When you a buying a piece of signed memorabilia make sure you ask yourself these questions.
1. Who am I buying from and What is the expertise / reputation of the seller
2. Can I trust them? Follow your gut feeling
3. If the member a registered dealer of any autograph or memorabilia club
4. How long has the dealer been in business
5. Is the seller easily contactable? Do you have a phone number?
6. Does the seller offer a Certificate of Authenticity?
7. What is the wording of the Certificate of Authenticity?
8. What is the back story of where the item originated and is there any evidence of this?
9. What else have they got on sale? Are they selling a lot of the same rare item?
10. Are there any obvious dates or spelling mistakes?
Ask yourself those ten questions before buying any piece of autographed sports of movie memorabilia.
Other tips and tricks
Look at the age of items. If there is a signed photo of John Lennon for example make sure the photo fits the era it would have been signed in. A photo printed in the 60s or 70s would be a bit faded now and would have picked up at least a little wear and tare. Also it may seam obvious but if you have a colour photo signed by someone who died before these were invented is probably fake. Also is good to bare in mind that black marker pens and felt tips went really around until the 1980s and colour one even later than that.
Research the celebrity. Some stars like Johnny Wilkinson only signed dedicated autographs others refuse to sign certain media. Preparation is the key.
