Woohoo!

Strictly-Dragonball · Post by **Strictly-Dragonball** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:59 pm

I know this isn't cel related but I wanted to post on here as I am just as excited about this. I have recently sealed a deal for a PSA/DNA certified Michael Jackson autographed photo after hunting for one for a while

I'm so happy about it, naturally it costs a bomb (more than any cel I have bought) but totally worth it imho.

YAY! haha

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:08 pm

Congratulations!

I think even eighteen years ago his autograph was expensive (for someone living). And that wasn't even for the type of autograph that you got.

Strictly-Dragonball · Post by **Strictly-Dragonball** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:16 pm

If you want to know what photo I am getting it's basically similar to this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/WOW-MICHAEL-JACKSON ... 2ea6330b9e

He is in the same pose but the photo is different. I was going to bid on this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Michael-Jackson-Sig ... 3caa4b2046

But as you can see it sold for $1,800

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:05 pm

Very nice!

That more than doubles the price of my Judy Garland autographed photo although I got it about 15-16 years ago. Makes me wonder how much my Singing in the Rain photo would go for now. I've been out of collecting for so long.

Personally, I always preferred collecting the non-color signed photos. The color photos tended to degrade faster over time. Then again, the photos coming out now are probably better quality than the ones that were around back when I was collecting.

Strictly-Dragonball · Post by **Strictly-Dragonball** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:09 pm

Yeah what you have will probably be worth A LOT. I just consider myself to have gotten MJ's auto' as his autograph is really in high demand at the minute.

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 9:54 pm

Just be sure to treat it with care. You know...UV and all that stuff.

PSA/DNA was not around when I was collecting. Back then we could only go by the integrity of the dealer. Dealers built up their reputations over time. We didn't have the internet either so buying things was more difficult because it was harder to tell what you were getting when you ordered something.

Strictly-Dragonball · Post by **Strictly-Dragonball** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 2:35 pm

Oh yeah I will certainly take care of it and keep it away from all types of light. Yeah, it must have been extremely hard to buy autographs years ago. You really just had to find someone reputable and go with your instincts.

The experts at PSA/DNA were collectors first so they know what to look for. I have a couple in-person autographs (nobody notable) and that really is the only way to know 100% if what you have is real. This piece is actually only the second autograph I have ever bought, online or anywhere else. The first was actually a set of two from the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They are also PSA certified and they cost me Â£75.

I only would ever buy autographs examined by PSA/DNA as they are the largest third party authenticator of signatures in the world, I think JSA is second.

But today if you are wanting to get the 'true' amount that persons autograph is worth when selling it really needs to be authenticated by one of those two companies. Collectors, dealers and auction houses worldwide trust their judgement so they always sell for a premium.

There are no bargains to be had with autographs is there? If it looks too good to be true it is.

cutiebunny · Post by **cutiebunny** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 5:22 pm

I disagree. I think there are bargains to be had, but you just have to look for them.

Obviously, the 10,000 yen start price beautifully colored Miyazaki shikishi are fake on YJ. That's a given. But, you can find decent stuff for under $100 out there. You just have to be willing to lower your standards and settle.

Strictly-Dragonball · Post by **Strictly-Dragonball** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 5:57 pm

Fair point

I'm just going by what I have been told by dealers really. I mean I suppose it depends whose signature you're after and how popular that person is and how likely they are to be targeted by people looking to make a quick buck.

It's just these days everyone knows the value of autographs and people are always looking to buy, experienced dealers have a hard enough time getting items at a low price so the average seller has slim to none.

In the case of Michael Jackson for example most people say don't even think about buying anything that isn't UACC, PSA or JSA approved, and items that come with COA's from those guys are never cheap.

Read this article for more information:

http://www.prlog.org/10272039-michael-j ... eware.html

I guess it just comes down to the individual in question and whether or not they want to risk going after something that is so much cheaper but has no provenance behind it.

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:12 pm

So do they have collectors complaining that it's difficult selling items that aren't certified and complaining about how expensive certified items go for as with what happened with sports autographs?

I assume there's a divide between the two groups.

cutiebunny · Post by **cutiebunny** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:13 pm

Provance is one of those buzzwords that I take lightly because, in 99% of all cases, it's difficult to verify. How do you verify that the real person signed any item? Do you take a snippet of their hair and affix it to the item? Do you make them stamp it in their own blood? Any of these methods could be easily compromised. Even fingerprints can be compromised.

How does one become an expert at deciphering whether a signature is legitimate or fake? Do you look at 20 samples and notice certain features and then, if all of them are present, do you vouch that it's real? And in the case where an artist is constantly changing their signature, what do you do then? I know that one of my more favorite artists, Naoko Takeuchi, has more variations of her signature than I have underoos.

When I buy shikishi, I do a fair amount research into the item. I find out who the artist is(was), what they worked on, what the feedback of the seller is, etc. But even so, despite the amount of research I do, I still take into account that what I am buying could be a fake.

I'm not saying that what you have is a fake - I don't know anything about MJ collectibles. But I think it's always best to take into account that any item and signature can be counterfeited.

Strictly-Dragonball · Post by **Strictly-Dragonball** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:44 am

Keropi - In my opinion it seems that yes people do sometimes have trouble selling items that don't have the backing of those companies. At least they don't seem to sell for as much as if they were which is a shame as they have just as much chance as being real. I think collectors have given a lot of power to these third party authenticators these days.

CB - I agree with you that authentication of any memorabilia is a very risky business and people don't always get it right. But what I mean is really it's about protecting your investment.

People feels secure when purchasing a PSA/DNA item whether it is fake or not and they always sell for a premium. I would NEVER sell this MJ signed photo but I have the security if I were to I would have no problems.

I also feel safe owning it because after researching into PSA I decided they are the guys I want to go with and have no doubt in my mind it's real.

But as you say your own research is really important whatever details you can find out about the item the better. Such as I know when MJ signed he ALWAYS (based on all existing examples recovered of his signature) held the pen loosely near the top so not to get ink on his fingers. This eliminates immediately pretty much any autograph that clearly had very hard pressure applied at the start and end of the signature.

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:41 pm

I believe the only autographs I ever got in person were Kareen Abdul-Jabbar when he made an appearance at a sporting goods store in the mall near where I live. I also got autographs of the three voice actors for the Animaniacs when they appeared at the Warner Brothers store in the same mall. They were very friendly toward my sister and me.

Everything else I had to rely on the reputation of the dealers. I got a lot of paper catalogs and I still have many of them now (I'm a packrat). The historical autograph catalogs tended to have more photos in them, but you usually had to rely on only a text description in order to make your decision on what you wanted to buy. The dealer could tell you more about them over the phone, but photo quality is very subjective. It was hard to tell if you would like the photos yourself.

Imagine buying anime cels based off only a text descriptions!