Dan Marino Autograph help.... | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Dan Marino Autograph help....

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RealDriscoll

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Moderators if you could please leave this thread open for a day as a favor I would greatly appreciate it. My cousin purchased a Dan Marino Autographed Mini-Helmet. He paid 80$ for the helmet from a buy who has a 99.2% approval rating with 500 items sold. I compared the signature to my Full Size helmet, my Marino Jersey, my signed photomint and a various of auto's on the net.There are a few small differences such as the M is looped rather than straight and the Dan look mixed up. This was for a private dealer so Marino could have rushed rather than taking the time as he would for mounted memories. The seller sent an exact proof picture with the autograph. If you have time and want to compare for me, PM me your email address so I can send the photo's. I have two photo's of the autograph and one of the exact proof pic. I appreciate this. I tried to attach the photo's. I hope it worked. Thanks
 
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Looks fake to me, the dan is way to messed up for me to believe it's real. I also have an autographed helmet along with a jersey and about 4 other items signed and none look anything like this and all look similar to each other. Usually someone that signs as often as he does,signs thier name about the same every time no matter how rushed they are. Sorry bro but it looks fake to me. Always buy from Mounted Memories or Upper Deck if you want to make sure it's legit,while ebay may be cheap something like that you want to make sure it's legit if your going to collect it.
 
This is not the 1st time this issue has been addressed. If memory serves me correctly, about a year or two ago, someone purchased a Dan Marino autograughed something or other, and it was eerily reminiscent of what you are questioning (the signature). I want to say the guy was on ebay and through some research it was found out that he was in fact forging the signature. Unfortunately I believe he had several different accounts and he was able to jump around and dupe unknowing victims. Hope your aren't dealing with the same creep! Good luck!
 
If you can give us the ebay link to the seller we could check out his past autographs and see if thier fake also. Might help determine if this one is truely fake.
 
Thanks for all you're help with this guys. I personally buy from Mounted Memories and while you pay a little more you know you are getting real merchandise. Check out the link and let me know what you think
 
Ok check these out from Mounted Memories so you know they are legit plus i've compared it to my own which are straight from Upper Deck.

http://www.danmarino.com/ProductDisplay.aspx?pfid=33-11082&index=0

http://www.danmarino.com/ProductDisplay.aspx?pfid=33-38145&index=0

Other then Dan being totally messed up and the looped M, what i find wierd about this guy is that none of his autographs are close up and he uses the same picture, not unique photos of the item your getting. He does seem to have one legit one that is auto'd certified byPSA which is one of the bigger brands out there. Onto the actual auto now, the arch of the M seems almost like a U rather then the sharp V like shape he usually puts on them. Also something catches me about the a after the M in Marino. It seems too close to the M then his other autos. Another thing i just saw was the 3. I'll look at his other autos when i get home to see if his other items look fake also.
 
I worked for Mounted Memories for almost 5 years and have seen more Dan Marino autographs that I can count plus own a couple.... I have NEVER seen one like that. Sorry man. Like you said, he was either in a terrible rush, or its just flat out fake. Like one of the other posters on here said, Mounted may be a little more expensive, but at least you know its real. I still hook up over there if you ever want something 100% real....
 
I am basically going to give you the same advice you see here.

1. Always buy from a reputable dealer

2. Know that Marino is one of the most faked autographs out there.

3. Always look for either an Upper Deck, PSA/DNA, or Marino hologram.

4. If you want to cover yourself do this:

Ask the seller if he will guarantee it authentic and that it will pass a PSA/DNA test

Then send it to PSA to get the signature autheticated. They are the leaders in the industry and the recognized experts. It will cost you a few bucks, but worth it.

If it passes they will put their own stickers on it and you are set forever. If it does not pass their insepection then you can go back to the guarantee from the buyer and either get your money back, or file a complaint with Ebay. PSA also has a "quick opinion" program where they will look at a picture of the signature and tell you if they think it is real or not. Small fee involved.

In the end I think it is important for everyone to know that when you buy on EBay you are taking a risk. That risk goes down when you look for holograms and certifications from reputable dealers like Mounted Memories, Upper Deck, PSA, etc. If you buy from someone who gives their own "Certificate of Authenticity" then it is real worthless as anyone can make those up. We all like to find good buys on memorabilia but if you want to know you have real stuff, then spend the extra money on the certifed items. Also remember that the ultimate value is in the eyes of the owner. If you believe an item is real and you are happy, then that is cool.

My final opinion on this specific autograph is that it is a bad real autograph. Meaning, that the player didn't do a good job of signing it. The pen strokes, lines etc. look like Marino's, but it looks like he crammed it into a small area and maybe this was later in the signing when he was tired and just wanted to get done. The result is a bad signature. I caution it could also be a fake and that is why it is bad. Just my thoughts.
 
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The truth is you may not be able to tell if its real or if its fake. I met Dan at a charity event and got him to sign a hat and my wife asked him to sign a picture. The hat has his signiture on it perfect while the picture looks like scribble. I watched him sign both so I know they both are real. Another thing is an autograph on a mini helmet. Think of how hard it would be to sign a mini helmet as you would a peice of paper.

With that said, there are many phonies out there. If it were me I would choose to believe its real because who could really prove otherwise? I personally am an autograph collector who would not dream of selling them so if I did my due dilligence and I believe its real then that is all that matters. I personally buy from UDA or MM so I know they are real but in some cases you cannot go that route.
 
Is anyone really going to look at it and say that's not Dan's signature, I mean I know you probably paid some good $ for it but you could have signed it yourself and nobody would have known - Unless you plan on selling it in a 100 years when it may be worth some $.
 
My cousin graduated from middle school and bought it with money he had earned. I actually just bought him a Full-Size Marino from Mounted Memories. He is a die-hard fan like me and for a wedding gift his family took care of me. I appreciate all you're feedback and appreciate the help. Does anyone know any good local Miami dealers for current players?
 
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