Get Ready NFL Fans: Football Season Is Upon Us!

Late summer heat is in the air, and the early reports from football training camps have been making their way to eager fans of the NFL; football season is coming!  For nearly half a year since the blowout that was Super Bowl XLVIII, supporters of each team have been waiting and waiting for this moment.  With the NFL preseason just around the corner, we can thankfully say that it is time for football once again.

Like every other year, unknown questions, blind hope, and a sense of excitement are building around the country.  Will the Seattle Seahawks be unstoppable, just as they were towards the end of last season?  Will Johnny Manziel or any other rookies take the NFL by storm?  Which lousy team will experience the miraculous turnaround to the playoffs that seems to occur every year?  These questions will begin to be answered in the weeks ahead.

But first we must endure the preseason games featuring a lone series by our favorite stars before the fringe players and squad hopefuls take the field.  While the occasional touchdown bomb by Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers will excite the fans, we know that these games are completely meaningless.  While we did receive a hint about the Seahawks for their 4-0 preseason record in 2013, what can we say about the league’s other 4-0 team, the Washington Redskins?

But while all the roster cuts and occasional injuries will keep fans on their toes all August long, we can welcome back the regular season with open arms in just one month.  On September 4^th, we will witness the Green Bay Packers playing the Seahawks in a rematch of one of the NFL’s most infamous games:  The Fail Mary game.  How it will turn out this time around is anyone’s guess, but I’m hopeful that it will be a marvelous spectacle kicking off the great season ahead.

While many mouthwatering fixtures will draw intrigue in the opening months of fall, we know that the NFL season will gradually build in excitement until the incredible winter games of the playoffs, and the eventual celebration of Super Bowl XLIX next February.  We certainly don’t know which games will be the most exciting until at least 6 weeks in (though fortunately flexible scheduling should showcase the best games each week), but for a fan of any team, what does it really matter so long as your favorite team is playing?

I could sit here and pick 5 teams I fully expect to contend for the Super Bowl, but what’s the point?  Right now, every team sits as equals at 0-0, and their players are roughing it out in the summer training camps, bracing themselves for the tough games ahead, which are certain to test every bit of their strength and perseverance.  This is what football is all about, and it has just gotten underway in the most serious manner for every team in the NFL.

And so as preparations are made for the upcoming NFL season, let’s sit back and count down the days until our precious football returns to action and celebrate the growing anticipation of our favorite sport!

AAA Sports Memorabilia doesn't care which NFL team you root for cause we have a sports collectible for every team.  Doesn't matter if you are looking for an autographed collectible or one that is not signed, we have something for you.  Our autographed sports memorabilia comes with a lifetime guarantee and certificates of authenticity from the most trusted companies in the industry.  Our non-autographed collectibles are all officially licensed and some are limited editions.  Come find your next collectible at www.AAASportsMemorabilia.com.

Collecting the Perfect Sporting Memorabilia

Whatever the sport, if you’re a fan and a collector, you’ll want to get your hands on as much as you can. However, if you aren’t careful in your collecting, you could just end up with a pile of junk instead of cabinet full of priceless memorabilia.

When collecting your memorabilia, you should probably decide on what kind of memorabilia you want to collect to avoid just collecting any old thing. One example is to only collect memorabilia from a particular team, player or from a particular sport. Collecting specific items from a particular team is a popular option as it not only looks impressive to have a cohesive set of sporting goods, but it also adds value to your collection as you are likely to collect prized team items in an effort to have a complete set of whatever it is you are collecting. To asses an item’s value is pretty easy; all you have to do is inform yourself on what items are rare and unique, thus more valuable.

Obviously the most important issue when collecting sporting memorabilia is to ensure that an item is authentic. One way of doing this is to ensure that you purchase an item directly from a licensed dealer, the club themselves or even the player. All memorabilia products should come with a Certificate of Authenticity; otherwise their value will be diminished when you try to resell. There are so many stores and dealers out there now who specialize in dealing with sports memorabilia, like HTFM Framing and Memorabilia, these kinds of organizations with a reputation are a trusted source of authentic memorabilia.

Certain athletes and sports are in higher demand, so naturally the product becomes higher in value, and certain products will always be a safe bet, like signed footballs and baseballs, boxing gloves, basketballs; just make sure that it is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. If you are dedicated to a particular player or team it is likely that certain items are going to be quite expensive because there are other people with the same collecting ideas as you, so be prepared with a budget; if you can’t pay for the memorabilia, then it isn’t worth a thing.

When it comes down to it though, no matter what you collect, your collection should say something about you and your passion. Just collecting for the sake of having stuff is just silly, collect strategically, but only collect the items that you really want, ones that will make a statement about your collection and passion for the sport.

Quarterback Controversy - Tony Romo vs Joe Flacco

Tony Romo Autographed Dallas Cowboys Photo

NFL fans all know the huge contracts that Tony Romo and Joe Flacco received this year. Flacco got a big contract after his team won the Super Bowl and he was named the Super Bowl MVP. However, some NFL fans are wondering why Tony Romo got a huge contract when the Dallas Cowboys have not done much with him at the helm.

 

So the Dallas Cowboys gave Tony Romo a six-year contract worth $108 million with $55 million of that guaranteed. This is just slightly below the Baltimore Ravens contract with Joe Flacco who is also getting a six-year contract but it's worth is $120.6 million and $52 million is guaranteed. So even though Flacco's is more overall, Romo comes out ahead with the guaranteed money.

 

Let's compare the two and see how they rate neck to neck since 2008 when Flacco came into the league (and winning the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Award). Here are the numbers:

 

Tony Romo (Since 2008)

 

Passing Yards: 18,623
Passing Touchdowns: 122
Pass Completions: 1,542
Pass Attempts: 2,383

Completion Percentage: 64.7%
Passes Intercepted: 59
Passes Over 20 Yards: 240
Times Sacked: 133

 

Joe Flacco (Since 2008 Rookie Year)

 

Passing Yards: 17,633
Passing Touchdowns: 102
Pass Completions: 1,507
Pass Attempts: 2,489

Completion Percentage: 60.5%
Passes Intercepted: 56
Passes Over 20 Yards: 225
Times Sacked: 44

So, based on these numbers, is Tony Romo's new contract really out of line. Why is it that he is the guy that everyone loves to hate. He has been sacked 3x's more than Flacco, so is it the Cowboy's offensive line that is at fault, or does Romo not throw it quickly enough? Either way, their numbers are very comparable.

 

Now the question is this, what will quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers going to receive since he is a much better quarterback then both Flacco and Romo. The Green Bay Packers will be paying huge when his contract is up in a couple of years.

 

No matter which quarterback or NFL team you root for, AAA Sports Memorabilia has an autographed collectible waiting for you. We have collectibles for all NFL team and all of your favorite athletes. Visit us regularly as new items are added daily.

Fraudulent Autographed Memorabilia for Sam Bradford

As we have done in the past, we regularly post stories regarding fraudulent autographed memorabilia in an attempt to protect sports fans from being burned when purchasing collectibles of their favorite professional athlete. Unfortunately, the industry is filled with scammers who prey on the unsuspecting customer and are only looking at making a buck.

The NFL draft is coming soon and the most talked about athlete right now is former Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Sam Bradford. Most are predicting that Bradford will be the #1 pick which is held by the St. Louis Rams. Bradford is so hot right now that some of his authentic autographed cards are going for $200. If he is the first pick of the draft, this value will certainly go up.

Because of this, several fraudulent Bradford autographed items are appearing on eBay. We first became aware of this after seeing an article published on Tuff Stuff and we wanted our customers and visitors to know about this before they begin purchasing Bradford memorabilia. The full article can be found here.
 

Please be careful when purchasing autographed memorabilia. Do your homework and make sure you are dealing with a reputable company so you don't throw your money away and purchase a collectible signed by a forger and not your favorite athlete.

AAA Sports Memorabilia specializes in autographed sports memorabilia and non-autographed officially licensed sports collectibles. Our products come direct from well-known and most repected sports companies such as Mounted Memories, Upper Deck, and Steiner Sports. Because our memorabilia comes direct from these sports companies, we can guarantee our products authenticity for life. Visit us today to see what we have to offer.

NHL Sports Memorabilia at its best!

In an effort to continue to bring you the greatest autographed sports memorabilia on the market, AAA Sports Memorabilia has recently signed on with sports memorabilia great Frozen Pond.

Frozen Pond is an Official Merchandise Partner of the NHL.  Frozen Pond has been in business since 1993.  Since then, Frozen Pond has worked tirelessly in becoming the number one source for quality autographed hockey collectibles.  They are also endorsed by the Hockey Hall of Fame and Power Play International (the official company of Gordie and Colleen Howe).

 

As with our other suppliers, Frozen Pond obtains their memorabilia direct from the players themselves.  They have conducted autographed sessions with over 295 professional athletes  These athletes include such greats as Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull, Mark Messier, Jean Beliveau, Eric Lindros, Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy, Ted Lindsay, Guy Lafleur, Glenn Hall, Dominik Hasek, Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito, Mike Bossy, Frank Mahovlich, Paul Coffey, Vladislav Tretiak, Johnny Bower, Marcel Dionne, Dave Keon, Martin Brodeur, Denis Potvin, Doug Gilmour, Bryan Trottier, Cam Neely, Bernie Parent, Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin St. Louis, Steve Yzerman, Pat LaFontaine, Jose Theodore, Larry Robinson, Ed Belfour, Grant Fuhr, Rick Nash, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kari Lehtonen, Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, Luc Robitaille, Jaromir Jagr, Vincent Lecavalier, Alexander Ovechkin, Dion Phaneuf and Don Cherry.  All of their autographs are obtained during private, sit-down autograph sessions with the players. 

 

All Frozen Pond autographed merchandise is obtained in the presence of a Frozen Pond employee and each item is branded with the Frozen Pond holofoil. 

 

Over the next few months, we will be adding Frozen Pond autographed sports memorabilia to our site.  We are ecstatic in being able to offer such great sports memorabilia to our customers.  Don't forget that we do accept special requests.  Therefore, if there is a certain NHL athlete that you want and you can't find it on our website, don't get discouraged as we probably have it.  We have thousands of products off-line.  Just give us a call (952-292-8160) or shoot us an e-mail (cs@aaasportsmemorabilia.com) letting us know what you are looking for and we will get back to you right away.

 

It's the start of a new NHL season, so why not celebrate and begin or expand your collection today.

Mounted Memories and Schwartz Sports No Longer Available

IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT WE HAVE TO BRING SUCH BAD NEWS IN THE SPORTS MEMORABILIA WORLD.

AS OF OCTOBER 20, 2008, WE WILL NO LONGER BE PROVIDING AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA FROM SCHWARTZ SPORTS AND MOUNTED MEMORIES. BOTH OF THESE COMPANIES HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE THEIR COMPANIES IN A NEW DIRECTION AND WILL NO LONGER ALLOW THEIR ITEMS TO BE SOLD ON THE INTERNET. ALL INTERNET RETAILERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO REMOVE THEIR ITEMS BY THIS DATE.

MOUNTED MEMORIES AND SCHWARTZ SPORTS ARE CURRENTLY OWNED BY DREAMS INC. THEY ARE A LEADER IN THE AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA SCENE AND WE ARE SAD THAT WE WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE GREAT ITEMS TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE ARE HOPING TO STILL PROVIDE THEIR ITEMS AT OUR CHARITY FUNCTIONS.

OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, WE WILL BE REMOVING THEIR ITEMS FROM OUR WEBSITE. IF YOU FIND ONE OF THEIR ITEMS ON OUR WEBSITE AFTER THIS DATE, IT WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS WILL CAUSE TO OUR VALUABLE CUSTOMERS.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING YOU GREAT ITEMS FROM OTHER COMPANIES SUCH AS HIGHLAND MINT, ATHLETIC PROMOTIONAL EVENTS, HOLLYWOOD COLLECTIBLES, IRONCLAD AUTHENTICS, SP IMAGES, AND OTHERS!

PLEASE STAY TUNED AS WE CONTINUE TO BRING YOU GREAT PRODUCTS AT THE BEST PRICE.

Fraudulent Autograph Posters from Nathan Autographs

As a continuing effort to protect our customers and all other consumers seeking to purchase autographed sports memorabilia and Hollywood memorabilia, we try our hardest to seek out companies and individuals who proliferate the industry with their fraudulent merchandise.

 

One of the most prominent sellers recently that is selling fraudulent autographed Hollywood posters is Nathan Autographs.  This company has been selling their products on eBay and most recently on a liquidation site known as Liquidation.com.  They also have their own website at http://www.neautograph.com/home.  They have been pursued by the FBI and by associates of Dave Prowse (famed Darth Vader from Star Wars).  They have been working diligently to have these individuals prosecuted and removed permanently.

 

Some of the known seller ids on eBay for Nathan Autographs is autographmovieposter, ojvintage, ed90723, brd1124, pantep1, mlictu973, and btatin453.  On Liquidation.com, they are known as nathar466. 

 

Unfortunately, Nathan Autographs was successful in selling several of their fraudulent posters to unsuspecting businesses on Liquidation.com.  These forged autographed posters are now appearing on eBay.

 

If you have purchased any autographed Hollywood poster that has a Nathan Autographs COA accompanying it, we suggest that you contact your credit card company and have your money returned.  Also advise eBay or Liquidation that you have purchased one of these items.

Some other sellers that have been suspended for selling fraudulent autographed memorabilia can be found on the Official Dave Prowse website. 

Buying and Collecting Sports Memorabilia: Tips You Can Use

When it comes to profitable and exciting hobbies, collecting sports memorabilia has to rank near the top of the list. Maybe you've always had an interest in sports teams and related products, and perhaps you collected ball cards or ball accessories as a kid. Today, even many adults collect products reflecting their favorite teams. Some even buy and sell sports collectibles as a business. Whatever your passion, here are some helpful tips for collecting and buying sports memorabilia.

Learn about the Industry and Team History

Sports collectibles have been around for many decades, but that doesn't mean all "old stuff" is worth anything. The best thing you can do before you go around buying all sorts of products is to study the industry and history of your sports interest. There's no way of telling how much an item will be worth, but doing your homework can help you avoid wasting your money on lots of worthless items.

If you have a favorite ball team, study the history of players and find out which ones were the best in their day. Also, find out which players had something unique to happen in their lives or while playing on the team. Sometimes, one unusual event or a unique skill can drive up the price of a player's card tremendously. Study coaches, rookies, and special edition cards or other memorabilia.

Once you know what you're looking for, you can start searching online, or at yard sales and flea markets for certain items. You might have to buy a whole collection of sports memorabilia to obtain one valuable collector's item, but it will be well worth the investment.

Shop with Reputable Dealers - Online or Off-line

Find several reputable dealers that sell authentic signed memorabilia and other high-quality sports products. Shop with the dealers you trust. Beware of scams online - dealers that cannot show proof of authenticity on high-dollar items. Also, beware of those who might try to pass off sports memorabilia with forged signatures. If you have a bad feeling about a product or dealer, don't take the risk.

Take Proper Care of Your Sports Memorabilia

Signed collectibles should be protected at all times and kept in a dry area of your home or business. Avoid packing items away in cardboard boxes or plastic bags. Instead, store sports collectibles in plastic sealed containers that cannot be accessed by bugs, spiders, or mice. Store your collectibles at room temperature, away from moisture or direct sun exposure, if you want to keep items in top condition.

For items on display, it's wise to use safe, sturdy display cases. Many online sports dealers sell a variety of display cases, so it should be easy to find one to suit your needs. Be sure to secure breakables where they cannot fall or get scratched or broken easily. Keep them secured from pets as well. If you display items out in the open, a cat or dog could easily knock the items over and break them, or even chew on them!

If you own very high-dollar sports collectibles, check with your homeowners or business insurance agency to see if these items are covered in your policy in case of fire, theft, or other unforeseen events. If not, you might want to add an extra policy to cover these items.

Signed memorabilia and other sports products also make great gifts for any occasion. You can easily go online to choose items based on your loved one's favorite sports team such as a jersey, a signed ball card, a blanket with a team logo, coins, artwork, or other products.

Whether you collect sports memorabilia for pleasure or business, you can visit an online dealer to find a variety of products without ever leaving your home or office. Don't be too hasty, but take time to think over a big purchase. You'll soon have a sports collection you can be proud to call your own!

To learn more about subjects like sports memorabilia please visit the web site at: http://www.aaasportsmemorabilia.com

 

For more information and informative related articles and links about this subject matter and content, please visit Majon's Sports directory: http://www.majon.com/directory/Sports

About the Author

 

Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2008 (Sat Aug 16 2008) Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://majon.com

AAA Sports Memorabilia Partners with Ironclad Authentics

AAA Sports Memorabilia is proud to announce that they have partnered with Ironclad Authentics.  AAA Sports Memorabilia is now an authorized retailer for Ironclad Authentics and will soon be showcasing their products on the website.

 

Ironclad Authentics is a division of Ripken Baseball, Inc.   They have exclusive contracts with Cal Ripken Jr, Don Mattingly, and Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer. 

 

As with our other great partners (such as Steiner Sports, Mounted Memories, Upper Deck, etc.), Ironclad Authentics guarantees their products for life to be authentic.   Their commitment to unparalleled integrity, creativity, and customer service is what attracted great players such as Cal Ripken Jr, Nolan Ryan, and Don Mattingly to this company. 

 

Each and everyone of Ironclad Authentics products come with a certificate of authenticity and a tamper-proof hologram.  Each hologram is encoded with an unique serial number that can be verified online.  While verifying that the item is authentic, you can also register the item.

 

We are proud to become partners with Ironclad and sell their products, especially since our hometown hero Joe Mauer has recently signed an exclsive contract with Ironclad. 

 

As promised, our prices are the lowest on the Internet.  If you find it on Ironclad's website, we will also have it, but at a lower price.  Come check us out at www.AAASportsmemorabilia.com!

Autographed Sports Memorabilia on eBay

Here is some recent news that we felt needed to be shared with our valued customers and sports memorabilia enthusiasts. 

There has been a rampant of fraudulent autographed sports memorabilia appearing on eBay.  Unfortunately individuals are buying these items and they are getting ripped off.  These sellers have been reported to eBay by various collectors but they have been allowed to keep their items on the site. 

Here is a brief list of those that have been reported to eBay.

Seller / eBay member known as favoritessc (also has an eBay store known as favoritessc-autographs) has been known to sell fraudulent items in the past.  Check out eBay item number 300117108886 which is an alleged NY York Mets autographed baseball signed by Pedro Feliciano, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Duaner Sanchez, Billy Wagner, Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Moises Alou, Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, and Shawn Green.  

The ball appears to have been signed by the same person.  If you check autographs of these athletes with items from Steiner Sports, Upper Deck, Schwartz Sports and other major authenticators, you will notice that the autographs do not match.

Another great fraudulent item comes from eBay seller Yeahandstuff and was listed under item number 190118707085.  As of today, this seller is no longer a registered seller with eBay, but unfortunately customers lost their money when they purchased these fraudulent items.  This item was allegedly autographed by Derek Jeter.  This is one of the worst Derek Jeter autographs we have ever seen. 

 

 Another seller that has sold fraudulent items in the past is seller magic*moments*.  Some of their fraudulent eBay listings include item numbers 160121351405 and 160121478406.  They claim to be a hobby shop and do their own certificates.  Please be aware of this seller so you do not get scammed yourself.

Another seller is Realgridiron (formerly known as Cheryl34446) with former items such as 260125596380 and 260125601055.  They have been known to sell fake Daisuke Matsuzaka and Derek Jeter autographs.  

 

260125596380                    260125601055

Realgridiron has also listed at least four fraudulent Peyton Manning autographed helmets. They have also gone by the names of perch7i2 and perch712.

As we continue to go through the eBay ranks we find seller mjk4143 with items such as 250125244855 and 250123654117. One of these items is an alleged autographed baseball of Derek Jeter as shown below:

Our next seller is known as Redhorde74 who seems to have an endless supply of Jeter and Pujols autographed cards from an unknown private collector in Ohio.  One of his latest items is 280136117933.  There have been reports of a forgery ring out of Ohio but we are not sure if this individual is associated with it or not. 

For a great article regarding forged autographed memorabilia, click HERE!

Here is a list of eBay sellers who have in the past sold fraudulent memorabilia, or are currently selling fraudulent autographed memorabilia:

favoritessc

yeahandstuff

ans_autographs

2004senod2004

dqbean252

realgridiron

sportsguy20000

americansportscollectibles

Alwayz_rackin05

Roadtrn

Candace123

mjk4143

Savant01

aimgauctions

Signatureworldcollectibles

Vick7-vick7

Fanfest900

Fansindastand

short.sale

jwbraiders

sportzfanatix4u

gngcards

Cavemancandoit99

Forloveofthegame300

Vegasbonnieandclyde

pm5k21048

AAA Sports Memorabilia suggests that if you buy autographed sports memorabilia, or even autographed Hollywood memorabilia on eBay (or any other website) that you conduct some research on the authenticity before buying.  We are not trying to get customers to buy from us, we simply want to educate customers on the realities of the fraud that is occurring within the industry.  There are many many reputable websites and dealers to choose from and we hope that you are able to find exactly what you are looking for.

If for any reason you have any questions, please let us know as cs@aaasportsmemorabilia.com.

Authentic Steiner Sports Memorabilia

Steiner Sports is one of the leading sports memorabilia authorities in the market today. They entered the sports business world in 1987. Over the last 10 years, they have established themselves as a leading provider of sports marketing services and authentic memorabilia.

Steiner Sports is one of the leading producers of authentic hand-signed collectibles and one of the best sources for all your sports gift needs. Autographed memorabilia by athletes like Hank Aaron, Joe Namath, Magic Johnson and Muhammad Ali is the hottest new solution for personal and client gifts, as well as sales incentives, employee recognition and charity fundraising auctions.

Steiner Sports has exclusive autograph deals with Derek Jeter, Tony Hawk, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon, Joe Torre, Eli Manning, Tiki Barber, Paul O'Neill and Curt Schilling among others.

Steiner Sports has a unique process of authenticating their products. We will describe that process here for your benefit when researching the best sports memorabilia for you.

Each and every hand-signed collectible that carries a tamper-proof hologram is witnessed by a Steiner Sports representative. Once the collectibles have been autographed, they are cataloged and inventoried.

A notarized affidavit is prepared and signed by the athlete and a Steiner Sports representative. The notarized affidavit records the date and location of the signing and also details the items that were signed by the specified athlete. This document is then secured within the Steiner Sports main offices.

Each hand-signed collectible is examined for quality and signature condition. If the collectible meets the Steiner Sports standard of excellence a tamper-proof Steiner Sports hologram is affixed to the product.

Once the hand-signed collectible has passed the steps listed above, a Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity is created for the collectible. The collectible is then sealed and stored within our main office and is not handled until it is delivered to a sports collectible enthusiast.

Below is a sampling of the Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity with a view of the front and back.

If you have questions about the authentication process, please contact us or visit Steiner Sports for further information. Our specialty is Authentic Autographed Sports Memorabilia. Visit our site at AAA Sports Memorabilia to view and purchase these great collectibles.

Sports Memorabilia Safeguards

There are hundreds of sports memorabilia companies attempting to stake claim to the high demand of the sports memorabilia market. If you search Google or Yahoo, you will receive probably millions of hits to choose from.

Interest in sports related items have grown tremendously over the last few years. This ranges from autographed sports memorabilia to unautographed sports-related items including baseballs, footballs, basketballs, photos, pucks and jerseys. Some of these items can literally costs thousands of dollars. Most of these items are considered investments as they could increase in value when athletes become more well-known, be inducted into the Hall of Fame, appear in championship games, retire, die, etc.

With so many companies vying for your business, and so many individuals craving these items, there is bound to be businesses designed specifically to fraud the consumer. Recently, a San Diego federal judge sentenced several sports autograph forgers to prison. The judge stated, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of the national pastime, has been undone." This court trial stemmed from a FBI investigation known as "Operation Bullpen". This investigation consisted of 60 search warrants, 2 dozen individuals arrested, and a warehouse with 10 million dollars worth of forged merchandise seized. This was a professional criminal organization that sold forged autographs to unbeknownst consumers. Can you imagine how much 10 million dollars worth of inventory is? If they had that much in inventory, how much did they sell. Unfortunately, the majority of these items are probably still out there and the owners are unaware that they have a fraudulent item.

The Assistant U.S. Attorney (Phil Halpren) who prosecuted the case stated that fraud is so pervasive in the sports memorabilia market. He claims that odds are greater than 50% that your memorabilia is fake unless you actually observed the athlete sign the item. He also commented, "If you are looking at a Mark McGuire signature, it's almost a guarantee, 99.9% it is a forgery." It should be known that Certificates of Authenticities can also be fabricated just as easily as the autographed item itself.

The most well respected sports memorabilia companies are fighting this fraud by implementing more security measures on their autographed stock. One of these security measures is the hologram. These holograms are encrypted with the item's indentifying information and package seals. Obviously, your most sophisticated forgers can still produce holographic images that appear to genuine upon casual inspection. However, the major companies are implementing more sophisticated anti-forgery systems to combat these criminals. Some of these companies are also providing photos and/or video of the signing itself.

What can consumers do to mitigate their chances of becoming victims of these thugs? First of all, consumers must use some common sense when purchasing anything whether it is from the Internet or from a retail store. If it is too good to be true, then it is probably a fake and is too good to be true. Do some research with several companies that sell authentic autographed memorabilia and determine what the market price is for a particular item. If the fair market value averages to $1,000, don't buy the exact item that is selling for $200. More than likely, the $200 item is going to be fraudulent. This dollar amount is well below the market value of the item.

If the consumer wants to buy an item that was signed by a legend that played in the early 1900's and was signed during that time, be aware of what type of writing utensil was used during the signing. Obviously, if the item was signed with a Sharpie pen, then the item is a fake as there were no Sharpie pens during this time.

During the trial and investigation mentioned above, Phil Halpren commented, "I have seen Babe Ruth balls signed on a Bobby Brown American League President ball. So, you know, he was president in the early 80's. That's impossible to have been done. But someone did it." In other words, be aware of the type of product that was present during the lifetime of the athlete.

Be very careful and only purchase from reputable dealers. The top sports memorabilia companies includes the likes of Steiner Sports, Upper Deck Memorabilia, Locker Room Memorabilia, Schwartz Sports, and Superstar Greetings. These companies do have contracts with several "resellers". These resellers are allowed to sale the memorablia at a price lower then the retail value (at times), however, they have to follow MAP guidelines. Basically, this means that the items can not be sold below a certain price. If these companies catch one of their resellers selling below the MAP guideline, they can revoked their reseller contract. These companies use holographic images and some use a numbering system in order for it to be identified later.

AAA Sports Memorabilia is one of those authorized resellers. Our Authentic Autographed Sports Memorabilia items come directly from the sources above. Each and every item has been authenticated by the above companies and come with Certificate of Authenticities. Our items are guaranteed for life to be authentic. If for any reason, your item is declared to be non-authentic, your money is returned in its entirety. We trust these companies as they have been around for many years and they are well known for their contributions to the sports memorabilia field. They will not risk their status by providing fraudulent memorabilia.

Before you invest, do some research. If you have any questions, please contact us at cs@aaasportsmemorabilia.com. Check our blog for additional information regarding the authentication process for some of the top sports memorabilia companies.

You are welcome to visit our store at www.AAASportsMemorabilia.com to view the authentic autographed sports and Hollywood memorablia that we have available. We currently have thousands of items to choose from. We also have access to thousands more items and are not able to display all of them on our website. If you have a particular item you are looking for and can't find it on our website, please contact us and we can advise if we have that item available.