Inaugural James Spence Authentication and Beckett Grading Open House

Beckett Grading had their first BGS/JSA seminar on January 31st, 2009 which was held at the Beckett headquarters in Dallas, TX.

This was the first live event of this type held in our building. While he had high hopes, we really didn't know what to expect.

We knew we had a great lineup of seminars and with James Spence and his staff on hand, the day was to be jam-packed with great hobby information. There could not have been a better venue than our stadium seating movie theatre.

The first seminar of the day was all about BGS grading and how modern cards are graded. Senior Grader Dave Poole walked us through the BGS process with some great visual examples shown larger than life on the Beckett movie screen. The audience asked some fantastic questions that Dave and other Senior Graders answered.

A “Quiz” was given at the end of the seminar and some great prizes were awarded.

I presented the second seminar about BVG and the vintage card grading process. We discussed detecting counterfeits and spotting the different types of alterations that are plaguing the hobby.

After a lunch break that gave the BGS staff a quick break and customers a chance to get their card and autograph submissions together, the third seminar was about the grading and acquisition of autographs.

The final seminar was presented by James Spence. James talked about his background and some of his experiences in our hobby. He showed us a sample of his Mantle exemplars and talked about some of the common clubhouse signatures and outright fakes.

At the end of the day, when all submissions were returned and all the autographs had been authenticated, BGS and Donruss/Playoff held a free drawing for some awesome prizes donated by Donruss/Playoff.

There were 1/1 autographs and some sweet wax boxes that were given out.

The Beckett Collectibles Roadshow crew was on hand to assist customers with the selling of their items and discuss values and selling options.

Members of JSA, BGS, and Donruss/Playoff were on hand throughout the day to answer questions or just talk shop.

BGS customer service Joe Clemons said

“The first BGS/JSA open house can only be categorized as a success. Each attendee that was asked said they would come to similar presentations in the future, which has led us to begin planning another open house for later this year. We at BGS and JSA want to do what we can to make collectors feel comfortable about entrusting us with their valuable belongings, and will continue to offer these opportunities to come in and meet the individuals that will be working directly with their items. We want to thank everyone who attended the first BGS/JSA open house, and hope to see everyone again later this year.”

For more information on upcoming BGS/JSA events, or if you have suggestions for the next one please contact Beckett Grading Services at (972) 448-9188 or email us at grading@beckett.com.

We want to provide even more hands-on events and seminars where we can share the knowledge so this is your chance, collectors and dealers. Tell us what you would love to see take place at the next BGS/JSA seminar. What would it take to get you to come out and spend the day at Beckett? Tell us!

- Andy Broome, BGS Grading

Have a Question?

Q: I have some note cards that I had signed while I was at a Portland Trail Blazers game a few weeks ago with my son. I was able to get Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Fernandez to sign the cards for me. I want to get these authenticated and encased by Beckett and James Spence so I can sell them. I also have some cards I need to send to Beckett to be graded. Can I send all the signed pieces in with my graded card order?

A: Sounds like you were able to grab some very nice signatures! We hope we are able to help you out with them! Although we are not opposed to sending all your cards in together, we highly recommend sending your Beckett Grading submissions to us here in Dallas and sending the items you need authenticated and encased by Beckett, directly to James Spence in New Jersey. The BGS/JSA submission form can be found at www.beckett.com/jsa and this form contains the address to send those uncertified signed pieces to.

If you would rather send all your pieces to Dallas, we will be happy to send them to JSA for you although, this might delay your turnaround time. If you do decide to send all your items to us here in Dallas, please make sure you separate your Beckett Grading order from the pieces you need to have authenticated from James Spence. You will be required to pay the return shipping and insurance fees on your Beckett order and on your BGS/JSA order as the items will not be shipped back together.

As always, keep sending the cards you simply need graded directly to us here in Dallas. You can find information about our services, including a submission form, at www.beckett.com/grading. If the item has a certified signature (one that came from the pack/set signed directly from the manufacturer), you can send those directly to us in Dallas. They do not need to be authenticated by Spence unless you just want them to be.