Experts, what’s your take on the Ken Sugimori autograph here? The Blaine’s Char 1st edition itself is in awesome condition …
It’s fake, sorry
Jesus that’s bad.
The problem with Sugimoris is 2 fold; PSA isn’t always right, and most copies don’t have provenance. If you don’t have either of those, you are probably going to have a bad time.
First post here!
There is some evidence out there to suggest that this is an older style of signature.
I think this card is the one featured here: SIGNED 1st Edition Charizard, FPO Test Charizard, AUCTIONS + GIVEAWAY! - YouTube
TCA claims in the video to have seen a photo proving its origin.
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in light of the video above, I could very much be dead wrong. When it comes to providence and buying from a trusted source, Rusty is probably one of the first names I think of. But because the signature is in such a different style, lacking the Japanese characters and iconic pikachu and because of the prevalence of fake sigs out there my immediate reaction is doubt. Even with the video I personally still wouldn’t touch this card without further evidence because of the above points. I was probably wrong in making such a bold claim but looking at this card in absence of any evidence I think strong skepticism is warranted
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Oh Wow!!! That video evidence is priceless. I am pretty sure we are looking at the same exact card he auctioned off in the video. Every piece of the signature corresponds to the card I have in hand - every single ink overlap with respect to the card itself. Thank you so much. I am literally speechless!
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What we still don’t know is whether he did in fact sign this way earlier on. There are some examples and stories, but nothing verifiable that I’ve seen. @dragonroll, if you’re able to get the photo TCA mentions or even a statement from him that would be a really useful piece of information.
It’s a set card, there are massive numbers of them out there. Some people don’t understand autographs but there’s no need to talk it down on a thread that isn’t related to the merits of autographing cards.
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I agree.
How much you willing to sell it for?
PSA has incorrectly authenticated fake Sugimori autographs before, coupled with the lack of proper documentation for this “early” variant, the card would be extremely difficult to authenticate. Someone trustworthy may have (accidentally) sold the card to Rusty, but you would be best off asking him directly. For these reasons, I would stay away from this autograph until significant proof is found.
Poor Charizard, that could have been in someone’s Gym Challenge set 
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Im still trying to find info on the photo if I can pull it up, but I’m not finding anything. If it seems that obvious of a fake I really hope that I didnt resell something that is counterfeit. It has been a while, and the picture I recall had Ken in it at a booth with a kid. I think the kid also showed having a Blastoise 1st ed signed, but it has been so long I really dont know. Im pretty sure I bought the Charizard for like $30 myself (not the price estimate from the video but when I purchased it with signature), so I dont see much motivation to fake a signature at that time.
I have made mistakes in the hobby before and probably still will in the future. So as much it pains me on this being potentially counterfeit, go off the knowledge you have, not on that I used to own it.
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Here is another example from this forum: www.elitefourum.com/t/tmb-2000-lucky-stadium-card/13140/1
See third image in post #5 – the Chansey.
There are many other examples. I wouldn’t worry @thecharizardauthorty,. No one can say definitively.
www.elitefourum.com/t/autographed-signed-pokemon-cards-ken-sugimori/12830/1
This old post has a similar looking card in the real vs fake guide as a fake. I also suspect without the drawing ect that it would fail at psa but it’s hard to tell definativly.
It’s real. It’s from the Super Trainer Showdown in 2001, New Jersey
Apparently I got a “callout” on instagram over this post for saying this autograph is fake, despite saying 4 posts later that I am probably wrong.
For the record, this thread predates the general public awareness of this version of his autograph. In fact, this thread was one of the pieces that helped put the puzzle together. I’m adding this post as context for anyone who finds this thread in the future.
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