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Authenticity Policy PDF Print E-mail
Written by Ron Porreca - SteelCityMemorabilia.com Administrator   
Monday, 08 September 2008 07:05
At Steel City Memorabilia, we only buy and sell sports memorabilia that has been properly authenticated by a third-party or from the most trusted and reputable dealers. At this time, we do not sponsor any player signings. However, we do attend many of the player signings and appearances that we advertise on this site. If we sell items from our collection (this will be noted in the item description), the item has come from a local player appearance and has been signed for us by the athlete. When selling other memorabilia, items will include authenticity certifications made by the original dealer and/or a third-party authenticator (Upper Deck Authenticated or PSA/DNA for example).

We understand that the sports memorabilia market is open to counterfeiting. If there is ever a doubt as to authenticity of an item we sell, we strongly encourage that you use a third-party verification service or at the very least compare the autograph on our item to that known to truly come from the athlete or celebrity. PSA/DNA offers an excellent service where they place known photos of autographs online so that you can compare an item to a known authentic autograph. The PSA/DNA service is called "Real! Autographs Online" and has a very affordable monthly rate. $5.95 per month is a small price to pay for the piece of mind you will have knowing that your newly purchased keepsake is genuine. If you still have doubt, you can also send any item in to have PSA/DNA provide you with a certificate of authenticity. We encourage all of our customers to use this service as it will only increase the value of your collectible.

Lastly, following some of these guidelines will help you from being scammed in the memorabilia market. Doing so will help you truly enjoy this exciting and rewarding hobby.
  • If you do not trust the company you are buying memorabilia from, whether it is us or any other company, please do not purchase the item. We do not need to make sales to stay in business, and will not sacrifice our reputation just to make a sale. We do want and enjoy to helping our customers obtain authentic and valuable pieces of memorabilia for their collections.
  • For our protection, we do not accept returns on autographed memorabilia that has been opened. Just as there are dishonest sellers in the marketplace, we have seen our share of dishonest buyers as well. Some have gone as far as to attempt to "switch out" known authentic items with counterfeits in attempt to return the item for a complete refund. This is an act we will never tolerate!
  • Get second and even third opinions from experts before making a decision. This is especially true for very valuable items. 
  • Watch out for auctions that are "Too good to be true!" This is simply because usually they are just that. Many auction sites have been very good about making sure that all of the items in their memorabilia sections are authentic. eBay has banned certain dealers and has teamed up with PSA/DNA to offer an opinion service that can be used before you bid. Still many counterfeit items change hands on auction sites.
  • Do your homework. You would not purchase a car without reading reviews and test driving the vehicle. So, why would you spend your hard earned money without being sure that the item you are buying is authentic? Use the internet to research the item you are buying. Look for known authentic examples of autographs and compare them to the item you are interested in (see my link to PSA/DNA's service for this). Look at official web sites for the player/celebrity, many times they have examples of known authentic autographs for people.
  • Many people utter the phrase "Buyer Beware" when dealing with memorabilia, but I would rather say, "Buyer be aware!" being aware of what to look for (and what not to look for) in autographed items will go a long way to making this past-time a positive experience.
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