Mint Musings: Catching up with PSA’s Steve Grad – Grading and autograph authentication have become two big staples of the memorabilia industry. One of the leaders on both accounts is Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). PSA’s lead authenticator, Steve Grad, known to many for his appearances on “Pawn Stars”, was kind enough to answer some questions about his experiences in the authentication business. The following interview was conducted via email.
KS: How did you originally get into the autograph authentication business?
SG: I’ve always been around autographs, from a very early age (8), I was lured to the history of collecting. It’s always been part of me and I feel it’s in my blood. Towards the end of 2001, while working for Mastro Auctions I was approached by PSA about working for the company as an authenticator. On March 1, 2002 I was working for PSA/DNA as a senior authenticator and the rest is history!
KS: For our readers who may not know, how do you go about making a determination of whether an autograph is authentic or not?
SG: Typically an autograph will speak to me, and there are plenty of tells when you first view a signature. I also have a database of 150,000+ signatures that I can compare the example to and I also have two senior authenticators on staff who I can bounce items off when needed.
KS: Both card grading and autograph authentication services have become two big business enterprises in the sports memorabilia world. Has it surprised you at all just how much both services get utilized?
SG: It’s quite shocking and surprising, I can remember in the late 1980s setting up at baseball cards shows with my cards, priced according to the Beckett price guide. Once grading started, it really changed the game in terms of cards and that’s when I moved on from cards. When I started at PSA in 2002, the autograph authentication part of the business was pretty small and just getting started. Now it’s a multi- million dollar business and I’ very proud to be part of it.
KS: If you had to hazard a guess, how many autograph submissions do you think PSA receives in a year?
SG: Difficult to say and I don’t really know.
KS: What is the coolest item ruled authentic that you have ever personally seen?
SG: Recently I authenticated the first Rules of Baseball by Doc Adams and to be auctioned by SCP Auctions 
in Dana Point, CA. It’s probably one of the most significant pieces of baseball history I’ve ever seen and one of the most important. There is no question it belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
KS: On the flip side, what’s the coolest or strangest item you’ve received in that was ruled a fake? How much of a bummer was it since it wasn’t real?
SG: While I can’t specifically say who submitted the item, we had a Babe Ruth signed bat submitted last summer. The bat had plenty of hype surrounding it. We were unable to verify the signature as authentic and it was disappointing to the submitter. We regularly receive items like that or along those lines. It’s part of the job.
KS: What is a piece that you are hoping to eventually see come in for authentication?
SG: I’m waiting for the day when a baseball signed by Abraham Lincoln comes in! Honestly, I’ve seen about everything there is to see. I enjoy seeing rare items. B&W HOF plaque signed by Eddie Collins or Grover Cleveland Alexander, Herman Hill signed rookie card, a signed baseball bearing the signature of 19th Century Hall of Fame players. I like the rare stuff, those type of pieces excite me.
KS: Every year, PSA releases their most dangerous autographs list, that being the autographs that are deemed to be forged the most. As it stands today, which autograph would you say gets forged the most?
SG: There is no question that Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth are at the top of that list. With the Operation Bullpen (FBI investigation) items still floating around making their way through people’s collections and all the horrendously bad forged signatures of Mantle that are still making their way throughout the hobby we see a fair share of signatures submitted for authentication. Ruth, who demands a high price on any item is also a big target for forgers.
KS: One of the biggest concerns in the sports memorabilia world is forgeries. Would you say the trend of forgery has gotten better or worse in the past 10 years?
SG: There are good forgers and there are bad ones. The good ones will always find a way but they tend to get sloppy at times and finding items signed by them are easy to discern. The bad forgers, they are just bad. You should easily be able to spot their work, especially in on-line auctions. Look for $110 Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio signed pieces and you will spot their work and how bad it is.
KS: Something else that has been a bit of a trend is the seemingly large amount of illegible signatures by today’s athletes. What is your overall opinion of the quality of today’s generation of autographs?
SG: It’s a real shame to be honest and it’s a trend that isn’t stopping. I think the players of the past took great pride in their signatures. Look at how Harmon Killebrew, Otto Graham, Wilt Chamberlain, Bobby Hull signed their names. Now compare that to today’s contemporary players that scribble on your items. I think these guys should be ashamed of themselves. I understand the demand, people wait outside their hotels, spring training, airports, their houses. It’s a natural reaction when so many items are shoved in your face. One thing is for sure, players don’t have much pride when they sign their names.
KS: Could you ever see it going back to the way it used to be when most athletes seemed to sign fully readable signatures?
SG: Never!!!!!!
KS: Do you collect yourself? If so, what do you like to add to your collection?
SG: I have collected all my life. Currently I have several things I focus on as I learned many years you can’t collect everything. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, autographs from my favorite TV shows, movies and actors like The Blues Brothers, Sons of Anarchy, Game of Thrones, The Big Lebowski. I also collect signed sports 11×14’s from my favorite athletes, including the White Sox and Chicago Bears.
KS: Is there one item above anything else that you would like to have?
SG: I don’t give that a lot of thought but it has to do with Star Wars. I would say a signed Darth Vader figure or photo by Sebastian Shaw (unmasked Darth Vader), or a signed Return of the Jedi poster by Alec Guinness.
KS: I couldn’t help but notice that you offer autographed photos of yourself to fans. How surreal has it been 
authenticating autographs for a living while knowing fans want your autograph as well?
SG: That’s something that is strange to me. In 1995-96 I was on a radio show in Chicago and I signed plenty of autographs for fans. Any time I would make an appearance I would wind up signing hundreds of autographs. Since I started on Pawn Stars over three years ago I’ve made some appearances at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, and I have received a handful of requests to sign items via the mail. I consider it an honor, it’s not worth anything but if someone wants one, I’m glad to oblige.
KS: You’ve gained an amount of notoriety for appearing as an autograph expert on the show “Pawn Stars.” How did your involvement with the show begin?
SG: It started in early 2013 with a phone call to Left Field Pictures, which produces the show. They had dismissed their other autograph person and they needed someone. Rick Harrison, who was familiar with PSA and me before the show, wanted me. We were able to work things out pretty quickly and the rest is history. As of March 2016, I’ve filmed 86 scenes and because I have lost count about 56 have aired on the History Channel.
KS: How has being on the show affected you both professionally and personally?
SG: Professionally it’s given PSA/DNA even more credibility. People from outside the hobby have discovered our company and are now becoming customers. Personally, it’s a little strange being out shopping with my wife at Target and being recognized, or talking about episodes of Pawn Stars with Football Hall of Famer Dan Hampton and baseball great Don Mattingly. I think being recognized is the strangest thing, and I take it all gracefully. It’s very nice and I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.
KS: I’ll get you out of here on this question. What advice would you give to people to avoid buying fake autographs, especially if they don’t have a letter of authenticity from a company such as PSA or one of the trading card companies?
SG: Pretty easy, if it’s too good to be true then it is. Stay away.
Kelsey’s ability to bring hobby coverage to the mainstream sports fan as the producer of ESPN’s Mint Condition has been a true asset. GTS is happy to feature his thoughts on the hobby in Mint Musings. The opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.
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