Soft serve, babes at the pool, TRL and basketball cards — the highlights of the summers of my youth. I remember getting an autographed Vince Carter jersey card in a pack of Upper Deck and completely losing my mind. Fast forward 20 years later and collectors of football cards may be losing their minds for another reason.
ESPN is reporting that new found Cowboys star Dak Prescott may have been faking his autograph for a signature card set. Such a Cowboys thing to do.
Beckett Grading Services, which grades and authenticates cards and other sports memorabilia, is accusing the quarterback of using a machine to sign his John Hancock for a recent card set.
Steve Grad, principal authenticator at Beckett, said his company looked at five autographed cards from collectors who received Prescott autograph redemptions from Panini’s 2016 Prizm set.
“They had a very machine-like feel,” Grad said. “You could see the starts and stops.”
… “I immediately knew they were autopen,” Grad said. “I’ve never heard of a modern athlete doing this.”
Reportedly, the Prescott ‘signatures’ have a lack of natural flow and don’t appear organic at all; it’s believed they may have come from autopen, a machine that politicians have used to sign documents in bulk for the last 60 years.
The card company promised to send authentic, verified autographs to customers who returned cards of Atlanta Falcons rookie Takkarist McKinley after it was discovered his signature was fake as well. People are still waiting to see if they will do the same with this Dak Attack situation.
Prescott, nor his agent nor the card company responded to ESPN’s request for a statement or interview.
Some argue that Prescott may have never saw the cards as some projects are sent to marketing agents first. No matter the problem, it’s not a good look for the second year pro.
And I’m glad I no longer waste my money on cards any more. I buy fireworks instead!
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
Photo: Getty
