Tonight Mimi Jung of King 5 News in Seattle, Washington broadcast a video report on investigations by the FBI into sports memorabilia fraud, with a focus on autograph forgeries. [Read more…]
Lawsuits And Controversy Over Autographed Memorabilia With Doctored Celebrity Signing Photos
A story which has been playing out in the mainstream media recently involves multiple lawsuits and controversy with regards to autographed memorabilia, including doctored photos altered to include images of items that are completely fictional in the context of the original photos, with instruments and other material added to unrelated photos. [Read more…]
Flashback: Operation Bullpen
I thought it might be interesting for readers to reflect back on governmental efforts in the U.S. circa 2000 to address the issue of counterfeit sports and entertainment memorabilia, which was part of a three-year investigation.
While this investigation was predominantly focused on sports memorabilia and autographs, there are some obvious parallels with the hobby of collecting original props and wardrobe, particularly the employment of certificates of authenticity and consumers’ reliance on these documents.
What follows is a press release from the United States Department of Justice (see usdoj.gov website): [Read more…]