Autograph Authenticators and Wannabees

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Richard Simon
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Richard Simon....Dumb as a Box of Rocks

May 8,2000
On Simple Simons latest update he refers to Bill Lar....(I think he stutters).He now thinks that I am Bill Larson.Who is Bill Larson?Shit if I know.But wait...here is the good part.Richard has a good friend named Joe Cosey.Seems that Richard and Joe bribed a "Web employee" to find out who I was.Not only did they get ripped off,these two knuckleheads emailed me to tell me how stupid they are.(I saved your emails-maybe I'll auction them off on ebay).These two are dumb as dirt.Uh,excuse me officer.Me and Richard just robbed a bank,do you have change for a $20?
Simple Simon proves my point about he thrives on lies and rumors.Some dope gives him a name and he just follows right along with the rumor.And Becketts gives him a column.But for all of you who think that Simon is the best thing since birth control...he's so ethical...he's so concerned about the hobby etc.,how ethical is it to bribe a "web employee" and then put it on your web page?Remember,all Richard Simon cares about is Richard Simon.

I still have not heard from Simon regarding his reward for forged letters.Put up or shut up Richard.Also,what about all the forged items you authenticated for The National Pastime(see article below).Simon loves to point out others mistakes.How about it Richard?Tell us how you passed thousands of bad autographs.Maybe your bad hairpiece fell in your eyes and you couldn't see too well.Hey Richard,who's your daddy?Usually Richard emails me about 15 times after I write this stuff,but not a word from him after I wrote about that.Hmmm.

Ebays New Policy...Dumb as Richard Simon

Say it ain't so Jimmy

Collusion Between "Simple" Simon and Spence?

April 21,2000
Recently Mastros had a Christy Matthewson ball in their auction.Bidding on this ball started at $26,000.It turns out that this ball was a forgery.For those of you who don't know,Jimmy Spence is the authenticator for Mastros.
How could this have happened? After all,isn't Jimmy one of the "worlds leading autograph experts"?This is a man who has over 200,000 autographs in inventory,all authenticated by him.Yes,everybody makes mistakes.
If "Simple" is so concerned about forgeries and forgers why hasn't this appeared on his web site? He likes to trash everybody so I think a $26,000 mistake warrants at least an honorable mention.Or maybe "Simple" and Jimmy are asshole buddies and this could affect their "cozy" relationship."Simple" and Jimmy buy and sell to each other,tell each other how great they are and basically cover each others back.It's called collusion.You get together,set up the ground rules,don't reject any stuff from each other and reject everything from everybody else.
I emailed "Simple" to ask him why he never wrote anything about this but he won't answer the question.He responds with childish ramblings always about Frangipani."Simple " isn't concerned about the hobby or the collectors,he is only concerned about himself.Ask yourself this question and answer it honestly:If that ball were authenticated by Frangipani or Prouty or another of the "Authenticators" do you think "Simple" would have splashed it all over his web site? We all know the answer.
I also gave "Simple Simon" the opportunity to explain his some of his blunders.He authenticated thousands of 8x10's and other memorabillia for the National Pastime,Bobby Moore and Les Wolf.It turns out it was all garbage and they lost thousands and thousands of dollars.Yes, we all make mistakes.

Jimmy finally showed up for his depositions in one of his lawsuits.When asked for his qualifications that qualify him as an expert Spence replied that he took a "mail order course" and that he was"waiting for his certificate to come in the mail".Keep sending your stuff to him.
But at least he has one up on "Simple".Simon doesn't even have that.I'm still waiting for his credentials and his court records qualifing him as an "expert witness".If he was qualified he has to have documentation from a judge giving him that status and if he does not have that he is a liar and a fraud.
On"Simple Simon's" web page he offers a reward for forged authenticator letters.I emaied him twice saying I had these letters in my posession.He never replied.Please remember that Simon has been writing his commentary for a number of years now without any opposition.He could say anything he wanted and nobody challenged him.He has built his reputation on lies and rumors he has made up himself.He is a self promoting liar with only his interest at hand.He has capitalized greatly along with others from spreading these lies and rumors.Look at the Clemente ball he attributes to a "well known" authenticator.That ball was never examined by the authenticator he refers to.I can prove it,but Simon is only concerned with the truth as long as it can benefit him and his wallet.Those of you who know Simon know that he would crawl over his dying dog to pick up a nickel.

I can go out and get some forgeries and say a "fat little guy with a bad hairpiece authenticated this forged item" and let you draw your own conclusions as to who it is.Well,guess what?Read Simon's page and he does exactly that.Lies and rumors.

Open your eyes and get your heads out of your asses.Good Night Richard

January 2000

Now,the first group and these are the guys who have all kinds of credentials like FBI training,court qualified expert testimonies in thousands of cases,board certified(American Board of Forensic Document Examiners)examiners.These guys have testified in some pretty heavy duty,high profile cases such as the World Trade Center Bombing,Zodiac Killer Case,Patty Hearst Case and so on.Now,most of you know I'm talking about Don Frangipani and Bob Prouty and a few others who have been doing this since the "Wannabees" were born.

Now,let us look at the "Wannabees".You can find them in all the collector books,magazines and their own Web sites.Let's see: Jimmy Spence(opps! I'm sorry, it's James Spence now!)Member of UACC,IACC,IADA,(I can join all of those as long as I pay the money),PSA/DNA( what the hell are you talking about Jimmy? What do you do-look for the Bambino's spit on the ball.Come on,give me a break.Don't mislead the public).Third generation autograph collector( passed on thru DNA?).And last but not least,a family member who sold peanuts at the Polo Grounds.Pretty Impressive.I remember when Jimmy used to tell everyboby he was partners with Mark Jordan.Those of you who have been around awhile will understand that. Next we have Richard "Secret Agent Man" Simon.If you go to his Web site you will see some items for sale but you can really listen to Richard trash everyboby else in the business.I was reading his forgery pages and I swear Simon has talked to more FBI agents than Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.Maybe they will give him one of those Junior G-men badges some day for cleaning up this hobby.Thanks for protecting all of us Richard.Oh, and thanks for offering me $500 for that $4500 dollar item.Your a credit to the hobby.

There are many more like Kevin and Mike who also don't have any credentials,but you guys have to remember:when you point the finger at somebody there's four pointing back at you.One thing that this group does not seem to understand is that handwriting authenticating is based on opinion.Many factors must be condidered when rendering an opinion such as age,health, what was the person doing right before he signed his name and many ,many more.Also,when an examination is performed,it has to be done in a lab with the proper equipment.

Just for an example get a copy of the Baseball Autograph Handbook by Sports Collectors Digest and turn to page 40.Six examples of Bill Dickeys' signature and every one appears different but they are all legit.How many of us would say some were bad signatures because they didn't "look good"? I know I would.But I don't bill myself as an authenticator.Last week at a show I saw one of the "Wannabees" (who had a table-selling items)on two occasions look at a ball for maybe 10 seconds and declare the ball was a fake.Some examination.I have always had a problem with these authenticators who buy,sell,authenticate.Think about it,you're buying an item from somebody who tells you it's good because he says it is.I feel alot more comfortable getting an examination from somebody who does not buy,sell or collect.I also question the fact that in the last few years the price of authenticating items has skyrocketed.In 1985 I paid $35 for an examination of my first Babe Ruth. I thiink PSA/DNA starts at $40,more than the price paid for the item(how do they get that darn DNA off the ball--maybe they should have submitted O.J. for testing).My point is,if a group of 5 or 6 individuals can discredit their competition through lies and accusations you can monopolize that business.

On the legal side(which has really worked it's way into the hobby)the "Wannabees" testimony will not hold up in a court of law against the "Authenticators".See the Supreme Court Decision--Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael.An expert witness must meet/ have certain qualifications to testify. But we as collectors must also take responsibility.When you see a Babe Ruth single signed ball on ebay for $995 with no reserve-- and you win as high bidder maybe you should unwind this deal.Although I personally beleive that if your dumb enough to think you got a good deal, you should put that baby right on the old mantle and I don't mean Micky.Come on people,we have to start taking some personal responsibility for our personal stupidity.And if you're new to collecting you should'nt be buying Babe Ruth's right out of the gate.Buy a little,learn a little.And if you decide to autheticate an item take it to somebody that has had handwriting,questioned document training and certification.

In the last few months there has been a rash of forged authentication letters.This is how the con works: The forger will submit a legit item to be authenticated and gets his LOA.Now with that letter he will make copies and issue the copies with the forged items.I've seen these leters on ebay and most of them are Don Frangipani's who I have met several times and in my opinion is a true gentleman,honest and one of the most ethical men I have encountered in this hobby.Mr.Fragipani's letters are signed in blue ink and have his corporate seal on the lower left hand corner.Also,he marks the item with numbers and his initials.If you look at the fake letters you will see the signature is in black ink and you can't make out the seal.On the top right hand side you will see reference numbers which are usually the initials of the person who submitted the item and a few numbers.Take that reference number and call Frangipani and ask him about the item and letter.Don't think just because you have a letter everything is O.K.Do your homework.Due to these letters being "forged" the "Wannabees" started saying that Frangipani was passing bad items.It's good for them because it takes one more person out of the competition and now they can check your item for DNA.I hope you can see where this whole thing is going.These guys are gualified to testify before the Supreme Court of the United States but 4 or 5 guys who never took a class in handwriting can turn this hobby on its ear.Instead of going after the forgers they bad mouth the victims of the forgers.

Lets face it everybody makes mistakes. Simon rants about a Clemente ball on his Web page but Spence declared an item a fake which later sold for $40,000 at a major auction.I don't see Richard mention anything about that.In my 15 years of collecting I have seen many autographs but I always tell people I've seen alot of pus-y in my life but it does'nt make me a gynocologist.

Monday-January 24,2000

I was speaking with a major collector/dealer with at least 25 years in the business.We were discussing PSA/DNA, which it seems that anybody with half a brain is laughing at,and it looks like their original advertisement which contained a Babe Ruth signature personalized to Kiki Cuyler along with a Ruth bat were forgeries! Word around is the group of "Wannabees" all passed these items.When some "real" collectors and authenticators saw the ads they contacted the boys at PSA/DNA, who with egg on their face, promptly removed the offending items.

I notice in Jimmy Spences advertisements he says he has over 200,000 autographs in inventory.Jimmy,do you want us to beleive that you don't have any bad autographs out of 200,000? If you don't, please Jimmy let me take you to Vegas,cause you sure can beat the odds.

I also understand that Marc Jordan is back in the action again.Glad to hear it.Mark was always a fair and honest guy.When he ran into his problems a few years ago alot of people took some pretty low blows on him.Some of his so-called friends started to really bad mouth him.Maybe Mark wasn't the best businessman but he never intentionally sold any bad stuff.Good to see you back again Mark.Good Luck.

Friday January 28,2000

I have received alot of email from fellow hobbyist also fed up with the authenticating wars.Many said they felt PSA/DNA was misleading the public and just another way to get more money out of collectors.Use the fear factor to generate more dollars.A few people even said that they had heard of the forged letters on ebay and they thought that Frangipani was selling forged items. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While sitting here writing this ,it occured to me that if you buy an item from one of the "Wannabees" that has been authenticated by one of them(from their own personal business)do they tell you not to submit it to PSA/DNA ,because after all that would not be ethical to try to hammer you for a few extra "scoots"(that's what we call money in Brooklyn).And if they don't tell you that's what we call "takin it in the shorts".If anybody knows the answer,let me know.

I logged on to Simons' web page and it just amazes me what a weasel this guy is.He has pages of "rumor has it","un-named law enforcement official","I am hearing rumors and stories","an un-named authenticator","unidentified authenticator","85% of the items on ebay are fake","please don't ask me to reveal their names".After pages of playing on peoples fears(I started to check my own signature)he just happens to have a place where you can feel safe and get your item authenticated--from him of course.Also is a list of his credentials-collector for 17 years,UACC member(Universal Autograph Collectors Club)which by the way all they ask you for is name,address,3 areas of autograph interest and do you want to use Visa of Mastercard.I ain't making this up folks,look for yourself.The American Kennel Club asks you more questions.Then he says to be carefull-a seller on ebay is claiming false membership in the UACC.Oh boy,better call the FBI on this one Richard.Sounds like a major felony here.He goes on to say"Make sure a dealer has some real credentials".Yeah,make sure he's a UACC member and not claiming false membership.The best part is "I will always be in the forefront of the battle despite major attempts to stop me." Richard,you sound like Joan of Arc.

Don't get me wrong,I have nothing against somebody making a living thru hard work.I do have a problem with somebody doing it by lies,rumors and at the expense of others.The bad ones will be weeded out by the collectors themselves.I have a problem with Simon playing on peoples fears,creating peoples fears and them capitalizing on them by saying "I'm here to help you." I own three businesses and the first rule is to never bad mouth your competition.

I guess the part that really bothers me is that the "Wannabees" act like they have never passed a bad signature.We all make mistakes in our business or jobs whatever they may be.I give credit to the "Authenticators" for not responding to the attacks.I decided to start this page on my own because people also have to hear the other side.It may sound like I don't like the "Wannabees".In many aspects I don't.I don't agree with their ethics or tactics and as a hobbyist I won't sit back and be forced to get an item authenticated by them.That is called extortion.If we allow this to continue,every time you decide to sell and item you're going to have a LOA from the "Wannabees".I don't know about you but that does not sit well with me.

Let me just say I have nothing against UACC.I think they are a fine organization but how did you come to the conclusion that 85% of items on ebay are forgeries?Last time I looked there were a hell of a lot of items listed.I also think it's a little hard to see if an item is good fron a computer screen.Like I said I have nothing against them.I just wouldn't join any organization that would allow me in.

F.H.emailed me a copy of a LOA(or a non-LOA)from Kevin Keating.It said "The item submitted to me is a fake".Kevin, could you go into a little more detail next time please.Thanks.

Donald Frangipani has just aquired a one million dollar insurance policy for errors and omissions.I think the insurance companies require certain qualifications before they will issue such a policy.Kinda like you need a drivers license before you can get car insurance.

Please email me with your comments.Let me know if I can use them or not.All coments welcome,this is a page for hobbyists.

Thursday February 03,2000

Let the wars begin!! Richard Simon emailed me three times today and he called me bad names.I guess he does not like it when somebody says things about him.Richard ranted about The Authenticators calling them my "heroes".You don't get it Richard do you? You seem to beleive that you are the self appointed savior of this hobby.Go about your business,sell your autographs,talk to the FBI,but Richard alot of us are fed up with your tactics of trashing everybody else in the business of authenticating.At least the "Authenticators" admit when they make a mistake,which by the way most of us do but apparently you don't.You must be careful my friend because something you pass will come back to bite you in the ass on day.Then,what will you do?Call the FBI on yourself?Remove yourself from the business?Go away gracefully?Be careful my friend.

We don't need the FBI involved in our hobby.People have been collecting for years and have doing a pretty good job of policing ourselves.I also think my tax dollars would be better spent by using the FBI to stop terriosim at our borders,spies,national security issues.I like to think that I'm getting a good bang for my buck.I don't mind an FBI agent getting $80,000 a year to do something to protect my country,but to pay them that much to chase down a Sammy Sosa forgerer is a disgrace and a waste of our tax dollars.This is another example of enacting laws to protect Americans from their own stupidity.Maybe there should be a law against being stupid.The best lessons I have learned in my life have been when I have been hit in the pocketbook.I usually never made that same mistake again.

We were always told in this hobby:Buyer Beware,know who you are buying from,do your homework.Now because the hobby has exploded in the last few years and alot of people who don't know what they are doing are getting burned and we want our goverment to come to the rescue.

I heard James Spence just lost a major lawsuit.Jimmie,if you are James Spence Jr.why do you bill yourself as James SpenceIII ? This wouldn't be to insulate yourself against legal action.I think your son is James SpenceIII.

There is a woman who is billing herself as an Authenticator of Questioned Documents that has been claiming all kinds of credentials that are not true.It seems her area of expertise was in determining your personality from your handwriting and she just happened to expand into questioned documents.People sent her items to be authenticated never even checking her credentials.But I never heard the "Wannabees" cry about her.Why? Maybe because she wasn't taking that much business away from them.I'm telling you, it's all about money.

If any of the "Wannabees" would like to email me their credentials (besides UACC membership)I would be more than happy to list them here.Please,just a list of classes attended,professional organizations that require some kind of training,some court cases,letters from law enforcement,etc.Don't get me wrong,I beleive there are alot of people who can tell if a signature is good or bad,but they do it for themselves and friends.They don't operate a business and call themselves experts.They don't mislead the public.One thing that has occured to me is this.We all know that Spence Jr.or the III whatever,authenticates for Masrto's.What is to stop him from saying an item submitted by one of his "friends" is good when there could be collusion involved?In other words,why can't they submitt their own forgeries and sell them?Who's going to check?Everybody thinks they are above reproach.Let's open our eyes and get our heads out of our asses( is that a Yogi-ism ).That's why I don't like authenticators who buy,sell and collect. The temptation is so great especially since a Babe Ruth at Mastro's recently sold for about $50,000.Let's not be a bunch of lemmings and follow each other over the cliff.

Please email me if you like.Remember,14 days till pitchers and catchers.Good night Richard

Thursday February 17,2000

Okay boys and girls it's starting to heat up.I've received alot of email from both sides.Joe Cosey thinks I'm a fool.Another guy(I forgot his name) was really pissed off at me.Called me alot worse than a fool.Richard Simon thinks I'm Don Frangipani.You're such a sluth.And please get the facts straight Richard.I didn't call you an asshole,I called you a "major leauge asshole"and I didn't say "old lady",I said you "cry like a 60 yr.old menopausal woman"(spelling does not count).I offered to meet you,bring whomever you like but you declined.You said "Tell me your name,I don't meet strangers".If I told you my name I would still be a stranger because you don't know me.They should have taught you that in FBI school.

I was really surprised by the amount of dealers who emailed saying that they were reluctant to voice their opinions in public because these guys can and will bad mouth them and put them out of business.I was reading SCD Baseball Autograph Handbook Chapter 10,pg.59:"One form of deception is for one dealer to pass along claims of forgery or concerns about anothers dealers materials,only to make himself sound like an expert or to simply steer the clients business to his own merchandise.As a collector it is best to draw your own conclusions".Also on page 59 it states"it is against the law to disparage or discredit another dealer with claims that his material is not authentic",it goes on to say if you do attempt this be prepared to accept the legal conseguences.Sound familiar boys?Maybe you dealers should go after these goof balls with a class action lawsuit.They look at the items you sell and with a cursury examination and say "no good" and now you have a problem.The person is going to tell 100 people you sold him a fake.On page 39 it states that "Collectors and dealers are not spending enough time identifing these variations(in signatures).... self proclaimed autograph experts giving worthless authentication advice to the novice..... more and more collectors are realizing how difficult it is to authenticate autographs and painstaking the task undertaken by experts to determine the origin of an autograph really is." Now you tell me how Spence and Simon can look at an item for 10 seconds and give you an opinion.

See,once again,it's not about Frangipani,Prouty or the other authenticators.If they all closed their doors tomorrow I would still feel the same way about this issue.It's about being forced to buy from them and get them authenticated from them.Little by little they will gnaw away at dealers and authenticators who will eventually pack it in because it's not worth the bullshit.Then everybody will piss and moan, but you created you own monsters and now you have to live with it.Competition is healthy for business and even better for the consumer.

What I don't get is the Wannabees try to convince us that they are so ethical,but ethical people don't bad mouth their competition,ethical people don't cover up their mistakes by blaming others,ethical people don't use fear and intimidation to get their work.Why don't all of you little followers of Jimmy Spence call him and ask him why he won't go to Texas,ask him about his lost legal battles and the ones pending,ask him about his company name and misleading the public with PSA/DNA.Don't let him tell you his attorney won't let him comment on it.If he's so ethical he should answer you questions.An ethical man does not hide behind lawyers.He owns up to his mistakes and tries to become a better man from it.

Ask him why PSA/DNA advertises "worlds leading autograph experts" but they won't tell you who they are..They tell you that you must submit an item first.They used to have a picture of Jimmy with a microscope but they removed it.I wonder why?Where does PSA get off telling us they are experts? They are not experts.They are dealers who have figured out how to get a few more dollars out of us.Just because I go outside every day and look up and the sky I don't qualify as a meteoroligist.And if I went around selling my services as such you know I'd be in jail or sued or something.

Now,you want to see a good one go to www.authenticators.net.This guy doesn't even tell you his name(at least you can figure out my first name,well maybe Richard can't).According to him somebody called him "The Most Trusted Name In Autograph Authentication".A lawyer must have written this guys page.Somebody told me he took a mail order course.I think it was that same place that has truck driving classes.This is the guy who was doing authentication from the computer screen.Send him a scan and he sends you a scam.He must belong to the UAAC.Their members determined 85% of sigs.on ebay were fake using just a computer screen.Simon brags about being a part of this scientific research study.But the really sad part is that people actually sent items to this guy not even knowing his name or backround.This guy did exactly what the Wannabees did.He was a collector who became an authenticator.See how easy it is?You or I could do the exact same thing tomorrow and I can assure you people would send us stuff.But what makes this guy any different from the Wannabees?Ethics?Simon gave opinions from only a computer screen.Qualifications?They were collectors who expanded into authenticating with no training.One guy gets laughed and called a fraud and the other ones receive praise.

Open your eyes and get you heads out of your asses.Good Night Richard.