Contents of this article
- 1. How to check the Beckett identification number?
How to check the Beckett identification number
Signature Certification Authority Profile: Beckett
In the process of collecting signatures, a question often asked by collectors is "How do I send my signature collection for certification?" I also promised many friends at the beginning to write a post to answer everyone’s doubts. Today we will take a look at the three most famous and reliable certification agencies in the world.
Before the formal introduction, let me explain two issues.
First, why are these three the most authoritative?
The answer is: determined by the market, especially the judgment given by the American market, which has a highly developed collection field. This is just like if you ask which brands are high-end luxury brands, I think most people’s answers will be Hermès, LV, Gucci, Chanel, etc.
If we are not experienced players, we may not be able to tell why they are so good, or why they are better than other brands, but this impression is in our minds. This is the impression the brand leaves on the market.
Similarly, in the field of signature appraisal, player collectors in the market have gradually formed an understanding and perception of some brands through years of use and experience. Some brands are reliable and some are unreliable.
Among them, the three we mentioned today are the institutions recognized by the largest number of people.
(Picture source: Autograph Live, an American professional autograph collection exchange forum)
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(Picture source: A domestic trading website)
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(Picture source: A well-known domestic post bar)
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Second, one point that needs to be emphasized is:
For our introduction this time, we have not had any relevant communication with any of these three companies in advance, and we currently do not have any official cooperation with these three companies. Therefore, we try our best to stand from an objective and fair perspective, with the mentality of an ordinary player, and do not brag or be slanderous, to give a brief introduction to the special features of the three institutions, aiming to provide a summary guide for players who are just getting started.
At the same time, due to space limitations, as well as limitations in knowledge and experience, this introduction only contains part of the content of several companies and cannot be fully expanded. I also hope that more masters will be willing to give me some advice in the future and give a more detailed introduction to specific sections and content.
Beckett Media, LLC
Beckett Company was founded in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA in 1984 by James Beckett (formerly a professor of statistics). The company is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA.
The company's main business is star card rating, signature authenticity certification, and information services in related fields. In January 2005, Beckett sold the company to Apprise Media.
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B's most familiar businesses in the Chinese market are two: BAS (Beckett Authentication Service) and BGS (Beckett Grading Service), which are signature authentication services and star card scoring services respectively.
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Let’s talk about BAS first:
This service requires collectors to send their collections to BAS, which will be certified and reviewed by them. After passing the Beckett certificate (LOA, Letter of Authentication) or card (COA, Certificate of Authentication) with a unique number, and an anti-counterfeiting Label (can be attached to collection or certificate).
At the same time, through Beckett’s official website, you can check the number to verify its authenticity. If the signature fails, there will be no certificate, just a letter telling you that the signature failed.
The only difference between COA and LOA is the fee, which is equivalent to the basic version and the flagship version. Other functions are the same.
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For collectors who want to be certified by Beckett, they need to download the application form from Beckett's official website, fill it out, and mail it to Beckett for review together with their collection.
There are three types of audit results: pass, fail and unable to determine. Regardless of whether you pass the certification or fail to pass the certification, you will be charged as usual. However, if the conclusion is undecidable, no charge will be made.
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Certification fees vary according to different idols:
The specific price can be checked on the Beckett official website by entering the name of the idol you wish to be certified.
The certification fee for sports stars generally ranges from 20 to 100 US dollars per signature certification. The most expensive certification fees should be for basketball gods Michael Jordan and James Lao, with each signature certification fee reaching 100 US dollars.
In the field of football, Messi’s certification fee is US$50, Cristiano Ronaldo’s is US$35, and Beckham’s is US$35. Of course, there are thousands of celebrities in the world, and it is impossible for any certification agency to certify them all. The specific situation still needs to be considered by checking the official website.
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Due to the huge demand for signature authentication in the market, the entire Beckett review work is now in a very saturated state. For the ordinary 20-day certification service, it basically takes 30-40 days from when Beckett receives the collection to when it is sent out.
So if you want to get certified, you need to send it as soon as possible. Finally, a screenshot of the certification application form is attached for everyone to have a closer look.
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Finally, I would like to remind you that the certification of Beckett (and other certification agencies as well) is only for the signature itself, and does not care about the authenticity of the carrier.
Currently on the market (mainly eBay, but also a small amount in China), there are many fake jerseys used to find players' signatures and then send them to Beckett for certification. After getting the Beckett certification, you can start selling online. Since these signed jerseys carry the official certificate of the B family, it is easy to confuse novice users and mistakenly think that the jerseys and signatures are genuine.
Of course, the possibility of some unscrupulous merchants forging Beckett certificates cannot be ruled out. Regarding this issue, we will also seek confirmation from Beckett. If we have the latest news, we will inform you again. You are welcome to stay tuned.
Next, let’s briefly talk about BGS:
BGS is mainly aimed at scoring services for trading cards.
Similar to BAS, collectors need to send their star cards to Beckett for them to judge. You can score the card product, you can score the signature (signature card), or you can score both the card product and the signature at the same time. It is up to the applicant to choose.
Since all star cards are sold after being authorized by an authoritative brokerage company, there are basically no fake signatures (leaving aside the skybox case for now), so BGS’s service focuses on “quality” rather than “authenticity”.
After the scoring is completed, BGS will give a certain score based on the final results.
The general score is divided into total score (comprehensive score), surface (whether it is flat and has incorrect indentations), center (whether the printing is complete and aligned with the frame), four sides (whether there is whitening and trimming), and four corners (whether there are obtuse angles) ), and the signature (whether it is clear and complete).
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This is the preliminary introduction to Beckett Media, LLC. The editor of the remaining two certification agencies PSA/DNA and JSA will also introduce them to you one by one in the next two articles. Please continue to pay attention.
The above is all about the reliability of the Beckett certificate, how to check the Beckett identification number, and the related content of Beckett. I hope it can help you.