Buying autographs can be a risky business, and many collectors think that the safest way to go when looking for authentic signatures is to only buy certified trading cards from well known companys.
Well, you have to know that there are people out there who want to con you with counterfeit certified autographed cards!
Have you ever bought a Star Pics Twin Peaks signed trading card? I'm not an alarmist, but you should immediately take a look to this article from a blog on counterfeit cards: http://webjon.com/blog/?p=388
Isn't that blog so useful and informative? Keep your eyes out for fake trading cards!
If you decide to buy a certified trading card, well, think about what you read and be careful.
Ben
Last edited by Ben Horne on Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
<<Star Pics Autographs. . .
All of the sudden there are a bunch of Star Pics Twin Peaks autographs hitting the market. Sadly a bunch of them are likely forgeries. More than any other card set out there you really need to do research and know what you are buying before picking up Star Pics autographs. Thankfully buyers out there seem to be able to tell the difference between the good and the bad. . .
How do you tell the difference? The only real way is to know the cards and know the signature "” One day I'll do a detailed report on Twin Peaks autographs, but for some quick tips, pay close attention to the seal of authenticity. . . if it doesn't look perfect don't buy the card. Make sure the signature matches known signatures of the actor, and make sure the pen is a perfect match for known good copies of the authentic autograph cards.
Tips for spotting counterfeits. . .
The question I get emailed the most is "What is the simple way to tell if a card is counterfeit,"as if there is a magic secret way to tell that applies to all cards and is being kept secret. We've seen counterfeits created in many ways so there is no one way to determine if a card is counterfeit. The only way to know for sure is to know the card.
A few good places to start when looking at a card is to first pull the card out of the toploader and compare the size, card stock, edge color and fine printing details to another card. That isn't always possible, especially online. . .
For scans you can do a few things that will help, but again, these are just starting points "” know the cards!
1. Use Mishu's Signature tests:
a. Are there "˜dots' at the ends of the pen strokes? If so the card is likely fake.
b. Does the thickness of the signature vary? Many fake signatures have the same line thickness for the entire signature. Some real signatures do as well.
2. Use Steve's Inkworks Authentic Stamp test
If the Inkworks Authentic Stamp appears to be in a different place (typically further left and down) from where most of them are in a given series the card is likely fake.
3. Compare to other copies of the same card. Look for similarities and differences in the signature, also if you can find a card with an identical signature avoid those cards!
Good luck!
Jon>>
(http://webjon.com/blog/?p=388)
Some collectors have been discussing about fake Twin Peaks Star Pics autographs: here you find a few interesting posts from a forum.
<< () I decided to find out what I can about the card set. () Then there are Autos. I have seen "limited Edition" printed on the back of some autos and nothing in the space the should say "limited Edition" on the back of others. Are there two versions of each auto? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks>>.
<<The Star Pics Twin Peak set was produced in 1991. They also did an All My Children set. They both had autograph cards from most, but not all of casts. The AMC cards do not have limited edition written, but I think the Twin Peaks cards indicate it. () The signatures, when you find them, are on the back of the cards. They also have a small gold stamp that is a circle. It says Star Pics Authentic around the circle. I don't know how many cards were signed, but most have found their way into collections over the past 19 years, especially the better known names. You generally don't see too many up for sale and they are not cheap. Now here's the problem, the stamps can be removed. Over the years I've heard stories about people doing just that for the minor actors and sticking them on the base cards of the stars to make fake autograph cards that sell for high prices. So if you are thinking of first collecting these autograph cards now just be really careful of the source>>.
<< () The autographs have been faked, a recent batch on eBay are highly suspicious at best. Definitely know what you are doing before buying any Star Pics autographs. There are apparently some Star Pics sport card sets that used the same authenticity stickers, some of these cards can be found VERY cheap. I think that is the source of the stickers on the forged autographs.
Good luck.
Jon>>.
<<jon - you are correct about the star pics sports autographs being found cheap. you can get a fairly good sized lot of commons (25-30 or more) for less than $1 per card>>
<<You're right about the gold seal. I pulled an auto from a boxed edition. It was Michael Horse who played "Deputy Hawk". () it's a base card, signed on the back (in this case, a blue sharpie). The gold seal has two stars on it, the words "Star Pics Authentic" and what looks like initials written in script in the center of the circle. And, yep, it looks like it would be pretty easy to fake. I also had several packs (If I remember correctly, they had twenty five cards per pack)that had no autos. This would be a tough set of autos to complete!>>
<<Thanks for all the help. I have seen autograph cards on E-bay and I have seen them with "Limited Edition" printed on the back and no limited edition printed on the back on the same card from two different dealers. Are there two different autographs for each card or is one of the versions a fake? Both sellers have great feedback and have been on E-bay for a long time. Thanks again>>.
Well, we just found out how they actually create the counterfeit cards!
What about the guy who actually pulled out from a box a base card autographed by Michael Horse? Is that card legit? Are there authentic signed cards without the "limited edition"inscription on the back?
Some months ago I found somewhere on the web this photo:
As you can see, the guy who posted the picture also enclosed a close up of the "Star Pics authentic"seals. Three different seals.
So, here is another question: do legit Twin Peaks autographed cards actually bear different "Star Pics authentic"seals?
If so, how many seals were used? How do they look?
It would be a good thing if you could please post here a picture of the Star Pics Twin Peaks cards that you actually pulled from sealed boxed sets so to have a valid reference for supports, seals and signatures. You can also post pictures of the trading cards that you bought for comparison.
And please feel free to post your comments, guys!
I hope this helps.
Thank you.
Ben
Has anyone seen the recent big batch of autographed Star Pics cards to hit eBay? I need to study them further, however, at first glance, they look very much like bad fakes. Careful out there.
I've spent some time looking over the batch and I'm pretty skeptical. Some of them seem way off. Some are missing characteristics that have remained constant on other cards I've seen.
I'm not an expert. However, I own all of the cards right now (minus the Joan Chen which I've owned in the past)
I'm just skeptical. Everyone should be.
Also, what's interesting is that the seller states he's pulled all of the autos from packs. Well, as mega collector Bruce Phillips has confirmed, very few autos were actually placed in packs (I once opened 12 sealed in a row and found zero autos) and Bruce purchased the bulk of the autos directly from Star Pics and sold them them from his 'Twin Peaks Collectibles' catalog.
It will be interesting to see if that forum examines these cards.
I think the Harry Goaz one is a fake. The sig is similar in style but misses the high almost manic peaks on the Capitol letters I have seen on my signed stuff.
btw, this is @albeitcrazy on Twitter for those in the #BookhouseBoys.
Jerry Horne wrote:I'm not an expert. However, I own all of the cards right now (minus the Joan Chen which I've owned in the past)
I'm just skeptical. Everyone should be.
Also, what's interesting is that the seller states he's pulled all of the autos from packs. Well, as mega collector Bruce Phillips has confirmed, very few autos were actually placed in packs (I once opened 12 sealed in a row and found zero autos) and Bruce purchased the bulk of the autos directly from Star Pics and sold them them from his 'Twin Peaks Collectibles' catalog.
Yes, everyone should be VERY careful in buying Star Pics autographed cards!
Did you buy your trading cards from Bruce, Jerry?
Do your cards have different types of authenticity seals?
Could you please post here some pictures for reference?
Thanks, Jerry!
So frustrating to see likely fakes pop up. I just don't know why someone would go through the trouble of faking the lesser ($25-50) ones. The big names make sense to me. According to the seller who listed that large lot of cards for sale, they were authenticated "by a local card shop." Not a terribly strong endorsement, IMHO.
Jerry Horne wrote:I'm not an expert. However, I own all of the cards right now (minus the Joan Chen which I've owned in the past)
I'm just skeptical. Everyone should be.
Also, what's interesting is that the seller states he's pulled all of the autos from packs. Well, as mega collector Bruce Phillips has confirmed, very few autos were actually placed in packs (I once opened 12 sealed in a row and found zero autos) and Bruce purchased the bulk of the autos directly from Star Pics and sold them them from his 'Twin Peaks Collectibles' catalog.
Yes, everyone should be VERY careful in buying Star Pics autographed cards!
Did you buy your trading cards from Bruce, Jerry?
Do your cards have different types of authenticity seals?
Could you please post here some pictures for reference?
Thanks, Jerry!
I'll post some of the ones that look odd sometime this weekend.
Yep, I purchased most of mine from Bruce in the early and mid nineties. The few remaining I needed I picked up on eBay in 1998/1999.
The funny thing is that Star Pics fakes were not even on my radar until you brought this up. I figured it would be too tough to re-attach the gold seal.
Authenticity initials on the seals all match. So, IF they are fake, he has the originals or photos of the originals.
Honestly folks, I just don't know. I'm so very tired of this subject. What I do know is that I will never ever sell my Frank Silva card!
<<I'd personally stay far away from any Star Pics Auto, seeing most of the big names end up getting forged in sports and non sports. Sellers take the stickers from commons and slap it on another card and sign it. Seeing there is no difference between a base card and auto card, they are easily forged. A huge red flag are sellers who are buying lots of star pics autos and have high end star pics autos for sale>>.
(http://nonsportupdate.infopop.cc/eve/fo ... 6721025792)
<<(...) I suppose the little sticker could be removed, however I would hope the gold would show some cracks in it, at least where it was peeled up. If purchasing a Star Pics autograph, your best defense is buying from reliable sellers, but short of that, always ask for a good look at the Authenticating Sticker itself for any tell-tale signs of it having been "lifted". It should be flat and perfectly smooth with no cracks of any kind. I do not have any Twin Peaks or SNL autos, sadly, despite my best efforts, but I did get a Rene Tennison signed card from the Star Pics PLAYBOY set issued around the same time as well as a few sports cards, so that how I'm familiar with the stickers used. I believe the only nonsports Star Pics sets with autos were TWIN PEAKS, SNL, and ALL MY CHILDREN. They released an "Alien 3" set before going under possibly a few others, but I don't think any of those had autographs in them. On the upside, Star Pics was only in business for a few years total (from about 1990-92 or so), so there can only be so many of those little stickers out there for would-be cheaters to misappropriate>>.
(http://nonsportupdate.infopop.cc/eve/fo ... 025792/p/2)
