This category punishes one habit above all: saying more than you can show.
Writing "authentic" or "guaranteed genuine"
About a signature you did not watch being signed, it is a guarantee you cannot support. "Unverified, sold as seen, priced accordingly" sells, and it keeps your name clean.
Blending condition and provenance
"Excellent condition, authentic signature" smuggles a claim about origin inside a claim about appearance. Two sentences, always. Describing memorabilia.
Calling a replica match-worn
The biggest price difference in the category and the most serious misdescription in it. If you cannot establish which you have, the word is replica or unverified.
Treating a certificate as proof
It is a statement by somebody. Show the issuer's name, because that is what it is worth.
Framing before selling
It adds glass to the journey and takes the choice away from the buyer. Sell it unframed, or offer collection.
Washing a match-worn shirt
It removes part of what makes it what it is, and if it has been done it must be declared.
Storing signed items in the light
Ink fades, sunlight does it fastest, and a faded signature is a condition fact you will have to write down.
The one that costs most
Not saying which rung you are on. Present at the signing, obtained at an event, a named certificate, a previous owner's word, or unverified — none of those is shameful. Vagueness about which is.
Questions people ask
Can I say "looks genuine to me"?
Yes. It is plainly an opinion, and opinions are fine.
Does a stain lower a match-worn shirt?
Often it raises it. Describe it.
Is an unidentified signature worth listing?
Yes, as unidentified.
More: selling memorabilia, what it is worth.