UKG providing an authentication service - Opinions

[jaymassive619]

Hi All

I have started this thread as i have noticed that certain items on eBay have been authenticated by the UKG. As everybody knows the AFA doesn't provide an authentication service as its done by Tom Derby at C.I.B as quite obviously its a specialist area.

E.g UKG VC Jawa with COA

My understanding is the UKG was set up by a couple of collectors in the UK to provide an alternative grading company to the AFA which is great. What i want to know is does anybody know when they crossed over into authentication and if they are qualified to do it?

 

[plantman]

they are authenticating the figures themselves as the certificates are signed by Steve himself, i dont think it adds any value to the grading.

there is no external body as far as i know

 

[spoons]

IMO that's the equivalent of someone on here authenticating something.

We all have experience in bits and bobs but no-one is really qualified to verify anything and everything, especially prototypes etc.

 

[Joe]

I really don't know the guys from UKG apart from shooting Steve a few emails, of course they sound and chat like really decent chaps and it would be great for a UK company to rival AFA, but I have no idea how knowledgeable they are on prototypes, DT sabers, Vinyl Caped Jawas ... apart from the rarity star rating this is the area that concerns me most.

Their profiles on the site give very little info apart from they are enthusiasts and have been collecting for a few years, like spoons said that description fits the bill of many of us yet I haven't the faintest idea about a DT saber or a prototype having never had either in my hands to look at! ( hell some of the US guys that are proto collectors or VERY seasoned guys don't claim to be the vintage star wars gods and do ask for second opinions)

Couple that with the fact that most of the things they are authenticating are not easy to get hold of in the UK in the first place tp be able to actually compare figures and build up a knowledge base on them...

I wish them all the success but I think the recent lacklustre performance of one of their graded DT figures in the last year seems to prove that not many have faith in their authentication department.

 

[plantman]

they did have to look up Toltoys VC jawas when i sent mine for grading, they also graded a fake burgundy squid (but afa did as well didnt they)

i personally would get anything authenticated at the UKG, they are top guys and i always have a chat with steve, but they are too new for that i think.

they shoud scrap that star system, it isnt doing them any favours.

 

[Grant]

they did have to look up Toltoys VC jawas when i sent mine for grading, they also graded a fake burgundy squid (but afa did as well didnt they)

i personally would get anything authenticated at the UKG, they are top guys and i always have a chat with steve, but they are too new for that i think.

they should scrap that star system, it isnt doing them any favours.

I dont own any UKG items but I dont mind the star system the use for rarities.

Grant.

 

[jaymassive619]

The star system is crap is usually has very little to do with rarity and more to do with value imo

 

[plantman]

yes i agree, they did grade two loose greedos differently that i sent in, one had one star the other had two, the rarity of a card or figure could be a personal opinion or the market can change so the rarity stars are rendered useless.

They have no relevance in my eyes.

 

[jaymassive619]

yes i agree, they did grade two loose greedos differently that i sent in, one had one star the other had two, the rarity of a card or figure could be a personal opinion or the market can change so the rarity stars are rendered useless.

They have no relevance in my eyes.

They don't seem to be anywhere near educated regarding what is rare in the hobby. E.g a VC Jawa (which are relevantly common in the scheme of things) gets 4 stars then they grade a MOC where there is less than 5 known examples and gave it one star because all they seen was a background figure on a card. :roll:

Your right Andy they have given a different star rating to the same figure or MOC on a number of occasions now. I have seen UKG Yaks with 2 and 3 stars.

Until they ditch the star rating it will continue to put many people off using them they wont even grade an item without the rarity star even if you ask them which has stopped me sending items to them in the past.

The part the worries most is the authentication they haven't graded many rare hard to authenticate items where years of handling and experience is needed yet mistakes have already been made.

Does anybody know what experience they have in the hobby to do this because from where i see it its like spoons said its no different than us trying to authenticate items that we know about from online study but have never handled in person.

 

[Joe]

http://www.ukgraders.co.uk/experience.html

STEVE WARD - I have been collecting toys from most TV and film related areas for over twenty years now, and my passion for collecting has led me to starting up UKG.

Collecting toys for most of my life, I have developed a comprehensive knowledge that covers a wide range of toy lines including Star Wars, Action Force, Transformers and Mask to name but a few.


MARK FERRIS - I have spent the last twenty years collecting toys. Throughout this time I have built up an extensive knowledge of toys and action figures, particularly those that have evolved from films and TV series from my childhood.


Just a quick question to those more in the loop in the UK, had you heard of either Steve or Mark before they started UKG? Were their names used in conversations or had anyone seen them at shows? seen their collections etc?

 

[plantman]

I suppose that authenticating a Jawa isnt that hard, and the question is wether they are providing a full service of authentication or just sending a certificate with ones they feel they are qualified to gurantee its authenticity.

It would need a vast amount of knowledge, probably backed by various other collectors with many years of experience to become an authntication company.

Anyway, the stars need ditching in my eyes, 3 stars for a Yak face loose? Hmm you can find one at any point on ebay or RS, they are expensive but not rare.

The MOC MIM vader i bought recently had two stars....how can that have the same rarity as a loose greedo?

they dont match up and there is too many flaws with that system to even concider keeping it.

Maybe they wanted to ne niche, and have their own trademark?

 

[jaymassive619]

Maybe they wanted to ne niche, and have their own trademark?

Thats exactly it they are actually s member of SWF i think there username is ukgraders as they joined when they were first starting up and i remember them posting. A lot of people complained about the star rating and on RS but they want to keep it as they feel its a unique selling point and makes them stand out against the AFA.

Personally rarity is a hard thing to quantify but they seem to associate / confuse rarity with high value something many newer users do when they start in the hobby before they build up experience.

 

[browny]

In response to a previous question on this thread,I like many others have dealt with steve many many times on ebay both buying and selling and he seems to have a fair degree of knowledge in action force but to be fair i'm not sure how deep he goes with star wars items (which to be honest is where 90% of ukg custom will come from)that is the part which bothers me the most about them,no doubt at all that steve in particular is a super nice chap,i'm concerned about the depth of the companies knowledge.

If I was steve I would pull out all the stops to get jim stevenson onboard as someone who could verify the truly RARE items that turn up,failing that then I can really see them struggling which is a shame because i'd much rather send items to the uk than over to the usa,we all would i'm sure.

Maybe the only other solution would be to attempt a franchise with the afa and use the same verifyers,after all if an item is truly rare then nobody would mind waiting a few extra days to get an item properly verified.....just a thought guys.

Stef.

 

[slim]

more ukg madness ! albob67 had for sale a factory error as he calls it lando with deformed foot in baggie last week or the week before ! NOW it has been ukg graded and RECIEVED 3 STARS ! its just turned up on ebay today ..the chances of this baggie being a FAKE or at the very least a RESEAL is high ??

slim

 

[spoons]

anyything that originates from albob67 cannot be trusted

 

[jaymassive619]

anyything that originates from albob67 cannot be trusted

Agreed Spoons!

It is a bit alarming when you look around and start to notice how many potential fakes, resealed baggies etc that have been graded by the UKG or Authenticated by them with there ROTS style C.O.A.

 

[plantman]

tbh, is it our duty to inform them?

 

[slim]

the fact is that the more questionable and dubious items they grade ....will only damage their standing in the long run , that why they need to address this now before all the honest guys here in the uk avoid them . i was looking at a ukg vc jawa but now i will look elsewhere !


slim

 

[Joe]

So are we saying alibabas dog nibbled Lando's foot off and he put it in a baggy and sent it for grading ? :lol:

I know UKG recently refused to grade an ERG baggie because it showed signs of being re-taped and the baggy type wasn't documented so they DO check things

 

[Grant]

the fact is that the more questionable and dubious items they grade ....will only damage their standing in the long run , that why they need to address this now before all the honest guys here in the uk avoid them . i was looking at a ukg vc jawa but now i will look elsewhere !


slim

Id think that if they have graded or authenticated any repos then their f**ked already. Once or twice is a mistake but if it keeps happening then I wouldnt trust anything thats passed through their hands.

I also agree with Plantman that a loose Greedo and a MIM Vader maybe shouldn't be in the same category. I would drop the rarity stars on any loose figures unless their prototypes etc.

Only my opinion.

Grant.