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Autograph Please

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DQI Bureau
New Update

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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Golf superstar Tiger Woods signs a series of pin flags using PenCamTM, The Upper Deck Company’s authentication device. Software inside the pen captures an electronic video image of each signature and wirelessly transmits it to a computer hard drive

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."

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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

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