A Fake In the Collection

As an autograph collector, it's almost impossible to confirm the authenticity of every autograph in my collection, unless I could afford to have all of my autographs certified by a company like PSA. Many times, the cost to have an autograph certified as authentic would cost me more than what I would have to pay to get the autograph in the first place, so it seems silly to me to get cards certified in many circumstances. I try to cross-reference any autographs I plan to buy with other examples of that player's signature, preferably a certified one, so that I'm confident I'm buying an authentic autograph. But that's not always possible, some signatures in my collection are rare enough that other examples are tough to find.

My preference is always to collect my autographs in person whenever I can, so that I'm 100% positive that the autograph is legit. Unfortunately, many former Orioles had already passed away before I started my collection while many others live across the country, so I won't ever have a chance to get their signatures in-person.

I'm confident in the authenticity of the vast majority of the autographs in my collection, but every now and then, one slips through the cracks.


Example Jay Tibbs.

 

I obtained this Jay Tibbs autograph in a blind trade with a fellow collector on SCN. After I posted the cards that I received in that trade, a fellow Orioles autograph collector alerted me that the signature looked off. While I can't say that it's 100% fake, it certainly doesn't look like other examples of Jay's signature I've seen. And I certainly wouldn't trade it to someone as a legit Tibbs autograph. So what do I do with it now? Starting a fake autograph collection seems like a thought, but I wanted to at least display it so that others might be able to avoid my mistake. 

Luckily, I was just able to add what I think is an authentic Tibbs autograph to my collection. So it's no longer an issue for me.

For all you autograph collectors out there, especially if you are new to the hobby; make sure to do your research before buying or trading for autographs. You never know what you will get!

A Week of Trades from SportsCollectors.Net- 87donruss helps me out

Here are some more cards from my successful trades on SCN. Today's cards are from a trade with user 87donruss, who still has many more cards I would like to trade for.

Sal Fasano 2005

The picture on this card is disappointing as it doesn't show Sal with his trademark Fu Manchu mustache. He actually looks a little strange without it and if you don't know what he normally looks like, just take one second to Google him. And then please come back to my blog.

Sal was the Orioles backup catcher for most of the '05 season behind Javy Lopez. He has played for nine big league teams over 11 seasons in the Majors, but hit the most HRs he ever had in 1 season (11) while on the O's. From what I read about him, he is universally liked and the fans in Philly especially seemed enamored by Sal.

Jay Tibbs 1988-90

Jay pitched in 50 games for the Orioles, starting 42 of them, and went 11-22 with a 4.92 ERA in those outings, highlighted by his 5-0 1989 season.

Nate Snell 1984-86

OK, for some reason I never knew that Nate was a pitcher. I know that it says "P or Pitcher" on all of his cards. I guess I don't think that he looks like a pitcher; I really don't know why but that's the truth. But it doesn't matter what I think as Nate was a pitcher either way.

He spent three of his four MLB seasons with the O's and went 6-4 with a 3.12 ERA over 82 relief appearances. Not too shabby Nate.

Jamie Quirk 1989

Jamie was the Orioles third catcher for the last two months of the '89 season, behind Mickey Tettleton & Bob Melvin. Overall, he played 18 seasons in the Majors from 1975-92 (11 of those were for the Royals), and was chiefly a backup catcher but over the years played every defensive position except for center field. In 1987 he played in 109 games with the Royals, the only time he appeared in over 100 games in one season.

He also briefly held the Major League HR record for players whose last name begins with Q but has since been passed by Mark Quinn, then Carlos Quentin.