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Author
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Topic: AA 1424283223: Apollo astronaut autographs
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mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-13-2015 05:59 PM
   
A recent quick scan of Astro Auction has revealed that there are two items that have bids but are, in my opinion, very weak forgeries. The first item is a multi-signed piece, appearing to have signatures of several Apollo astronauts. While not all of the signatures are visible, it's clear from just a quick glance of the Scott, Cunningham, Lovell, Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Haise, and Irwin signatures that all of them are weak imitations of the real thing. I have little doubt that the remaining signatures are also suspect. The item has been on Astro Auction since February 3 and currently has a $300 bid on it. See below:  The second item is an Armstrong signature on a white index card. Despite coming with the COA, I feel there is very little doubt this signature is also not authentic. The item has been on Astro Auction since February 4 and currently has a $400 bid on it (but is currently below reserve):  While forgeries at auction are nothing new, these two items concern me because they have active bids on them and because there is an expectation by some that Astro Auction is being vetted for forgeries. However, if there is a vetting process in place, I feel it has "dropped the ball" by missing these fairly obvious forgeries... which have been open for bidding for well over a week. If nothing else, this is a clear illustration of why buyers should always do their homework. Hopefully, Astro Auction will take more time to review these items and release the bidders from any obligations to purchase these lots. |
gareth89
Member Posts: 298
From: Ireland
Registered: May 2014
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posted 02-13-2015 06:15 PM
Unfortunately should you be correct, I will be the 'winner' of the mutisigned piece. I bid on the item for these reasons: - I thought it seemed a bargain.
- I'm fairly new to the collecting game.
- I thought the signatures were on the unusual side but put that down to the surface on which they were written?
- I thought Astro Auction vetted and policed all auctions and I could trust it!
I'm quite worried over this now, thank you very much for your input, should I contact the site administrator? |
Randy@astro
Member Posts: 44
From: Tucson, AZ USA
Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 02-13-2015 07:13 PM
We do not and can not monitor every item that is put up for auction. We review some items the user has to offer before approving a sellers application. If a seller knowingly puts up forgeries, that seller will be banned from the Auction.What we have promised to do is pull any item whose authenticity is questioned until such time as it can be confirmed authentic. If we are unable to confirm authenticity, the item may not be listed again. I have pulled these two items. The seller is a well-known, long-time customer. I have contacted him on this matter and asked for some background on the items in question. The winning bidder, if any, is not obligated to purchase items whose authenticity has been questioned. My recommendation to Astro-Auction users is, if you find items that don't quite look authentic, please let me know directly and I will look into it. (randy at novaspace.com) |
Jurg Bolli
Member Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 02-13-2015 11:26 PM
Both of these are terrible. Good catch! |
Michael1976
Member Posts: 106
From: Chandler, AZ 85249
Registered: Nov 2011
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posted 02-14-2015 12:50 AM
When did Lovell change his name to Jack Lanny? The multi-signed piece looks like a ripoff... |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-14-2015 02:07 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Randy@astro:
We do not and can not monitor every item that is put up for auction. We review some items the user has to offer before approving a sellers application.
Thanks for clarifying that. I think there was a misconception by many (including the bidder who posted above) that Astro Auction was automatically a safe place to buy items because it was regularly vetted for forgeries. Indeed, in their November 18, 2014 e-mail announcing the return of Astro Auction, Kim and Sally made the statement "we will still police it for forgeries and fakes." So that could have easily created the impression that items were regularly reviewed. Now that it is known that every item is not reviewed, it only reinforces the need for buyers to do their homework first...whether they buy on eBay or Astro Auction (or anywhere for that matter). |
calcheyup
Member Posts: 125
From:
Registered: May 2014
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posted 02-14-2015 06:19 AM
Which one is the best? And by best, I mean worst? The cartoonish attempt at Lovell's beautiful signature (look at that L!) or the attempt at Edgar Mitchell's chicken scratch?And I would just like to second some of the thoughts expressed here. To me, if you are going to begin spending hard earned dollars on signed items, you need to know the signature in question better than your own. Every curve, the slant, specific traits, the general look, and review as many authentic examples as possible to also see certain trends that may be a little bit different than the norm but occasionally were done. If you are not confident that you can tell the signature from a secretarial or forgery, then you may want to rethink the item you are interested in, or ask for help. |
Bob M
Member Posts: 1745
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-14-2015 10:07 AM
Thanks for bringing these to the hobby's attention, Mark. Anytime an Armstrong autograph is offered anywhere it should be thoroughly checked out, especially those on index cards and with COA's. A Myron Abrams issued the COA, with a convenient address so he can be contacted about his "oversight." After some checking, it appears that Myron specializes in celebrity and sports autographs, so hope he's better with them than with Armstrong autographs. |
Randy@astro
Member Posts: 44
From: Tucson, AZ USA
Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 02-16-2015 04:38 PM
Hey guys, I hadn't seen that email Kim and Sally sent out. I apologize if I have given you conflicting information. I tried to check out Myron also. He doesn't seem to have a very good reputation for sports and celebrity autographs either, but it was really hard to pin down. That was when I pulled these two items. A COA from a guy you can't contact isn't much good, is it?We will do our best to watch items going up for auction. If any of you see items that are suspicious, let us know directly by email and we will suspend the auction while the item is being investigated. I had approved a couple of new sellers myself, without Kim's approval. These were known customers, so I thought we'd be okay. I won't be doing that anymore. All seller applications will be screened by Kim before approval. Sellers are asked to provide sample images of some of items they wish to sell. I review them for quality of the images themselves. From here out, Kim will review for the quality of the items submitted with the application. I certainly do not want to create a situation where you can not trust the sellers on Astro-Auction, so we will be more vigilant in vetting sellers. |
dagwood387
New Member Posts: 1
From: Schwenksville, PA, USA
Registered: Jul 2015
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posted 07-29-2015 03:21 PM
Myron Abrams is a long time fake autographs dealer. He lives in MI and also goes by the name Frank Manfredi who had a NJ address that was one of those rental mailboxes. I know of him at least from the early 2000s - Fake Titanic related and historical autographs, sports, etc. I've seen his eBay accounts banned numerous times. I have much more info on this fraud. | |
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