Key Takeaways
• PSA/DNA authentication, along with BAS and JSA, is the oldest one of the big 3 third party authentication (TPA) companies. Unfortunately, older PSA/DNA stickers and certificates are prone to forgeries — forgers produce fake COA cards, stickers, and certification numbers that look nearly identical to legitimate PSA documentation.
• Tiger Woods autographs are the most forged in golf — experts estimate 99.9% of Tiger Woods signed golf balls in circulation are fake, with Nike balls being virtually 100% counterfeit.
• All high-value items from legitimate TPAs require Letters of Authenticity — any autograph valued above $300, including ALL Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Muhammad Ali items, should have a PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity with a photo, not just a COA card.
• Be especially wary of Tiger Woods autographs with older PSA/DNA authentication. These are the most common “authenticated” fakes I’ve seen in recent years.
• Verification is mandatory for every PSA item — always check the certification number on PSA's official database at PSAcard.com before purchasing any "authenticated" autograph. But don’t stop there.
• Every autograph I sell includes a lifetime guarantee — whether authenticated by JSA, Beckett, or another reputable company, you're protected with a Certificate of Authenticity and my personal guarantee.
PSA/DNA was the first third-party authentication company to gain significant traction in the sports memorabilia business, so they clearly did something right in those early years. As you'll see from my other blog posts, I don't hold PSA/DNA in particularly high regard — I mostly use JSA for my authentication business for reasons I'll touch on later. But I'll concede that the vast majority of legitimately PSA/DNA authenticated autographs ARE authentic.
The problem isn't authentic PSA slabs or stickers being applied to fake autographs. The problem is forgers creating entirely fake PSA documentation.
Recently, a completely different autograph scam has proliferated across eBay, and other online marketplaces. There are devious criminals out there taking advantage of PSA/DNA's own website database limitations to create and sell high-end forged autographs of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and probably many others. These counterfeiters identified old PSA/DNA certificate numbers corresponding to these athletes, forged the appropriate autographed items, and then produced fake PSA/DNA stickers and certificate of authenticity cards. When viewed on eBay, the COA cards and stickers appear legitimate, and because the numbers match the database, they probably fool 99% of prospective buyers.
The Anatomy of Fake PSA/DNA Documentation
When I first encountered these sophisticated fakes about 7 years ago, I was genuinely impressed — and alarmed — by the quality. The counterfeiters had clearly studied authentic PSA materials and were producing surprisingly accurate replicas. Forgers simply found certification numbers that existed in PSA's system, then created fake stickers and certificate of authenticity cards to “authenticate” their forgeries.
Here's what you need to know about identifying fake PSA authentication:
Fake PSA/DNA COA Cards: The Certificate of Authenticity cards that accompany PSA authenticated items are now being reproduced by forgers. The counterfeits often feature:
• Slightly incorrect PSA logo placement or sizing
• Blurry micro-text that should be sharp on genuine COAs
• PSA/DNA COA cards for high dollar autographs that require LOAs
• Certification numbers that exist in PSA's database but don’t show photos of the autograph
Fake PSA/DNA Stickers: These are the tamper-evident stickers PSA applies directly to authenticated items. Counterfeit versions typically show:
· Fuzzy or pixelated text in the certification number
· Incorrect font weight or spacing
· Stickers that peel off too easily (genuine PSA/DNA stickers are difficult to remove intact)
How to Identify Fake Old PSA Certificates
There are two critical ways to identify these fakes based on PSA's historical certificate formats:
Certificate Number Format: The PSA/DNA database numbers used by the forgers mostly start with a A, B, C, D, E or F followed by 5 digits. PSA/DNA only issued COA cards with those letters that are RECTANGULAR, NOT SQUARE. Furthermore, authentic PSA/DNA stickers starting with letters A-F are NOT OVAL, like the current ones, but RECTANGULAR WITH ROUNDED CORNERS.
CRITICAL: HIGH-VALUE ITEMS REQUIRE LETTERS OF AUTHENTICITY. Probably more importantly and more obviously, ANY autographed items valued above around $300 or so, including 100% of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali autographs, would NOT come with a PSA/DNA COA card but a PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity which would show a photo of the actual signature.
If you see a high-value autograph with just a COA card instead of a Letter of Authenticity with a photo, it's almost certainly fake. Some unfortunate buyer on eBay paid $700+ for a fake Tiger Woods autographed golf ball that had all the hallmarks of this scam.
Just today on eBay I saw a $4000 fake Tiger Woods autographed MLB baseball with an E prefix PSA/DNA sticker and cert card. As if the cert card itself wasn’t a red flag, the baseball was a Rob Manfred ball that debuted in 2015 when “E” prefix PSA/DNA stickers were discontinued around 2006.
Why Tiger Woods Autographs Are Counterfeiter Heaven
Tiger Woods is arguably the most forged athlete signature in all of golf memorabilia. The reasons are straightforward: massive demand, high values, and Tiger's extremely limited signing availability.
I've been in this business since 1997, and I can tell you without hesitation that authentic Tiger Woods signed golf balls are extraordinarily rare. Tiger stopped doing mass signings decades ago, and when he does sign in bulk, it's for official Upper Deck Authenticated products or high-dollar charity events.
Yes, Tiger signs on the golf course. Hell, I’ve gotten him in person myself over 100 times. Here’s the thing: for the past 30 years, he has refused to sign golf balls. Ever. Certainly not for fans or tournament volunteers, and probably not for anyone else who doesn’t know Tiger personally.
Yet if you search eBay or Amazon right now, you'll find hundreds of "authenticated" Tiger Woods signed golf balls, many with fake PSA/DNA stickers. Here's the brutal truth: if you see a Tiger Woods signed Nike golf ball with PSA authentication, it's almost certainly fake. Nike balls are essentially 100% forged in the Tiger Woods autograph market.
The few authentic Tiger Woods autographed golf balls in existence are either 1) Upper Deck Authenticated or 2) vintage golf balls signed prior to Tiger winning the 1997 Masters which would have his OLD signature, which differs greatly from his modern autograph.
The forgers know that buyers see that PSA sticker and assume they're protected. They're counting on you NOT knowing that in many cases, the sticker is as fake as the autograph.
How to Verify BAS, JSA or PSA/DNA Authentication
This is non-negotiable. Every single time you consider purchasing an item with third party authentication, you should verify it. Here's exactly how:
• Locate the certification number on the sticker or COA card or Letter of Authenticity
• Visit the BeckettAuthentication.com, PSAcard.com or SpenceLOA.com website and navigate to their certification verification page
• Enter the certification number exactly as it appears
• Compare the results — the database should describe the item, athlete or celebrity name(s) and sometimes a photo of the signature(s)
If the certification number doesn't exist in the database, you may be looking at a fake. If the number exists but shows a different item or athlete, you may be looking at a fake.
I verify every TPA item that comes through my hands, even though I rarely use PSA/DNA for my own authentication needs. It takes seconds and has saved me — and my customers — from purchasing counterfeits countless times.
Which TPA Should You Use?
If you ask 10 different autograph dealers about the 3 major third party authentication companies, you’ll get 10 different opinions. Some prefer one or 2 or all 3 or despise one or 2 or all 3.
None of these companies is perfect. Autograph authentication is more of an art than a science. It’s fairly common for an autograph to fail one of the companies but pass one of the other companies. It’s even not that unusual for an autograph to fail one of the companies initially, then pass the SAME company months or years later.
Generally speaking, the autograph industry considers all 3 major TPAs to be valid authentication services. But the market often values one or 2 slightly more or less than the others for certain autographs. They also offer slightly different pricing, turnaround times, and specific authentication services.
I want to be transparent about my authentication preferences. For autographed memorabilia I sell at AutographsForSale.com, I rely mostly on James Spence Authentication (JSA). Here's why:
Consistency: JSA maintains slightly more consistent authentication standards in my experience. I've seen PSA authenticate more items I consider questionable or outright bad. I find that BAS sometimes is too strict, especially with specific autographs and cards.
Familiarity: Over the years I’ve gotten to know JSA's authenticators, and I believe they have deeper expertise in specific sports and entertainment categories. When I need a signature verified, I generally trust their judgment.
Convenience: JSA has a local representative I utilize regularly without having to worry about shipping cost or risk of loss or damage.
That said, I sell items authenticated by Beckett, PSA/DNA, and many other autograph companies as well. For lower priced and lower demand autographs I provide my own authentication and COAs. The key is that every autograph comes with my personal lifetime guarantee.
Red Flags for Fake PSA/DNA Authentication
Based on handling tens of thousands of authenticated autographs since 1999, here are the warning signs I look for:
• Price too good to be true: Authentic PSA/DNA authenticated Tiger Woods items command premium prices. If someone's selling significantly below market value, ask yourself why.
• eBay sellers with numerous suspicious listings: If an eBay seller has one questionable PSA/DNA autograph listing, he probably has others. Check their completed listings too.
• Wrong certificate format for the certificate number: If you see a PSA/DNA certificate number starting with A-F but the COA card is square (not rectangular) or the sticker is oval (not rectangular with rounded corners), it's fake.
The Bigger Picture: Authentication Company Counterfeiting
While this article focuses on fake PSA/DNA materials, counterfeiters target all major authentication and autograph companies. The Mister Mancave scandal apparently involved fake authentication from all the companies mentioned already, and more.
When you purchase autographed memorabilia from AutographsForSale.com, this verification has already been done for you. Every item in my inventory comes with legitimate third-party authentication from companies I trust or my own Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. My A+ BBB rating and 30,000+ customers served since 1999 reflect my commitment to selling only authentic autographs.
What to Do If You've Been Scammed
If you've purchased an autograph with fake PSA/DNA documentation, or any fake autograph, here's what I recommend:
• Document everything: Take detailed photos of the item, COA, and hologram stickers.
• Contact the seller immediately: Request a full refund based on fake authentication.
• File disputes with the platform and/or PayPal or your credit card issuer: eBay has buyer protection policies but you can also contact your credit card issuer or PayPal.
• Report to PSA/DNA: They track counterfeit documentation and may take legal action against repeat offenders.
• Leave honest feedback: Warn other collectors about your experience.
Browse Authentic Golf Autographs with Confidence
If you're in the market for authentic golf autographs, including rare Tiger Woods signed items, I invite you to browse my collection. Every autograph comes with legitimate third-party authentication from JSA, Beckett, or another reputable company, plus my personal lifetime guarantee.
I've been authenticating and selling autographs since 1999, and I stake my reputation on every item I sell. Beware of fake authentication out there — there are who knows how many more like that $700 fake Tiger Woods ball on the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do TPAs know if an autograph is real?
I can’t emphasize this enough – no TPA is foolproof. Unless the TPA witnessed the autograph themselves, it’s still an opinion – a highly educated opinion, but an opinion nonetheless. Authenticators examine autographs using a combination of signature exemplar comparison, ink analysis, authentication history, and item evaluation. They compare the signature against known authentic examples (exemplars) from the same time period, looking at letter formation, flow, pressure points, and unique characteristics. However, this process is far from foolproof, as any human’s signature varies over the years and can look very different depending on circumstances.
How much do TPAs charge for autograph authentication?
TPA's authentication fees typically range from $20-$250 per item depending on the item's declared value and service level. Higher-value items and expedited services cost more. However, turnaround times can exceed several months during busy periods, and you'll also pay shipping costs both ways unless you attend an in-person authentication event. All 3 TPAs usually post their event schedules on their websites.
What’s the difference between authentication and autograph companies?
Third party authentication companies – the big 3 are BAS, JSA and PSA/DNA – authenticate all autographs they believe they are qualified to based on “exemplars” (known to be real autograph examples). These big 3 authentication companies also often authenticate public signings at conventions and private signings. Autograph companies such as UDA, Fanatics, PROVA, Schwartz Sports and TriStar Productions conduct their own paid signings which they witness and authenticate. They don’t authenticate any other autographs.
