Autographed Memorabilia, Baseball

This guide can apply to Autographs from many areas of sports, etc.
I know the newest fad the last few years has been the COA or Certified Autograph craze. But not surprisingly, most autographs are not certified. This doesn't mean they aren't genuine, still there can be a measure of uncertainty. So there are some simpler things you might use to verify or check an autograph.

1) Check it against other autographed items, and as many as possible.
2) Take into consideration that many celebrities autographs change with age, many don't. Pay particular attention to the ones that do. Mickey Mantle is a good example of this, his autograph style changed in several stages over the years, Yogi Berra's has changed very little.
3) Autographed Baseball bats can be checked for authenticity, one by looking at the manufacturer of the bat and the team the celebrity played for. A good example of this are bats made by the Mizuno Corporation, (used by Ken Griffey Jr, Ichiro and others). Begee familiar with the brand of bats used in the Major leagues.
4) Check hand signed autographs against the ones copied onto baseball cards, there are plenty of baseball cards out there with copies of signatures.
5) Before purchasing an autographed item, if you know the players autograph you want, its a good idea to do all of the things listed above BEFORE buying the item.
6) Check the sellers history, get to know more about them, things like reading feedback, but also take into account that an honest seller may have negative feedback that has nothing to do with the actual events or circumstances, (as long as the negative feedback isn't excessive). Mail gets lost, things happen, try to take those things into consideration, but at the same time, "buyer beware".
7) At all times be wary of people trying to sell "copied autographs" who try to word them to sound as authentic autographs!
8) Whenever possible, try to purchase the clearest and most legible autograph, and preferably autographs written with a "sharpie" or magic marker versus pencils or pens, they endure over time much better. Many autographs tend to fade over the years. Magic markers seem to hold up very well.