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Reprint

The FBI reports that 70% of all autographed sports memorabilia is fake. That is an astounding number. The best way to make sure your autograph is authentic is to have the athlete sign it for you but we know how hard that is to do. The next best thing is to have a reputable company authenticate it for you. I emphasize the word reputable. I am going to discuss the one that I feel is one of the best.

Upper Deck started it's authentication process in 1992 to give collectors confidence that the sports memorabilia they were purchasing was authentic instead of one of the many forgories. Upper Deck has developed a patented five step authentication process that I will now discuss.

1. Every autograph is witnessed by an Upper Deck repersentive
2. A document of the autograph session is signed by both the Upper Deck representative and the athlete then stored in a permanent file.

3. An Upper Deck hologram with a serial number is then secured to the signed sports memorabilia.

4. A certificate of authenticity with a matching hologram is then assigned to each piece of signed memorabilia.

5. Each piece along with the certificate of authenticity is packaged with a registration card. The owner can then register the item with Upper Deck and be logged into the permanent file. If the item changes hands, the new owner has a complete history of the item.

I feel that Upper Deck's five step authentication process is one of the best ways to be sure that your autographed sports memorabilia is authentic.