[KSTornado]

Recieved this email today from Autograph magazine and thought I should share it with you all.





Autograph Magazine Live!
The Authentic Experience

A message to all members of Autograph Magazine Live!

It's been a dramatic week in autographs. I'm just going to touch on a couple of the most important things now and I'll write you again shortly with even more important news.
Autograph Alert, the blog site that terrorized the reputable autograph hobby for years and became the mouthpiece of the forgery industry, folded Wednesday. Read this breaking story and tell us what you think.
PAAS Autograph Authentication has been kicked off eBay. Last week eBay ended almost every one of the approximately 800-plus autographs listed with PAAS COAs due to authenticity concerns, and told the sellers not to list them again. PAAS is one of the authenticators whose COAs we considered a sign of forgery, not authenticity, so we're impressed with eBay's dedication to protecting fans and collectors. Keep up with the latest as it breaks.
Get the Autograph Magazine toolbar!
Get the latest status updates and headlines without having to visit Autograph Magazine Live! with our new toolbar. Provided by Alexa, a division of Amazon, it's safe, private, helps make sure you don't miss anything, and could save you hours of time every week. Download it here!
There's tons more to see and read on Autograph Magazine Live! but that's all the time we have for now.
Back to you soon...and happy collecting!
Steve Cyrkin
Editor & Moderator
Visit Autograph Magazine Live! at: http://live.autographmagazine.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

 

[ronmcc]

What is PAAS [MENTION=2354]KSTornado[/MENTION]

 

[KSTornado]

What is PAAS @KSTornado

Professional Autograph Authentication Service

 

[ronmcc]

Call me dumb but I never heard of them.

 

[KSTornado]

It's basically a small time authenticator from my understanding but had been selling a ton of fakes recently under the name of robertbjones. I guess some people started contacting ebay about it and ebay has pulled something liek 400 items off of ebay due to the authenticity problems.

PAAS and ebay member robertbjones | Autograph News


PAAS - Professional Autograph Authentication Services

 

[NEW2]

It's basically a small time authenticator from my understanding but had been selling a ton of fakes recently under the name of robertbjones. I guess some people started contacting ebay about it and ebay has pulled something liek 400 items off of ebay due to the authenticity problems.

PAAS and ebay member robertbjones | Autograph News


PAAS - Professional Autograph Authentication Services

yeah...keep in mind however this tidbit that often gets overlooked in this scenario...the service who turned this group over to ebay and considered their work forgeries...is also a competitor...ebay's authentication verification is also an ebayer...connect some dots.Personally I could care less, if I didn't have it signed myself...I don't want it...ANY verification/second hand authentication is nothing more than an educated guess...period.

 

[KSTornado]

yeah...keep in mind however this tidbit that often gets overlooked in this scenario...the service who turned this group over to ebay and considered their work forgeries...is also a competitor...ebay's authentication verification is also an ebayer...connect some dots.

I can connect some dots but action was due to many members finding they were recieving forgeries and reported it. PAAS had actually been authenticating sigs for a few years on ebay. I understand stomping out the competetion and if it were under different circumstance I would be a little bit more in line with your thinking but when it is due to member compaints then I'd have to think it is because stuff was being authenticated incorrectly.

 

[Racin']

call me even dumber because I've been buying diecasts on ebay for over 10 years and never heard of PAAS. I'm glad I never purchased any of their fake autographs!

 

[KSTornado]

I posted this just to get the word out incase anyone runs across them so that they can atleast know something has happened with this company in regards to authenticity.

 

[Denz]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Checker Flag Zone]

To my knowledge, P.A.A.S. was never an Ebay Approved Authentication Company anyways, which most do not know is very important when purchasing autographs on Ebay. They were just a smaller company that was trying to expand operations, and their stuff was starting to show up on Ebay with many autograph collectors questioning the authenticity of their pieces. I saw a few Indy racing related pieces that did not look consistent with autographs I had personally obtained. One thing I thought was interesting was they seemed to stay away from authenticating NASCAR related autographs, which I thought was a little interesting.

This was a decision made by Ebay and their legal department, and not the competing Authentication Companies. They are not in anyway connected to Ebay Management. Although I am sure their approved companies were probably all in agreement that alot of the stuff P.A.A.S. was authenticating was not authentic. Also, for those that do not know, there are only 3 Authentication Companies that are Ebay approved: PSA, Global Authentics, and John Spence Authentication. All of these companies are considered reputable by most in the autograph collecting industry

Ebay has an approved list and banned list of Authentication Companies that they post on their website: Autographed items, Certificates of Authenticity (COAs), and trading cards policy (click the "Certificates of Authenticity and Letter of Authenticity" tab). P.A.A.S. is not yet on the list, but the news just broke amongst autograph collecting circles.

 

[KSTornado]

To my knowledge, P.A.A.S. was never an Ebay Approved Authentication Company anyways, which most do not know is very important when purchasing autographs on Ebay. They were just a smaller company that was trying to expand operations, and their stuff was starting to show up on Ebay with many autograph collectors questioning the authenticity of their pieces. I saw a few Indy racing related pieces that did not look consistent with autographs I had personally obtained. One thing I thought was interesting was they seemed to stay away from authenticating NASCAR related autographs, which I thought was a little interesting.

This was a decision made by Ebay and their legal department, and not the competing Authentication Companies. They are not in anyway connected to Ebay Management. Although I am sure their approved companies were probably all in agreement that alot of the stuff P.A.A.S. was authenticating was not authentic. Also, for those that do not know, there are only 3 Authentication Companies that are Ebay approved: PSA, Global Authentics, and John Spence Authentication. All of these companies are considered reputable by most in the autograph collecting industry

Ebay has an approved list and banned list of Authentication Companies that they post on their website: Autographed items, Certificates of Authenticity (COAs), and trading cards policy (click the "Certificates of Authenticity and Letter of Authenticity" tab). P.A.A.S. is not yet on the list, but the news just broke amongst autograph collecting circles.

Thanks for that info!

 

[BEDIECAST]

They will be back on within a week under a different name! GUARANTEE it!

 

[Newbie]

Recieved this email today from Autograph magazine and thought I should share it with you all.





Autograph Magazine Live!
The Authentic Experience

A message to all members of Autograph Magazine Live!

It's been a dramatic week in autographs. I'm just going to touch on a couple of the most important things now and I'll write you again shortly with even more important news.
Autograph Alert, the blog site that terrorized the reputable autograph hobby for years and became the mouthpiece of the forgery industry, folded Wednesday. Read this breaking story and tell us what you think.
PAAS Autograph Authentication has been kicked off eBay. Last week eBay ended almost every one of the approximately 800-plus autographs listed with PAAS COAs due to authenticity concerns, and told the sellers not to list them again. PAAS is one of the authenticators whose COAs we considered a sign of forgery, not authenticity, so we're impressed with eBay's dedication to protecting fans and collectors. Keep up with the latest as it breaks.
Get the Autograph Magazine toolbar!
Get the latest status updates and headlines without having to visit Autograph Magazine Live! with our new toolbar. Provided by Alexa, a division of Amazon, it's safe, private, helps make sure you don't miss anything, and could save you hours of time every week. Download it here!
There's tons more to see and read on Autograph Magazine Live! but that's all the time we have for now.
Back to you soon...and happy collecting!
Steve Cyrkin
Editor & Moderator
Visit Autograph Magazine Live! at: [URL="http://live.autographmagazine.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network"]http://live.autographmagazine.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network[/URL]

Thanks for the heads up! I read the article and can't figure out why the name Todd Mueller sounds soo familiar??? Anybody else ever heard of him?

 

[Checker Flag Zone]

Thanks for the heads up! I read the article and can't figure out why the name Todd Mueller sounds soo familiar??? Anybody else ever heard of him?

I'd suggest a Google search. There is alot going on in the autograph collecting hobby and this guy seems to be the main spokesman for a small group that represents a particular side.

 

[souperman20]

Save your money, get auto's in person for your own authentication. Otherwise, take a chance on through the mail (TTM) most NASCAR guys are known to be great signers TTM with a few exceptions (Jr., Gordon, JJ, Hamlin, Stewart)

Just an opinion, much like you get with ANY authentication service....for what it's worth.

Honestly if you are diligent, getting autographs isn't that hard.

 

[Newbie]

I'd suggest a Google search. There is alot going on in the autograph collecting hobby and this guy seems to be the main spokesman for a small group that represents a particular side.

Yes, I did a search on him lastnight and now I remember why his name rang a bell.