What I mean by authentication is what company the autograph is from. For example: Wayne Gretzky autographs typically have a Gretzky WGA (Wayne Gretzky Authentication) certificate/sticker for older autographs OR a UDA (Upper Deck Authenticated) certificate/sticker for newer autographs since he owns/owned his own autograph/memorabilia company and doesn't deal with other companies. Only other chance of getting a Wayne auto is in person I guess.
If you want Oilers then an excellent authentic company is Pro Am Sports out of Edmonton. They bring in Oilers to the store all the time (sometimes you can get autographs in person too) their website will have tons of Hall, Eberle, Nuge etc stuff. Recently they had Doug Weight in and Mark Messier. All their autographs come with their Pro Am holographic sticker. Check out their site, lots of stuff.
Many athletes sign on with a single autograph company. Sidney Crosby is with Frameworth, Mcdavid is with AJ Sports. If you buy a Crosby or Mcdavid autograph with a certificate from a different company then chances are they are fakes unless they were obtained in person by that seller.
Interesting fact is that when the Oilers had their season seat holders autograph session at rexall a couple months ago, after the event everyone was talking about how McDavid changed his autograph... That wasn't the case at all. Athletes that are signed on with a company (Mcdavid with AJ Sports) have their nice, common autograph reserved for that company but when they sign autographs on the side of the road, at Oiler events or just to some random person that athlete often has a different autograph. Nugent Hopkins does this too. He has a nice autograph with Pro Am Sports and then a different one for non Pro Am Sports events.
If you want legit hockey autographs then there are a few Juggernaut hockey autograph companies that will never steer you wrong (other than lowering your bank account). These companies are:
Frozen Pond, Frameworth, Fanatics, Steiner Sports, AJ Sports or UDA. You buy an autograph with these authentications and anyone who knows anything about autographs will notice that you have a quality autograph. These companies all have websites too and are constantly having signings where you can send in your item to them (or go in person).
Oilers website obviously sells legit stuff and also check out NHL auctions which is the official auction of the NHL. If you go on there you will be able to see lots of the stuff for auction and a list of all the different companies the NHL allows to sell on their website (the ones I mentioned above are all on there). You can also see official team auctions like how you mentioned the Oilers auction. The Oiler auction and any other team's auction will be on there. Lots of cool auctions from teams like meet n greets, press box passes, game used stuff and autographs. There usually isn't much notice before an Oiler auction comes up so just keep your eyes peeled on the Oiler site and on NHL auctions.
There's also the EBay route which as we all know has its risks especially with random sellers on there making their own certificate of authenticity (COA), anyone with a computer can make one and doesn't mean the autograph is real. Of course there is real stuff on there too. Go on there an type in Sidney Crosby Frameworth signed jersey and they will pop up with the Frameworth hologram and a letter/COA. Only other time you could roll the dice on an EBay item is if the item for sale has a picture of the athlete actually signing the stick. When I collect autographs, I personally always take pictures of the athlete signing the item because even though I don't sell mine, I still like the proof. Be aware of random "companies" on there like Zippy's autographs (I made up this name) who could be selling a Sidney Crosby signed jersey for $50, might sound obvious but don't buy it. Many people will think oh boy great deal and go for it.
Another option is autographs with PSA or JSA certificates. What these companies do is authenticate your already signed item. Say I met Mcdavid at West Edmonton Mall and got him to sign my shoe. For a fee I could send that shoe into PSA or JSA (I prefer PSA) and they will authenticate it. Well hopefully they authenticate it since I got it signed in person. The risk here is that they might call real signatures fake and then fake signatures real ones. But for the most part these 2 companies have great reputations and their items have strong value. These companies also include a number with that item so if take that PSA signed item, look at the number on it and then type it in on PSA's website and then the site will tell you exactly what item you have. Prevents people from selling fakes. There is also "PSA in the presence" and "JSA witnessed" this is when the company is actually at the event (often at sports memorabilia shows) and actually see the item get signed with their own eyes. Obviously this is more preferred than a normal PSA or JSA item.
If you come across a company called Global Authentics then I please advise you to avoid them. Lots of people will be mad at me for saying this but for the last bunch of years their stuff has been counterfeited by random people and since Global doesn't keep a record of their stuff, it's impossible to know what's real or not. If you are on EBay you will see their stuff is often very cheap.
I have been collecting sports memorabilia from all sports since I was very young and know what it's like to get into this kind of thing. If you have any other questions or if you want my opinion on whether or not an autograph is authentic/real or if you want to know if I have heard of an autograph company then just PM me! Hope my post helps!
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