Q. How do I know your autographs are authentic?

Q. Do your items come with a Certificate of authenticity (COA)?

Q. What is a Certificate of authenticity?

Q. What is a tamper proof hologram?

Q. I keep reading about the UACC and other similar organisations, with some people even saying I should only buy from UACC dealers. What does this mean?

Q. So what are the main things to look out for with regards to authenticity?

Q. Why do you rarely have fully signed squads by the top teams?

Q. I have seen an item I like on an internet auction site and the seller has fantastic feedback, does this guarantee that their autographs are authentic?

Q. What is Online Authentics?

Q. Do you buy autographs?

Q. Can you authenticate an item I have or an item I am interested in buying elsewhere?

Q. How can I purchase an item from you?

Q. How much is the postage cost?

DO NOT BUY FROM ANYONE ELSE UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THIS!!!!

Q. How do I know your autographs are authentic?

A. All of our items are obtained from private signings or are obtained in person by our company. We show more picture proof of our autographs than any other company. We know where and when everyone of our items has been signed so your future investment will always be tracked back to the person who signed the item. The value to your autograph is based on its provenance/background which most dealers do not offer. back to top

Q. Do your items come with a Certificate of authenticity (COA)?

A. All of our items come with our own Certificate as your guarantee of authenticity. Photographic proof of the item will be inserted into the certificate if requested at the time of purchase. back to top

Q. What is a Certificate of authenticity?

A. This is guarantee of authenticity from the seller to the buyer. However, beware! A COA does not mean an autograph is real, it just means that the company has given you THEIR guarantee that it is real. In other words, a COA is only as good as the company that is issuing it. A fake autograph that has a COA doesn’t make it authentic. Professional looking COAs are used by many autograph dealers to fool people into thinking an autograph is real. The truth is, a COA can be written on a scrap of paper and be better than one that has been professionally printed because it is the autograph that is important.

Every single seller will offer a COA and you must remember that it is estimated that at least 80% of all autographs are forgeries. To break it down, if there are 100 autographed David Beckham items on eBay, only a couple will be authentic but all 100 will have COA's . Seller's will go out of their way to try and peddle their goods including 100% Guarantees (as opposed to what, 96% Guarantees?), fancy looking COA's on nice parchment paper or even go as far as using a hologram with matched numbers (see below). You should never EVER purchase anything because it comes with a COA and that's your sole reason for obtaining a particular piece.
JUST TO REPEAT IT IN BOLD TYPE: CERTIFICATES OF AUTHENTICITIES SHOULD NOT BE THE REASON WHY A PURCHASE IS MADE. back to top

Q. What is a tamper proof hologram?

A. Many dealers will offer holograms as a selling point for authenticity. They are merely a tracking tool for yourself and the company and therefore, as with COAs, do not make an autograph real. back to top

Q. I keep reading about the UACC and other similar organisations, with some people even saying I should only buy from UACC dealers. What does this mean?

A. This is one of the greatest myths in the world of autographs. In England the UACC is seen as a governing body for autographs. Read the following to understand why this is not the case:-

Allstars are not members of the UACC. As we became very disillusioned with their lack of activity towards the blatant fakes on the market.

To many collectors, being a UACC member is an essential part of the buying process, however, here are some FACTS:-

To join the, all anyone has to do is pay a nominal annual fee. NONE of these organisations inspect anyone's autographs prior to joining, therefore anyone can join!!! So beware of anyone stating their autographs are genuine because they are a UACC member.

What seems to have happened over the last 12 months is that many dealers are claiming their autographs are genuine solely because they are members. How can this be the case if the UACC etc. doesn't vet dealer’s autographs for authenticity when they join?

We have alerted these clubs (because that is all that they are!) on many occasions to the fakes over the last 12 months and yet our emails are replied to with "we are too busy" or not even answered at all.

Do you know that the UACC ethics committee comprises of one person to cover the whole of the UK market!!! Just one person, who doesn't even specialise in sports memorabilia.

OUR JOB HERE IS NOT TO CRITICISE THE THESE ORGANISATIONS BUT JUST TO BRING TO LIGHT THAT UACC MEMBERSHIP FAR FROM GUARANTEES AUTHENTICITY it just means the member has paid £30 to join a collectors club. back to top

Q. So what are the main things to look out for with regards to authenticity?

A. Proof is the most important thing. All of our signings are accompanied by photographic proof and 95% of our in person signings have photographic proof. Many dealers claim to have carried out private signings but don’t show any proof. We have never been refused our request to take photographs at our signings. So beware of dealers claims. It is very easy to tell a story about where an autograph was obtained from but stories don’t prove anything. We often see the phrases “comes from within the club or from a director” etc. It is very easy to show photographic proof if your autographs are genuine.

Photographs don’t always prove beyond doubt! But showing as many as we do DOES.

The proof also should be real proof of the athlete signing the item described.
Many, claiming proof show the athlete signing a completely different item.

Also, look at what other items the seller is selling. If they are selling all of the “dream products”, constantly selling who is always hot and the worlds greatest athletes without proof then there is a higher chance the autographs are not genuine. The thing that all fraudsters have in common is that they will only sell the big named autographs which is amusing in itself. Getting IN PERSON autographs is getting tougher with autograph contracts, security, more collectors and sellers, signing paranoia and a distaste for most celebrities to sign. People who have dozens of the big names (Beckham, Henry, Owen, Gerrard etc...this dealer has a bunch of the at a relatively cheap price per photo, even though they are extremely difficult to get to sign. If they have TOO many of the top names on your wish list, that's a black flag.

Ask as many questions as you can and don’t forget! If it is too good to be true, then it probably is! back to top

Q. Why do you rarely have fully signed squads by the top teams?

A. Fully squad signed items are purely hilarious. How does one obtain teams signed Arsenal, Chelsea, United, Real Madrid, Brazil just to name a few!) these days? This means that a person has to work all day, all night, fight crowds, fight security, fight the difficult stars and after all is said and done, you have a pristine conditioned item signed all nicely and neatly. Avoid items that come with phrases like “comes from a source within the club.” We can buy these items in from a 3rd party as they are readily available, but we choose not to as we would not be able to guarantee authenticity! back to top

Q. I have seen an item I like on an internet auction site and the seller has fantastic feedback, does this guarantee that their autographs are authentic?

A. "This person must sell authentic items, they have a 99.7% feedback and over hundreds (or thousands) of positives and they are a Registered Power Seller, so they must be reliable!”
This doesn’t make there autographs genuine, it just means they get the product out to you in a good manner, it has nothing to do with authenticity. back to top

Q. What is Online Authentics?

A. Online authentics is a company which was set up by Muhammad Ali’s agent to help combat the thousands of Ali fakes available on the market. Each item Ali signs is registered on their public database and guaranteed for life. It comes with a coded Online Authentics certificate of authenticity which has a matching code on the item. This code can then be typed into onlineauthentics.com at which point you will be told where, when and how the item was signed together with a photograph of your unique Ali autograph. This is the best way to guarantee an Authentic Ali autograph as it can be tracked right back to his agent. This process makes Online Authentics Ali items a lot more expensive but in years to come, the extra money will result in a true investment. Without this certification, your Ali item will be grouped with thousands of others which may or may not be authentic but will be very difficult to track all the way back to Ali, and subsequently not worth as much. Online Authentics items are very limited and thus increasing the future value. back to top

Q. Do you buy autographs?

A. No back to top

Q. Can you authenticate an item I have or an item I am interested in buying elsewhere?

A. No. We are not the judge and jury for autographs. We will not comment on specific items or specific dealers. We can only provide you with the strength of our own authenticity and our buying guide and hope that you then use this to help you with your purchase. back to top

Q. How can I purchase an item from you?

A. Payment can be made securely through the website or over the phone by any major credit/debit card. You can also pay by cash (GBP), UK personal cheque (allow 5 working days for clearance), bankers draft or bank transfer.
Please make cheques payable to Allstarsignings LTD and send to PO Box 264, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 0ZN. back to top

Q. How much is the postage cost?

A. All items within the UK will be sent by Special Delivery at a cost of £5. Items sent outside of the UK will be sent by International Signed For at a cost of £9.

Please contact us for a postage price if you are buying multiple items. Both of the above services include insurance. back to top