The Upper Deck Co. has turned an otherwise ordinary writing tool into an
innovative high-tech authentication device that ensures that sports fans get
real autographs of their favorite stars. Upper Deck is now fighting fire with
fire with the introduction of PenCam, a cool groundbreaking autograph
authentication device that combines a pen and video camera to document
autographed items.
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Backed by testimonials from high profile athletes such as Tiger Woods,
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Kevin Garnett, Upper Deck’s
innovation uses a tiny video camera at the end of a pen to digitally record an
autograph as it is being signed on a piece of memorabilia.
One of today’s most coveted signatures is that of Woods, who did his first
autograph signing with Upper Deck and PenCam(TM) this summer. He said, "I
really don’t appreciate people forging signatures to make money off products.
I feel that is immoral. Obviously Upper Deck has the 5-step process of
authenticity, but I think PenCam makes it much more special and, in essence, a
little more intimate." Upper Deck’s PenCam(TM) technique takes the
company’s widely recognized, patented five-step authentication process to a
higher level through digital technology. Proprietary circuitry(1) and software
are used to record the video footage and save it as a digital file. This record
is then provided to the consumer on a CD-ROM along with a trail of documentation
that is part of Upper Deck’s five-step authentication process. Consumers can
also access information about their Upper Deck memorabilia by logging on to the
company’s web site and entering the item’s serial number. "When fine
art collectors invest in a painting, they want to know its provenance or, in
other words, the chain of ownership and the origin of the item," said
McWilliam. "Upper Deck’s endeavor is to provide sports fans with a
similar record of each piece of our fine memorabilia, including now a PenCam
time and date stamped video file of the autograph at the time it
originated."
Major League Baseball star Ken Griffey Jr. feels Upper Deck’s system gives
fans needed peace of mind given the incidence of forgeries. "With the
PenCam, you can go on the Internet and see the person sign it" he said. The
heart of Upper Deck’s five-step authentication process is that a company
representative witnesses every single autograph, an element that will continue
with PenCam(TM).
Over the last nine years, Upper Deck representatives have witnessed nearly a
half million autographs by some of the world’s leading athletes including mega
star Jordan. "I get a lot of letters from consumers who have bought forged
items" said Jordan. "They are basically unhappy because they’ve
discovered the signature is a fake. PenCam will help cut down on a lot of these
forgeries."
Consumers receive a certificate of authenticity that bears a numbered
hologram that matches the hologram affixed to the item and assigned to the
digital file. Upper Deck launched its memorabilia division Upper Deck
Authenticated in 1992 in the wake of a forgery-laden marketplace. Almost
immediately, the company’s patented five-step authentication process became
the industry standard for authenticity.
BUSINESS WIRE