Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith Teams Up to Launch Authentication for Sports Memorabilia

eBay, one of the world’s most dynamic marketplaces, is partnering with PROVA Group and founder Emmitt Smith to officially offer its witnessed authentication services to the marketplace’s 182 million global shoppers. Starting today, sellers can use PROVA Group’s services to verify their items as legitimate, and buyers can rest assured they are getting exactly what they pay for. To further demonstrate the authenticity and legitimacy of PROVA Group’s SmarTag™ technology, the partners are hosting an exclusive auction event at ebay.com/Emmitt22, now through 7pm PT on August 5, featuring a breadth of verified sports cards and memorabilia from Smith’s own personal collection.

A majority of proceeds will go to Smith’s charitable organization, Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities, and their efforts to support underserved children with a focus on leadership development, school readiness and college scholarships.

“By partnering with PROVA Group, eBay is taking collector confidence to a whole new level by ensuring the value and historical information associated with each PROVA-tagged collectible is legit,” said Smith. “The marketplace’s values of trust, value and selection squarely align with PROVA Group’s, and it was only natural to bring our verification services to eBay’s customers. Together with eBay, we can connect millions of sports memorabilia enthusiasts with an amazing selection of one-of-a-kind collectibles verified by our service.”

“As a preferred shopping destination for collectors of sports memorabilia looking for a wide variety of rare and desirable inventory, it’s incredibly important to eBay that we can verify those items are legitimate,” said Steve Halupka, Vertical Manager, Sports Memorabilia at eBay. “This commitment is shared by Mr. Smith and the PROVA Group team, and together, with PROVA Group’s modern witnessed authentication process, we’re able to expand eBay’s authentication services and a shopper’s confidence when they turn to us for that special addition to their collection.”

In addition to finding a piece of football history, shoppers can rest assured they are supporting a good cause, as proceeds go to sustaining programs that are at the forefront of Smith’s charitable organization, Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities.

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