I believe that usually there is only one recognized expert doing authentication for awards of a certain country and/or period. I think that's the same for TR awards, for example. I suppose there are a few reasons for this, and one is probably the fact that there could never be a second contradictory opinion, otherwise the reputation of those experts would be questioned!
As for Alexei, no matter how much we all would love to see him doing authentication, I think he already explained that it wouldn't be ethically correct to deal with these awards and at the same time make authentications, which is perfectly comprehensible! (sorry Alexei, not talking in your name but just reminding something I think you said before, either here on the Forum or by email )
I also wanted to add that I believe that one important (not the only one) reason why the price for COA has increased so much is in fact due to the increased quality of fakes. MacDaniel speaks about this on his new site and will even refuse to authenticate Order for Service to Motherland 1st and 2nd class... and I am sure the list will slowly expand with time.
The more the quality of fakes will increase, the more difficult it will become to provide authentication and the bigger risk it will be for the expert.
On the collectors' side, this increasing quality of fakes will also have a devastating impact. What will justify spending thousands of dollars on an item which can not even be authenticated? To me, this item would not worth spending more than few dollars just because of this and would be considered a nice copy nothing more.
Although I think everyone's points are valid, I disagree with the fact that PMD's prices should be raised proportionally with the rise in prices of awards; and that there is liability.
1) It does not seem to me that it costs more for Paul to authenticate medals now than it did a year ago. Sure one could argue that with the influx of quality fakes it is becoming more difficult to differentiate the two, however, I say that since he is an expert he should be able with same amount of research as before to provide his service. $225 is a lot of money for - in most cases - finding out what you already knew...
2) Liability... please read his extensive disclaimer on every COA. He does a great job of protecting himself from that liability. Therefore, I see the latest price hike as borderline profiteering... Forgive me if I am out of line...
3) Also, regarding Alexei... Monopoly is BAD. Competition drives progress. If someone was to provide some friendly competition for PMD, I am sure that they would do OK... For the right price, there would be plenty of business to go around...
:rant:
Soviet Union is the only country with an unpredictable ... past!
I don't have any PMD-authenticated items, so I've never seen his disclaimer. If someone has a scan of it, I would be interested in seeing it.
As far as a disclaimer providing protection, some things are virtually undisclaimable, but even if a disclaimer does provide a valid defense, that defense still needs to be asserted, and usually by using a lawyer. Consider that a young associate in a large market like Chicago would be at least $225 an hour, and a partner probably 2x that, for every billable hour charged between the two in defending a lawsuit, Expert would have to authenticate 3 awards. Defending the most mertless lawsuit would easily require 10 hours of work.
Of course insurance coverage would provide defense counsel for you, but you'd have to buy that insurance first, and I don't know what that costs.
As far as monopolies, I don't like them either, so we are in agreement there
Nack Wrote:I don't have any PMD-authenticated items, so I've never seen his disclaimer. If someone has a scan of it, I would be interested in seeing it.
1) It seems like majority of posters here believe that McDaniel is the absolute expert and his word clearly separates fakes from originals.
First, he's human and is prone to mistakes. He has made mistakes in the past (I will not go into specifics, but most of you who know me in person are aware of those examples).
Second, I don't think he's truly up-to date with the latest advances in fakes. I don't blame him, I was also not aware of some fakes until few days ago.
Lastly, when buying an award - you should not rely only on McDaniel, you should consult with other collectors, refer to reliable literature and references (Mondvor site). Paul's certificate is only his OPINION, let's not forget that.
2) as for the price - I don't agree with his fee increases, but I never agreed with raising prices for awards in general. Life is tough, if you can't afford Paul's certificate and really need it - then you should not be buying that particular award.
3) some awards - are impossible to make deal when Paul's paper is not attached, so you just add $225-250 to buying/selling cost. Plus shipping to Paul and back - that will add another $20-50.
4) I'm surprised we don't see fake McDaniel certificates. They would be quite easy to make, having decent scanner / printer on hand...
I think this just another nail in the coffin for collecting soviet awards.
But there are other avenues and others that will verify an order, You just have to know where and who to ask.
And true I have no doubt Paul makes mistakes, but I think his price is too much. Fine for an order worth tens of thousand of dollars, but for a several hundred dollar item, no way.
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