At the end of the day if you are not comfortable with making a purchase then maybe you need to walk away. If you’ve done your background work though maybe you won’t have to walk and you can go and grab that football autograph with confidence.

Technorati Tags: football autographed, football autographs, football signature, sports autograph, sports autographs, sports memorabilia

It’s 5.11 EST on the 15th August 2008. Michael Phelps has blown everyone away with his performance at the Beijing Olympics - and is probably going to continue to.

When Mark Spitz was asked about what it would mean if Phelps got 7 Golds at this Olympics he said it would be like being “the second man on the moon.” When asked what it would mean if Phelps achieved 8 Golds he said it would be like being the “first man on mars”. We’re witnessing something pretty amazing here - and guess what? His autograph is reflecting that in financial terms.

A few weeks ago you could have picked up an autheticated autograph (one of the 300 fans of the Game cards he signed) for about $60 (that’s a professionally graded card). Now, if you have a look on ebay we’re talking about $450 - for an ungraded one! And he doesn’t even have the 8th Gold (yet!)

So what does this all mean? Well - the long and short of it is if you choose your subjects well you can do extremely well. Sure - there’s an element of luck involved here. But, think about it - how big a surprise is Phelps’ performance? Could it have been predicted?

If you do your homework you should be able to narrow down the best bets for the future. There will be the obvious ones, but with a bit of time and effort you might get the new ’star’ before everyone else.

So, a good investment? Well - I’ll let you answer that one…

Technorati Tags: football autographed, football autographs, football signature, sports autograph, sports autographs, sports memorabilia