I am going to follow up on my own post so anyone else researching this will find the information a bit easier than I did. This is what I found out about the Montana auto.
These autos that are hand numbered to 1979 (either from the base set (#40, #'d on the front) or from the promo set (#3, #'d on the back)) are believed to have originated in the mid 90s. I have one from the promo set graded by Mint Grading Service (MGS) and I have tracked another from the base set graded by World Class Grading (WCG). The one from WCG was being shown with a LOA from Goldin auctions. I contacted Ken Goldin, and he told me the following about the item;
"I can tell you Joe signed those autographs for Golind Sports marketing directly, and they are authentic. They were slabbed by WCG for sale on TV. No one 'verified' the autograph as it was signed in person by Joe Montana."
WCG also replied with simply, "It was a Scoreboard autographed card. Authenticated by WCG"
As far as mine graded by MGS, I can only assume they were slabbed by them for the same purpose. FYI, MGS is a bogus company that is no longer in business. When they were, they were reported to the BBB. They were a cheap slab company that worked out of a residence. The physical addresses that pop up for MGS come up on Google Earth as a Verizon warehouse center and a home. The mailing address is a UPS store. The same kind of findings are for WCG as well. WCG at least answer their emails, but post no contact numbers on their website. MGS, all contact info is incorrect and turned off / disconnected.
I have been in contact with JSA and plan to send the slabbed card for authentication and sent to Beckett for reslabbing (possibly grading if it grades well). I hope this helps those who have looked for the origin of this 1990 Collegiate Collection #3 or #40 Joe Montana autograph. I will update when I send and receive the card back from JSA/Beckett.
These autos that are hand numbered to 1979 (either from the base set (#40, #'d on the front) or from the promo set (#3, #'d on the back)) are believed to have originated in the mid 90s. I have one from the promo set graded by Mint Grading Service (MGS) and I have tracked another from the base set graded by World Class Grading (WCG). The one from WCG was being shown with a LOA from Goldin auctions. I contacted Ken Goldin, and he told me the following about the item;
"I can tell you Joe signed those autographs for Golind Sports marketing directly, and they are authentic. They were slabbed by WCG for sale on TV. No one 'verified' the autograph as it was signed in person by Joe Montana."
WCG also replied with simply, "It was a Scoreboard autographed card. Authenticated by WCG"
As far as mine graded by MGS, I can only assume they were slabbed by them for the same purpose. FYI, MGS is a bogus company that is no longer in business. When they were, they were reported to the BBB. They were a cheap slab company that worked out of a residence. The physical addresses that pop up for MGS come up on Google Earth as a Verizon warehouse center and a home. The mailing address is a UPS store. The same kind of findings are for WCG as well. WCG at least answer their emails, but post no contact numbers on their website. MGS, all contact info is incorrect and turned off / disconnected.
I have been in contact with JSA and plan to send the slabbed card for authentication and sent to Beckett for reslabbing (possibly grading if it grades well). I hope this helps those who have looked for the origin of this 1990 Collegiate Collection #3 or #40 Joe Montana autograph. I will update when I send and receive the card back from JSA/Beckett.
