What is an authentication opinion?

"Is it real?" is the question I am asked most. The honest answer is never a single word, so the opinion is a sheet that shows its working.

What the sheet contains

• Identification: the card, set, number and variant it claims to be.
• Checks performed: each test named, such as print pattern under magnification, font and text layout, stock and layering, weight, light and holo pattern. See how I check if a card is real.
• Findings: what each check showed, with photographs.
• Conclusion: consistent with genuine, not consistent with genuine, or inconclusive.
• Limitations: anything that restricted the checks, such as working from photographs or a card sealed in a slab.

Why an opinion and not a verdict

Counterfeits improve. A professional who claims certainty is claiming more than any method can deliver. What I can give you is a documented method applied carefully, and the photographs so anyone else can see what I saw. That is what a buyer, a seller or an insurer can actually evaluate. Why it is not a certificate of authenticity goes into this.

The three conclusions

"Consistent with genuine" means every check I could perform matched the reference. "Not consistent" means one or more checks failed, and the sheet says which. "Inconclusive" is a real finding, not a dodge: it means a check could not be completed, and the sheet explains why. See what happens if I cannot tell.

Who uses it

Collectors before they buy, sell or insure; buyers who want a second opinion on a listing before paying; and shops that want a documented method behind what they offer. It works in person across the Yuma area or from photographs, with that limitation stated.

Independence

I never buy the cards I authenticate, and I hold no interest in any card I evaluate. The fee is a flat fee per card, the same whatever I conclude. Photographs are kept under the retention and consent policy.