Where Can I Get an Autograph Authenticated?

"Authenticated" covers several different outcomes, and asking for the wrong one wastes both money and time.

An opinion for yourself

You want to know what you own. A conversation with an expert who handles the material is enough, and it is often free.

A document that travels

You intend to sell, and the buyer will want something in writing. You need a certificate that pictures your exact item and carries the name of someone whose word means something in this field.

A valuation

You need a figure for insurance, an estate or a division of property. That is an appraisal, and it assumes the authenticity question is already settled.

Something that holds up under challenge

A dispute, a claim or a court. Here the only thing that matters is whether the person giving the opinion can defend it — and whether they have ever had to.

The dealer who sold it

Fastest route, and the only one with first-hand knowledge of where the piece came from. Its value depends entirely on the dealer's record, so check that record rather than the certificate design.

A specialist in the field

Someone who has handled thousands of examples of the specific material, knows the signing history, and has published exemplars. This is where difficult vintage pieces get resolved.

Third-party opinion services

Paid opinion providers, including the ones that attach stickers. They are selling an opinion — which is what it is called in their own documentation — and their fee structures vary by the type of opinion, not by the difficulty of the piece.

A forensic document examiner

Trained in questioned documents rather than in celebrity signing habits. Excellent on ink, paper, pressure and mechanical reproduction; usually without the exemplar library that a specialist in this field takes for granted.

• Do you specialise in this field, or do you cover everything? One field is the honest answer in this hobby.
• Will you physically examine the item, or work from images?
• What is your complaint record with the UACC?
• Have you ever had to defend an opinion outside your own office — in a dispute, or in a court?
• What exactly do I get: a verbal opinion, an illustrated letter, a certificate that pictures the item, or a sticker?
• What happens if you disagree with an opinion I already hold?

Piece of the Past's published position on third-party opinion services is a matter of record on its own authenticity page, and it is not neutral: the firm has testified against them, and takes the view that an opinion which does not survive a courtroom is not worth what it costs.

The practical consequence for you is narrow and worth knowing before, not after. If you intend to submit a piece bought here to a sticker service, submit it without the Piece of the Past certificate — the firm has documented those services failing items that carry it — and understand that, per UACC policy, refunds are not issued on the basis of their opinions.

What is offered instead is a refund guarantee with no time limit: if any one of the three hundred-plus dealers in the UACC Registered Dealer program states in writing, hand-signed on their own letterhead, that a piece sold here is not authentic, the original purchaser is refunded. The UACC itself requires two such dealers. This firm requires one.

• Photograph it first, whole and close, in daylight and without flash.
• Send those photographs before you send the item — most questions are answered at that stage.
• Include everything you know about where it came from, including the parts that are vague. Guessing on a seller's behalf helps nobody.
• Include any existing certificate, unless you are submitting to a sticker service, in which case do not.
• Pack rigid and sleeved, insure it, and keep the tracking.