Negro League Baseball Discussion Forum: General Discussion About The Negro Leagues: Negro Leagues Autograph Forgery Alert: Mike Kolleth
By Mike Kolleth (Mikekolleth) on Tuesday, March 28, 2000 – 01:37 pm:
Last year I co-authored a book entitled, "The Negro Leagues Autograph Guide." One of the unintended (although not unexpected) consequences of the book has been a veritable blizzard of forged material attributed to the pens of players such as Josh Gibson, Joe Williams, Oscar Charleston and others.
This epidemic is especially accute in the on-line auction environment.
If you are considering the purchase of a rare Negro leagues autograph and would like my opinion (and it is just that, my opinion) on it's authenticity or an appraisal on a particularly rare piece in your collection, feel free to ask.
I'm offering these services to readers of this discussion board at no cost. My only fee is your "pledge" to make a small donation of your choice to your church, local soup kitchen or other charity of your choice.
Best Regards, Mike Kolleth
[email protected]
By Forum Administrator (Admin) on Tuesday, March 28, 2000 – 02:42 pm:
Mike:
Your cautions are well taken, and we appreciate the generous offer of your time.
And, by the way, well all enjoyed your book.
By Richard Gibson (Mr_red) on Tuesday, March 28, 2000 – 04:26 pm:
Mr. Kolleth,
I just wanted to say that I have had your book since it came out and I refer to it often. I really enjoy the short bios and other related player information you included.
It is very generous and thoughtful of you to make an offer to help anyone looking to buy autographs in this field. I hope people will take you up on this, especially for the more expensive and rare items.
I have also noticed several "suspicious" Josh Gibson autographed items on one online auction site. These items were all offered for sale in a short time period. While they could be authentic, it seemed strange to have several items of such rarity available in a short time frame. Buyers need to be very cautious.
Anyway, thanks for the offer and keep up the good work.
Richard Gibson
By Mike Kolleth (Mikekolleth) on Wednesday, March 29, 2000 – 04:19 am:
The topic of autograph authenticity seems to have touched a nerve.
Less than a day after posting the "Forgery Alert" (see first message of this thread)I have received several requests for authenticity opinions.
To facilitate these I have prepared the following guidelines, which I will kindly ask those making future requests to adhere to. Due to demands on my
time,if I do not receive all of the information noted below, I will not be able to respond to your request. Unfortunately, I will also have to defer from answering questions about the autograph habits/traits of living or recently deceased players or providing mailing addresses
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As noted in my 3/28/00 message on the Negro Leagues Discussion Board , I will provide free advisory opinions regarding the authenticity of rare Negro leagues signed items. This applies only to autographs of players deceased before 1990.
Before I agree to do so, please note the following points. After you do so, and before I view the item(s) in question, I require an e-mail back from you stating: "I have read, understand and will comply in full the terms and
conditions below."
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The Nature of Advisory Opinions:
It is difficult to determine authenticity without seeing an autograph in person. Yet, imperfect as it is, an advisory based on a fax or scan is usually much better than nothing. I will issue quick-time advisory opinions, so long as you understand that it is not definitive, and
occasionally might be different if I saw the original(s).
To Render an Advisory Opinion I Require:
1)A high-quality scan or digital photograph of the item in question. If the item is a baseball, please include digital images of all markings and
signatures on the ball. Please be sure to write-out in exact wording of the marking and all patent and serial numbers where relevant/possible. Include this information in the accompanying e-mail.
2)All possible details related to the seller and the item including:
* Where the item is being offered for sale?
* Who is the party offering the item (name of company and/or
individual)?
* If this is an on-line auction is it a "private auction" (Bidder's Identities Hidden)
* Is the item being offered with LOAs. If so, how many and which companies provided the LOAs .
*Is the seller offering any further provenance with the ball (i.e.
letter on how/when it was obtained etc…)
* What is the sellers return policy? Note that I will not issue an advisory opinion on items that are sold "as is" or with "no return"
policies. Collectors should avoid all such items.
* I will not provide advisory opinions items that already been purchased.
After the preliminary assessment, you will receive one of four following
advisory opinions.
1) Based on a preliminary asssessent,* the item in question appears to be genuine.
2) Based on a preliminary assessment,* I am unable to authenticate this item.
3) I not not believe that this signature is geninue* for the following reason(s)… (This
opinion will be rendered only when there are material problems with the item, for example the ball to which an autograph was affixed was
manufactured after the date of death of the purported signer.)
4) A lack of viable exemplar signatures makes authentication of this autograph impossible at this time. (This is what you get when you send me an autograph of someone named "Charlie Smith or David Brown" hoping that it may be "the" Chino Smith or David "Lefty" Brown.
Understand that the authentication advisory opinion you will receive is not a definitive opinion, nor a representation by myself that the item reviewed is or is not authentic. It is a preliminary assessment only, and an in-person inspection would be required to provide a definitive opinion.
This advisory opinion does not constitute or substitute for a formal detailed authentication.
Understand that others opinions as the authenticity of this item may vary.
As the party who has asked for the authentication advisory opinion, you have the right to disregard or agree with the opinion. In either case you do so at your own risk and do not hold Mike Kolleth responsible in any way.
May I also suggest that you visit the following web site for more information about defending yourself against autograph forgeries:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mkolleth
[email protected]