I used to collect and then work in the sport memorabilia business. I was never on an official team level for anything, but local stores in malls and the likes I would sell items to either on consignment or straight cash.
What I could have done til this day boggles my mind. You have to understand, most athletes know who the real fans are and who the sellers are. It's not the easiest thing and can take hours or even days to get a single item signed by a player, sometimes certain guys simply did not sign. Game-used items were tricky to get but you would be shocked at what you will get by just asking nicely. Point being, it's a long grueling process and I knew of MANY people who would simply skip the trouble and sell a fraudulent item.
Balls, pucks, minor league bats, cleats and things of that nature are tough to tell what is legit and not. Most don't have pro labels that identify them as on ice apparel, unlike jerseys or major league bats that have a specific tag you can't buy in stores or the players name and team engraved on it in the case of the bat.
Selling items on the "black market", if you wanna call it that, is quite easy. I knew a guy who stole a seat from Yankees stadiums last game. It made some paper in NY and was a big deal locally there. He sold it within a week for a hefty tag, and later I heard that guy moved it for even more money to somebody overseas. So you can only imagine if it's easy to sell and trade items that are "illegal" technically, how super easy it is to sell fake items.
Considering John Doe down the street can forge a name or 2 on a ball and sell it as legit for $50-100, you could only imagine a huge corporation or team wouldn't think twice about doing the same. They assume less risk (less likely to get caught as they are the valued source authenticating it) and total profit (guy on street will sell cheaper than normal item would sell for to ensure movement of fake item, pro team/corp wouldn't need to do so because of their reputation).
It's a strange and crazy market, the authentication process is a total joke that literally is as scientific as an "expert", aka former autograph seller, looking at the item, comparing it to a photo of another item "believed to be legit" and then saying yes or no if that item is authentic. That's it. No DNA samples, no hand writing experts... just a guy, his photo album and his mind. I have seen COUNTLESS items be authenticated that I watched another guy personally forge 10 minutes prior in his car. They have big events that charge people money for an athletes autograph, followed by a PSA/DNA (one of the leading authentication firms in the world) certification after for around $5 more per item. It was common knowledge in the autograph industry and quick and easy way to get a legit cert with zero risk was to pay for 1 item to be signed, but bring items forged in a bag. The certification booth is usually a distance away from the actual signing, and it was simply to pass off the forged items with the 1 legit and get authentication on the spot for $5 an item.
It was things like this that got me out of it, that and you can only get blown off long enough before you realize it's time to stop. I would HIGHLY suggest if you ever purchase a autograph or game-used item from anywhere you do a lot of research before dropping the type of money some of these items go for. No matter how safe you feel, realize half the items you see even on MLB/NHL/NFL/NBA auctions are sold to that company by some kid camping out at a teams hotel or practice. Nothing is a sure bet, unless you get it signed or given to you yourself by the player himself. Don't be afraid to ask, the equipment is free to them and just like any human being, they want that satisfaction of making someone else happy normally. Giving away something that cost them nothing and will mean everything to that person isn't something a player usually says no to.
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