An Arnold Schwarzenegger autograph authentication story
I won this signed Arnold Schwarzenegger weightlifting belt in an auction a year or two ago. It included a note from David James, a very well-known movie photographer, who stated he received the signed belt directly from Arnie as a gift while working on the film Total Recall.
I sent the belt in to JSA to be authenticated. They denied it. They believed the autograph to be either "pre-printed on the belt" and/or false due to certain "pen strokes" that they didn't see in the signature.
I was devastated. I did some research on the belt and found only one other similar - but here's the kicker - it did not have a "pre-printed" signature on it (the last photo). It was blank where mine is signed. Would the company which made the belt really make two versions? One with a signature and one without? I doubted it.
Flash forward to today, and I stumbled across the belt in my collection. I tracked down the photographer David James' website and reached out, asking if he wrote the card and the story/ autograph is true? Shocking me, because he is a major Hollywood photographer, the guy got back to me in less than an hour, and completely confirmed that this was signed by Schwarzenegger and gifted to him (he passed it on to another person from whom I later obtained it).
Now what? Can I authenticate this? Is it worth paying PSA or Beckett for their opinion, given JSA said "no?" And will the other companies turn it down? Because they won't care about my provenance, which I have now confirmed (in fact, in retelling the story to Mr. James, he laughed at how everyone today is an "expert" and think they know better).
Just wondering everyone's thoughts on this.