PSA/DNA’s ‘Most Dangerous Autographs’ Now Includes Mike Trout

TLos Angeles Angels star center fielder Mike Trout has been added to the latest buyer-beware list of frequently forged celebrities' autographs compiled annually by PSA/DNA Authentication Services (www.PSADNA.com).

Trout joins Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and other sports stars whose names have appeared over the years on PSA/DNA's "Most Dangerous Autographs" list (http://www.psacard.com/MostDangerousAutographs).

"Trout has been signing autographs and offering game-used items since his rookie year, although in limited quantities. It will be interesting to see how accessible he remains as his career continues. Collectors should be cautious in general, though, because there's probably less than a 50-50 chance autographs offered in the marketplace of many current and former sports and entertainment celebrities are genuine," warns Joe Orlando, president of PSA/DNA.

In 2014 PSA/DNA experts evaluated more than 400,000 autographs submitted by collectors and dealers worldwide.

"It's not uncommon for us to reject 50 percent or more of the signatures submitted to our company, especially when it comes to the more prominent names," explained PSA/DNA Principal Authenticator Steve Grad who is one of the featured experts on the popular television series, Pawn Stars.

According to PSA/DNA, the 10 "most dangerous" sports stars' autographs in 2014 are:

1) Babe Ruth
2) Lou Gehrig
3) Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio
4) Michael Jordan
5) Muhammad Ali
6) Mike Trout
7) Derek Jeter
8) Tiger Woods
9) LeBron James
10) Wayne Gretzky

"PSA/DNA does not often receive obvious forgeries for evaluation. So, if our rejection rate for a particular autograph approaches 50 percent, then you can only imagine how high the percentage of forgeries actually might be in the overall marketplace," Orlando said.

PSA/DNA has also compiled a list of "most dangerous" autographs of entertainment and historical figures in 2014. The complete PSA/DNA report on the Most Dangerous Autographs of 2014, including interesting information about some current marketplace prices for genuine autographs, is available free online at www.psacard.com/MostDangerousAutographs.