loa/coa

[Samets]

Those papers help when dealing with a novice/non-collector...

[Mulligans]

Photo matches are GREAT....until you buy a FORGED Photo-match.....I think that there are way more out there than collectors realize and you really need to be "insanely" careful.....A good Match from a Good source is a Great thing!

[64SHEA]

Any item that's a collectible there is a chance it is fake so I think while you can never really be %100 sure an loa/coa (from a reputable company) adds evidence that the item is what the seller says it is. I have always felt that I have a limited amount of money I can spend collecting so I would rather buy something with an loa a feel more confident that it isn't fake then to buy something and every time I look at it in my head I question it authenticity. I would compare a loa to money. Its a worthless piece of paper but for the organization that backs it.

[rogergoochman]

Id also like to add random companys that I have never heard of or find anything on the web about them. There COA/LOA is garbage to me.

[sox83cubs84]

From what I can see, the LOA/COA/LOO tends to mean more with novices, big dollar/little knowledge buyers, and collectors spooked by all the inflated talk from supposed law enforcement experts about the number of fakes in the hobby. That isn't to say that veteran, and even knowledgeable collectors don't appreciate LOAs...I've dealt with many that do. However,many veteran and niche collectors often would prefer to research items themselves. Also, there are certain niche collectors of specific players and/or teams that likely know more about their field than any third-party authenticator, be it MEARS, Lampson or myself.

Dave Miedema

[arjos]

people or companies shouldn't authenticate and then issue their own COA. it is a conflict of interest. No company I know of allows you to inspect your own work.Besides the fact that You have to disprove their so called experts if something is wrong. Good luck with that.

[momen55]

well here. a guy is issued 1 each home and road. you have a roster with who wore what number. the season ends and the team sells the jerseys. typically, the team doesn't issue such loa/coa.
if you know who wore the jersey, why would you question it and or request a letter?