Every day I am asked to check items for via my "Quick Opinion" service. Over 50% always prove to be fake in some way, but many of the buyers will simply not accept that what they have purchased is fake, and send me all kinds of reasons why the item must be genuine!
- "It has a COA with it so it must be genuine"....... then why ask me?
- "I have looked at it and it looks good to me".......then why ask me?
- "The guy at the local auction house says it looks genuine"....... then why ask me?
- "The seller had 100% feedback".......oh well it must be genuine then!
When anyone buys a signed item they buy it because they believe it to be genuine, then something (or someone) causes them to think it may not be genuine, but because they have paid hard earned cash for it they want it to be real so are not too happy if anyone tells them its not authentic.
Buyers will then try and find all the reasons they can as to why it might be genuine, and will often ask me for "proof" to show them its a fake, even though the original owner provided no proof at all as to authenticity other than a contrived story and a homemade COA which in most cases will not even have a contact address on it. They want it to be real so will only see it from the point of view that they think its genuine, the COA says it's genuine, the seller said it was genuine, so show me proof that it's not.
And in case you are wondering about the Ali signature I have used on this article, it's a fake. It is one of the most common fake signatures that I see, and was actually done by a guy called John Olsen who produced thousands of them and are still being resold by sellers here and in the USA. Google "operation bullpen" and you will find out all about the dozens of shops that were involved and the millions of $ that they stole from honest collectors.
Copyright 2025 Garry King.