One of the greatest joys as a collector is meeting your favorite creator. The second greatest joy is getting them to sign one of your favorite books. The issue comes up when you try to get that book graded. If you send it to CGC you get that dreaded Green Label stating, "Name Written on Cover". But in all honesty who the heck wants that? Thankfully not only does CBCS have a solution, they just made some new changes that will make some people very happy.

 

With the introduction of new slabs, which are better than the prior ones, they made a change to the Verified Signature Label. For those who don't know, CBCS has a program that allows  you to send signed books to have the signatures verified. The names of the programs are the Verified Signature Program (VSP) while its witnessed signatures are named Authenticated Signature Program (ASP). Finally a great grading company that will actually verify the signature for you! However, you would get a special Red Label indicating that it was not witnessed, only verified.

One thing I will say about CBCS, they have great customer service and they take into account what the customers want. So what did we want? NO MORE RED LABELS! When you see a Red Label it makes you think something is wrong. So when CBCS changed their slabs, they also changed their Red Label to Yellow to match their Authenticated Labels effective July 10, 2020.

I was also privileged enough to be in contact with the Regional Manager as well as the Authentication Program manager. While chatting with them I was able to get some questions answered.

Why the change from Red to Yellow Labels?

"The majority of our customers demanded it, and with Beckett now on board it only made sense to do this change." As of February 15, 2018 Beckett Authentication Services (BAS) took over verifying and authenticating signatures for CBCS. "Once the item containing a signature requiring authentication is received by CBCS, and entered into the system, BAS begins their autograph examination process. After the autograph has been examined, the book is placed in the CBCS climate controlled vault until grading or encapsulation."

Has there been a change to the pricing of Verified Signatures?

No change in price at all. Currently prices are as follows: Witnessed (ASP) is $5/Book and Un-witnessed (VSP) sits at $25/Book. Obviously the VSP books cost more in order to afford CBCS to have it examined by Beckett (BAS).

With both labels being yellow, how will a customer know the difference between ASP and VSP?

Simple, on the bottom of each label it will state if it is Authentic or Verified.

 

If you have a witnessed signature and a verified signature, how will they appear on the label?

On those labels where there are both Verified and Witnessed Signatures, the witnessed signatures are proceeded by the date, the signature was added to the book. Verified Signatures will not have a date associated with them.

Who is Beckett Authentication Services and Why should I trust them?

BAS is the newest member of Beckett Media. Beckett Media has set the industry standard on price guides and card grading since 1984. "World renowned autograph experts Steve Grad and Brian Sobrero bring their vast experience with autographs from all genres and eras to the forefront of BAS. They have authenticated some of the rarest and most valuable items in the industry, a testament to their level of expertise."

Hopefully this answers many of your questions. If not please feel free to contact me or leave a comment below. I will personally contact CBCS to make sure I obtain a prompt and correct answer for you. If you would like to know more about the VSP please click here. For more information on Beckett Authentication Services click here.

 

Yellow Label Bottom Line

Personally, I think this is a great move by CBCS. I have never liked those red labels. Although some collectors feel it can be misleading down the line. All one has to do is simply read the label, it will specify which is which. This not only pushes them one step forward in the grading game, but shows they listen to the customers. Will this propel them above CGC? It's still too soon to tell. CGC has a stronghold in the comic industry. However, with CBCS making moves like this it might place them neck and neck.

Thanks for reading! Till Next Time, Happy Hunting!