Rovell: Dak Prescott accused of using machine to sign autograph

Cotton

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Dak Prescott accused of using machine to sign autograph
11:06 AM CT
Darren Rovell
ESPN Senior Writer

Dak Prescott is being accused of using a machine to sign his autograph for memorabilia company selling to collectors instead of signing himself.

An authentication service has refused to verify the Dallas Cowboys quarterback's signature in a recent card set.

Steve Grad, principal authenticator of Beckett Grading Services, said his company personally looked at five autographed cards from collectors who received a Prescott autograph redemption in Panini's 2016 Prizm set.

"They had a very machine-like feel," Grad said. "You could see the starts and stops."

The lack of natural flow in the perfect signatures led to Grad concluding that the signatures were done by autopen, a signature machine that has had a presence in politics since the late 1950s.

"I immediately knew they were autopen," Grad said. "I've never heard of a modern athlete doing this."

It's possible that Prescott never saw the cards, as blank labels to be signed and even cards themselves are often sent to marketing agents first.

Attempts to reach Prescott, his agent Jeff Guerreiro and his marketing agent Peter Miller were unsuccessful.

Messages left for Panini officials also went unreturned.

In May, Panini said that it had discovered that some of the autographed cards of Atlanta Falcons first-round draft pick Takkarist McKinley were not actually signed by him.

The company promised to send authentic autographs to customers that returned their McKinley signed cards.
 

midswat

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Dak Prescott has ‘no knowledge’ how some of his cards have machine-made autographs


By Vince Langford
vlangford@star-telegram.com

Panini America officials have determined that a small quantity of autographs from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott received for 2016 Prizm Football may not be authentic, the company said in a statement released Friday night.

ESPN and Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com reported Friday on Panini’s actions.

The statement also said that Prescott and his representatives “have no knowledge” of how autographs apparently produced by autopen (which politicians use to sign items in bulk, according to ESPN) ended up on some of his trading cards.

Panini’s make-good effort comes after Prescott was caught up in a whiff of scandal. ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported Thursday that Beckett Grading Services was refusing to verify the second-year quarterback’s signature in the card set.

Panini’s statement said that “Prescott and his representatives have worked closely with Panini during this process since becoming aware of the discrepancies and have no knowledge of how those cards were returned to Panini.”

Also from the statement, “Panini has committed to remanufacturing all the Dak Prescott Prizm Football cards, which Dak will sign to replace all the autograph cards within the Prizm collection. All the remanufactured cards for the Prizm collection autographed by Prescott will feature a special Dak Prescott hologram to differentiate the new cards.”

Prescott and Panini also on Thursday agreed to a long-term extension on his exclusive autographed trading card agreement.

And to emphasize that Prescott has been signing, the company said, “Prescott has autographed thousands of Panini America trading cards during his rookie season.”
 

midswat

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Slightly off topic but I've never understood the appeal of autographs.
 

dallen

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Slightly off topic but I've never understood the appeal of autographs.
I get it in the case where you meet someone and want to keep it as a memento.

I don't get the appeal of buying something already autographed though.
 

DLK150

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I get it in the case where you meet someone and want to keep it as a memento.

I don't get the appeal of buying something already autographed though.
It's certainly not my thing but there's no need for some idiotic uproar because in his defense, he's not the first and certainly won't be the last. Players have been using auto pens for years and years because the league looooves the revenue from "memorabilia".

Welcome to the spotlight and all the scrutiny that comes with it, kid.
 

Smitty

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Yeah, I like an autograph if I can get it in person.... like, I was there and met this person and they signed it.

Buying it online not only is fake most of the time, but seems kinda pointless. What, it's proof that they at one time touched the item you now own? Yeah, for like 3 seconds.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Eh, I guess I'm in the minority, I still think autographs are cool. But I agree, it's way better if the autograph comes with some sort of actual experience. I've got way more college football stuff signed than NFL in my man cave.
 

vince

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Yeah, I like an autograph if I can get it in person.... like, I was there and met this person and they signed it.

Buying it online not only is fake most of the time, but seems kinda pointless. What, it's proof that they at one time touched the item you now own? Yeah, for like 3 seconds.
Agree. For me, I have to be the one who went out and got the autograph. The story behind the autograph is usually why I get them i.e. waiting a long time in line, bumping into a player in public, the conversation that took place, etc.
 

skidadl

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Eh, I guess I'm in the minority, I still think autographs are cool. But I agree, it's way better if the autograph comes with some sort of actual experience. I've got way more college football stuff signed than NFL in my man cave.
Yeah but you're a lawyer so you think a signature still means something.
 

fortsbest

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I have 2 things that are autographed in my house. A football I got for my wife that I had Jay Novacek sign. (She was a big fan) and a baseball Orel Hershiser signed for me when he was a Rangers coach and my daughter and I went to a game. Both I had signed in their presence. That is what made them special. I can see the draw of getting one of the shadow boxes with a signed jersey from Beckett or something if that is the motif you are doing in a room, but otherwise it really means nothing to me unless you get it yourself.



Until you have one you get authenticated and it's worth lots of money!! :towel
 

bbgun

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Autopen isn't a big deal if a kid writes the DC headquarters looking for a signed photo, but if he's making $ off these cards, then yes, he needs to sign them personally.
 

data

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Autopen isn't a big deal if a kid writes the DC headquarters looking for a signed photo, but if he's making $ off these cards, then yes, he needs to sign them personally.
Injury Report: Dak Prescott, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, etc...
Injury: Sore Throwing Wrist
 

Cotton

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Injury Report: Dak Prescott, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, etc...
Injury: Sore Throwing Wrist
Carpal Tunnel.
 

vince

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Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this question but how would I go about getting an MLB coach's autograph? I've never been an autograph chaser but I really want to get this guys autograph. He's a 3rd base coach. I figured sit as close to 3rd as possible but those seats are pretty pricey. Any other suggestions?
 

jsmith6919

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Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this question but how would I go about getting an MLB coach's autograph? I've never been an autograph chaser but I really want to get this guys autograph. He's a 3rd base coach. I figured sit as close to 3rd as possible but those seats are pretty pricey. Any other suggestions?
You could try writing him through the teams address maybe, or reach out to him on twitter if he has an account there.
 

vince

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You could try writing him through the teams address maybe, or reach out to him on twitter if he has an account there.
Sorry I forgot to specify that I have a specific item I'd like autographed. I just never attempted to get one at a baseball game but hear it can be easier than most other leagues.
 

Landry

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I went to Canada in 95 with my son. Bought a small little moose figure. I brought it to a meet the Cowboys event in Jersey and got Daryl Johnson to sign it.
 

vince

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I went to Canada in 95 with my son. Bought a small little moose figure. I brought it to a meet the Cowboys event in Jersey and got Daryl Johnson to sign it.
I doubt third base coaches host autograph signings though. This seems more difficult than I thought. May have to attend a game for a team I don't care for and hope for the best.
 
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