Author: Marc Mclennan

Another very interesting item hits the desks of the Authenticateit  offices!  Nick Leeson the infamous Barings Bank Rogue Trader, worn trading jacket, while various jackets that have been sold via auction house’s over the past years, Nick Leeson has confirm this is the ONLY worn jacket that was official his that has ever been for sale, others belonged to his trading staff and have been passed off as being his, which he has confirmed this is not the case, Nick Leeson has given a statement below, to which a signed statement from Nick Leeson will be given with the Jacket when sold. please email: authenticateituk@aol.com

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Baring Futures Trading Jacket

I Nick Leeson can state that this is the only trading jacket that I can confirm as having been owned and used by myself. Whilst there have been a number of jackets that have been either auctioned or sold over the years, these have all been the jackets of other members of Baring Futures. Some of the newer jackets contain the initials of the trading mnemonic of that particular member of staff. One Jacket, sold several years ago at auction was allegedly mine. I can state categorically that was not the case as I was asked by the purchaser through a friend to confirm the authenticity of the jacket. It was the jacket of one of the girls that worked on the trading floor

Each member of staff would have had two or three trading jackets. Certain staff would have kept their trading jackets on the trading floor. When Barings were forced to cease trading on the morning of the 24^th February 1995, a number of trading jackets would naturally have been left on the trading floor. A number of these were plundered by other trading floor employees but none of these jackets were mine as I would usually wear my jacket to and from work.

I left Singapore on the 23^rd February 1995. By this stage I was spending no time at all in the office, arriving on the trading floor as late as possible and leaving as soon as the market closed at 2.15pm and disappearing. The losses were accelerating and the questions about my illegal trading account were mounting. The number was up! I left the trading floor wearing my jacket, returned home, told my wife that we needed to leave quickly and packed two suitcases. After seeing a friend and arranging to meet him in Thailand at the weekend to see quite how bad the aftermath was, we went straight to Changi airport and boarded a flight to Singapore. I clearly had no interest in taking a trading jacket with me.

Over the next few days our apartment at Angulia Park, Singapore was repeatedly searched and investigated for any information that may have led to the illegal trading account. Following all of the investigations, my wife and I’s belongings were boxed up by agents on behalf of the liquidators.

At some stage in 1996, my wife returned to Singapore to retrieve her belongings.

In late 1999 after I had been released from prison in Singapore, I was returned a number of packed boxes that contained a number of my belongings taken from Angulia Park. There were an amount of clothes, books and various paraphernalia. Notably, there was six bottles of Krug Champagne that were left over after an after party from the 1994 SIMEX award Ceremony and in one of the boxes was this trading jacket.

This, undoubtedly is the trading jacket that I wore on the 23^rd February 1995, discarded in my apartment as I very hastily fled Singapore.

Nick Leeson March 2016

I like to share the very rare and interesting  items that come up for sale, and here is one of those items!

a limited edition 1.25 x 1.25 swatch of blue wool trousers worn by Clyde Barrow at the time of his death on May 23, 1934.

This particular swatch is uncommon and VERY rare as it features one of the belt loops.

The swatch is affixed to an 11×8.5 certificate of authenticity, numbered 15/870, and is accompanied by a certificate signed by Clydes late sister, Marie Barrow, as well as by Charles Heard.

Barrows trousers and shirt that he wore on that day were kept in the Barrow family until Butterfield & Butterfield auctioned off the bullet riddled shirt in 1997.

The trousers were cut into 870 swatches and affixed to certificates.

But its the fact that this item features one of the belt loops that make it so unique as there is reputed to be only 4 known in existence!

This item is currently being sold on behalf of a collector by Authenticateit http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/272122452606?

The item can also be found on the retail store web site www.sportandstarautographs.com

 

2016 may have only just begun, but sadly, we’ve already mourned more than enough tragic deaths to last us the whole year. From David Bowie to Alan Rickman.

The loss of a beloved celebrity is always incredibly sad, but there’s something about this recent string of deaths that’s really hitting home for us. Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s only two weeks into the new year, and we’ve already experienced a handful of shocking deaths spanning the film and music industries, R.I.P. all.

Unfortunately along with the untimely passing its brings out the eBay bandits!

I watched the in horror as hundreds of David Bowie autographs were added to ebay starting within hours of his death,  collectors beware! if the bargain of an autograph is too good to be true, it normally is! before putting your name to items of memorabilia on eBay, get the item checked first, if you go to the home page of AFTAL www.aftal.org.uk there are a number of listed approved authenticators on there that may be able to help you, or you can email me at authenticateituk@aol.com and i will do my best to help you.

 

How good is that COA? does it add value to your signed item? indeed, does it have any value at all?

Questions about the reliability of COA’s are some of the most common, and AFTAL are asked about these all the time. A member of the public may have purchased an item as a gift for a birthday or Christmas present, and possibly bought it because it had a COA with it, but for whatever reason, now that they have the item in their possession, something is telling them that the item may not be as genuine as they were first lead to believe. So what are the facts? and should i trust a COA?

All reputable dealers will issue a COA in some form or another, it may be what you think of as a COA or maybe it will be an invoice or maybe a combination of the two. But whatever it is, it’s only as good as the dealer who issued it, so provided it has the dealers full contact details on it, and the dealer is a member of one of the three associations listed here (as all of them insist that their members must offer a lifetime guarantee) then it will certainly add value to your purchase and you wont have any problems later should there be any problems.

Most good dealers will also be a Registered Dealer (not just a member) of either the UACC, AFTAL or PADA, and these are the only three associations that you should consider as acceptable when looking to buy any autograph. Each of these associations has a code of ethics, and each dealer has to abide by that code, so if at any time you do buy something from them that is not what it should be, then you can be guaranteed a refund. Can the same be said of a dealer that has no such association affiliation? can he really be trusted?

Some sellers might sometimes suggest that their COA “proves” that the signed item is authentic, or that the attached hologram again “proves” the signature is authentic, but a signature is either authentic or not and no amount of holograms, fancy paper or fancy talk can prove otherwise. Holograms are used to simply connect the signed item with the COA. This helps the seller to track items and prevent fraudulent switching of items by the customer, as the holograms are numbered and also designed not to be removed once applied, and Holograms can be purchased on ebay so they don’t really prove anything either!

So firstly, lets overturn one well known myth, and that is this, a COA does not “prove” authenticity. A COA is issued as a “guarantee” that the item is authentic, just the same as a car dealer might issue you with a 12 month guarantee that your car will not fall apart in the first week of driving it! It is there so that you know exactly where you bought it from and as a statement that should the item ever be found to be not as described, then the seller will be bound to offer you a full refund. Mistakes can be made, just as cars break down.

So always check that any COA has the sellers full contact details on it (not just an email address or ebay id), and that they are a member of one of the three associations listed here, otherwise who do you go back to when you find out its not authentic?

If the COA suggests membership of any association such as AFTAL UACC or PADA, then always double check that they are members, and these 3 associations have a full list of dealer members on their sites. Some sellers will suggest anything if it helps make a sale, and in some cases you may even find the association they claim membership of does not even exist!

Recently we have seen some perhaps less than honest dealers suggesting that “anyone can produce a COA on a home printer” and that “a COA proves nothing” so we do not offer them, but as already stated, it may not prove authenticity, but it will certainly stand up in a court as proof of purchase if you ever needed to take it that far, so that proof or purchase and their statement of authenticity is very relevant indeed!

Proof of purchase is essential in any fraud case as it proves that they sold it, which is exactly why they don’t want to issue them. By selling a fake signed item a person is guilty under the Fraud Act 2006 of “Fraud by false representation” and this carries a prison sentence, so giving you proof they sold it to you is the last thing they will want to do.

In addition, due to recent changes within the Fraud Act a COA can also now be considered as a separate charge, as section 7 concerns “Making or supplying articles for use in fraud”, Which means the COA has been created and used to help convince you that the item is authentic. So by not issuing a COA a forger could not have that additional charge brought against him, which could well save him a few months in jail.

Lastly, watch out for items sold with a COA from another 3rd party dealer (ie. not the one you are buying from). If its a known genuine dealer, then you should be OK, but some sellers offer a COA from a different company, but tell you that the COA guarantees the item to be authentic and a full refund if the item proves to be fake, but that only applies to the original buyer, not you, so the COA in effect becomes worthless, especially if the COA is from a non existent company or does not have full contact details.

So can you rely on a COA as complete proof of authenticity? In short, the answer has to be no, it is there as proof of where you purchased the item and as a guarantee that if the item should prove not as described by that seller, then you will be able to get a full refund. So its the seller you need to be certain of and not the COA, so its worth asking these questions……

• Which associations are they members of (if any!).
• Are they known within the autograph world?
• Do they disclose their full business address on the website or ebay, if not, why not as this is a legal requirement?
• How long have they been dealing in autographs?

If your item comes from a trusted and known dealer with good credentials, then you have little to worry about, but if it fails to meet any of the above criteria, then think again!

 

 

 

A Day filming in Portsmouth for the BBC1 The One Show, it was a great opportunity to give (AFTAL) The Autograph Fair Trade Association a good plug!

While we should all be very sceptical when looking add to our collection multi signed cast photos, every now and then something nice comes along.!

Original Spectre Premiere poster Hand signed by Daniel Craig, Monica Bellucci, Dave Bautista, Sam Mendes, Ben Whishaw & Michael G Wilson.

The autographs were obtained at the World Premiere in London 26th October by one of the Uks leading in person collectors Mark Kirkup

On sale now at www.sportandstarautrographs.com 

Take a look at the latest image of our retail store at the Eastgate Shopping Centre, Location for filming used in the new series of TVs Channel 4s Posh Pawn

Photos take during the Filming of Channel 4s Posh Pawn series 3

Even after 20 years in this business i still get excited when something special comes in, in the last few weeks i have been commissioned two outstanding rare music items, Jimi Hendrix and a full set of the Beatles. The Hendrix being a signed page from life magazine dated October 1969 obtained in N.Y., and the Beatles obtained 22nd July 1963 ODEON Weston-Super-Mare, both on sale at www.sportandstarautographs.com

Over the past few years the UK has become hooked on reality TV shows. And when it comes to quality, diversity and unique content, Channel 4 reigns supreme. The station has become synonymous with niche documentaries and Posh Pawn has emerged as one of its most popular shows. Featuring a colourful collection of characters, a continuous influx of luxury items and a cornucopia of on-site action, seasons one and two were categorical hits! Now, managing director James Constantinou has signed on for a third series, and it’s set to hit TV screens soon.

Unfamiliar with the world of Posh Pawn? Read on for an overview of the concept, the team and what to expect.

 A team of pawn stars

While the show itself is titled Posh Pawn, it actually follows the everyday working lives of the Prestige Pawnbrokers team. Led by serial entrepreneur James Constantinou, the business has quickly grown into London’s most coveted pawn broking shop. Over the years he’s built up a killer team of individuals boasting expertise in an array of different areas. From high-end horology and gemstone specialists to vintage car buffs and leather goods aficionados, Autographs and Memorabilia is authenticated by our resident authenticator Marc Mclennan from www.authenticateit.co.uk and www.sportandstarautographs.com, nothing gets past the hawk-like eyes of the Prestige Pawnbrokers crew. 

Pawn for the rich and famous

While everyday Brits with lacklustre items head down the road, the rich and famous make a beeline for Prestige Pawnbrokers. Here, they can cash in anything with a price tag that’s likely to impress. From helicopters, mini-submarines and Lamborghinis to Cartier watches, platinum rings and Hermès handbags, the general consensus is that anything luxurious goes.

 

A sneak peek into the world of high end pawn

For those interested in what goes on behind the scenes of a high-end pawn broker shop, Posh Pawn season 3 is a must-watch show. As well as showcasing the items themselves, the programme also delves into the context of why owners are selling and how much they’re likely to receive. The film crew follow the valuation process, with the Prestige Pawnbrokers team often calling on third-party experts to help establish exactly how much an item is worth. Sometimes they’ll even venture off site to visit the residences of owners or take their latest finds for a spin.

Ok! here is a first for me! i have been asked to be the guest speaker at the DCA Business Recovery LLP Seminar, I will be giving a 20 minute talk to 200 guests mainly being Solicitors and Accountants on the subject of authenticating.

Leading Autograph & Memorabilia Authenticator

Marc McLennan – Sport & Star Autographs

(As seen on Channel 4’s Posh Pawn)

Wednesday 10^th June 2015 at 2.30pm

Hylands House,

Hylands Park, London Road,

Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 8WQ