The market for autographed sports memorabilia is massive. In 2007, the sports memorabilia industry took in an estimated $2 billion – and that number has grown even gaudier over the past three years. For 投射卡牌 collectors paying  hundreds or thousands of dollars for sports memorabilia, an item’s authenticity is of primary concern.

The industry’s leading autograph authenticator, PSA/DNA, recently claimed that only 33 percent of more than 10, 000 Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan autographs it scrutinized were real – just one example of the ease to which non reputable sellers can slip fraudulent items into the market.

In assigning the value of a sports memorabilia certificate of authenticity, some in the industry can’t help but think of the scene in Tommy Boy when Chris Farley’s character attempts to undermine a competitor’s written product guarantee: Use any search engine and type in “fake certification” or a similar term and you will likely find offers for certification credentials in your profession of choice without any

skills assessment, training, or experience required – except for a valid credit card. Obviously, entering “fake certification” will result mostly in offers for “novelty” credentials; however, many so-called “legitimate” certification credentials can be just as worthless as the fakes. How can this be so? Well, the certification industry is largely unregulated. Basically, there are no regulating agencies to enforce standards, so each certifying body can create their own.

In fact, just about anyone can become a certification granting entity using a home computer and a printer. This is not to say that all certifications are phony; there are certification granting bodies that indeed have high standards, but unfortunately, most do not. For every credible and recognized certification, there are likely to be several competing ones that are unrecognized, questionable, or outright fakes. Being unregulated, the certification industry is truly a “wild west show”, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the good from the bad. However, with a little footwork, it’s not that difficult to filter out value from the “junk”

If your goal is to obtain a credential that truly validates your expertise, it will likely be based on a combination of experience, a skills assessment, training and education, and a reference check. Keep in mind however, that even a program proclaiming use of these criteria can be “less than credible” if it waters them down or allows them to be “gamed” to an extent that enables anyone to qualify. For instance, a skills assessment could be a questionnaire that even a five year old could pass, training could be in an unrelated field, and experience or references could be stated and unverifiable. One way to gauge the validity of a certification program is to find out its pass rate. Usually, the higher the pass rate, the more likely it will fall into the “less than credible” category.

Name recognition can be good and bad; good as in trusted, valuable, and respected – bad as in infamous, notorious, or scam artist. Before signing up for a certification program, it would be prudent to learn of its reputation and that of the organization granting it. Search the Web, ask friends, family, coworkers, and others. For obvious reasons, the goal is to filter out certifications and/or organizations with negative reputations. However, keep in mind that just because a certification or organization isn’t well-known doesn’t mean it has no value. There are well-known organizations that offer certifications that are considered a “joke” by its industry practitioners, but those same credentials may appear credible to an uniformed public because of the name recognition

factor. Also, small organizations offer certification programs that are often highly regarded within their professions, but are relatively unknown to the general public. Adding to the confusion, some well-known certification granting organizations may offer multiple certification programs, some which are credible and some which are not. Although name recognition by itself can provide an initial short-term credibility kick, it should be considered only if other indicators of quality and credibility are present.

After filtering out the obvious junk, the next step is to discover which certification credentials are valued by your industry’s practitioners. Talking with practicing professionals, employers, and customers can uncover a lot of valuable information. Highly regarded certifications as well as those considered as “worthless” are often well-known within particular industries, but there may be little information, good or bad, about them in the general public. Certification programs with a high acceptance among affected practitioners, employers, and customers enhances ROI (return on investment) and will reduce your chances of earning a worthless credential that can label you as a “wannabee” or “phony”. It’s just as important to discuss certification with seasoned practitioners who are not certified.