As the popularity of professional sports has grown over the years, so has the demand for autographed collectibles. To forgers, public interest in sports signifies a golden opportunity to make a buck off unsuspecting fans. Upper Deck recognized the problem and introduced a solution when they established Upper Deck Authenticated in 1992 and created the first authentication system in the industry. The mission was to create a source that sports fans could trust for genuine autographed sports memorabilia. 

At the heart of the company's patented five-step authentication process is the company's policy that an Upper Deck representative must witness each autograph signed by any one of the high-profile athletes with whom it has a relationship. The five-step process goes like this:

1. 1. An Upper Deck Authenticated representative witnesses every autograph. After all, observation is the ONLY WAY to truly guarantee authenticity;
2. 2. A record of the autograph session is signed by both the athlete and the UDA official and is stored in a secure permanent file;
3. 3. An Upper Deck Authenticated serial numbered hologram is affixed to each signed piece of memorabilia;
4. 4. A certificate of authenticity is assigned to every piece of memorabilia and includes a matching hologram to the one affixed to the item;
5. 5. Every piece of signed memorabilia is packaged with a registration card. The owner has the opportunity to register the item with Upper Deck Authenticated. If for some reason the item is sold and/or transferred to a new owner, a full detailed record of the item's history is readily available.

PenCam – Some items may also be authenticated using this method.

PenCam™ is a pen with a tiny video camera that is encased in a special housing and has circuitry and software that enables it to wirelessly record visual images. As the athlete signs his autograph, the signature is captured electronically and automatically saved to a computer file. The digital file, which bears the same unique number as a hologram that will appear on the memorabilia item, is available for viewing on-line, along with a digital jpeg image of the item. The web site also provides a description of the item and information about when the signing took place. 

All orders come with an individually numbered; tamper evident hologram from Mounted Memories. To ensure authenticity, the hologram can be reviewed online here. This process helps to ensure that the product purchased is authentic and eliminates any possibility of duplication or fraud.  Mounted Memories has been in business since 1989.  Since then they have grown from a 500 square foot area in the back of a baseball card shop to a 50,000 square foot facility in Sunrise, Florida with another satellite office in Denver, Colorado serving their west coast customers.  They are one of the most respected companies in the sports memorabilia business.