Helping you keep the fakes out of your collection.
 
Helping you keep the fakes of your collection Many of you are now well aware of the number of fakes and forgers there are on eBay and other internet auction sites. Many of these so called ‘dealers’would not know a real autograph if it was signed in front of them. In most cases they are simply ‘creating’ the signatures themselves on photos, football shirts etc they have purchased from The Movie Market or their local sports shop! 
 
Some of these ‘dealers’ have recently found themselves on the wrong side of the law, and others are soon to be seen in court cases around the country. Many of these ‘dealers’ sell their wares on the internet, as selling them in a public place such as Autographica exposes them to too many experts and prying eyes.  Does the internet dealer you buy from attend shows like Autographica?
  
We have created our own list of dealers who are effectively banned from Autographica, and over the years this list has got longer and longer! And because of our policy of vetting all dealers at our show, several dealers who have attended Autographica in the past will never be attending again!  
 
We are the only show in the UK to have any kind of vetting process to help prevent you from getting stung by any of these fraudsters, and we are sure it won’t be long before other show organisers have to do the same. Some other UK events are now so full of fakes, that the legitimate dealers are simply no longer attending. 
 
To ensure that the dealers attending Autographica are genuine in every respect, we firstly only accept bookings from either UACC registered Dealers (not just members), or dealers that are known to us personally. All dealers will have their stock checked by our own vetting team, and any items which we consider to be non authentic will be removed from sale, and if we should find any dealer that has too many ‘non authentic’ items they will be asked to leave the show. 
 
In addition to our own vetting team, we have also invited along the team from isitreal.com Markus Brandes and Rolf Ramsier have been known to collectors for many years as UACC registered dealers, and have recently set up isitreal.com to try and expose some of these forgers, and to educate collectors as to the safe ways to buy on eBay and other internet auctions. The isitreal.com site provides a central point for all dealers and collectors to obtain and pass on information about these crooks. The site has already had a significant impact on the fakes on eBay in Germany, and in fact you will now find that many of these forgers are now using eBay.co.uk instead to try and peddle their fakes over here!
 
Markus and Rolf will both be available all weekend at their stand to offer their advice on fakes. They will have their website running live at the show, and they will be able to show you what to look for on eBay and how to spot those forgers. If you have been buying on eBay, then do come along and speak with isitreal.com, you might be a little surprised at what you might learn! 
 
If you have purchased any items from any dealer on eBay we suugest you take a look at the isitreal.com website, as there are now many dealers who have been exposed on the site, and most of them are still trading!
 

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