The January edition autographed cards released by The Private Collection were not numbered; nor did they have any embossment indicating authenticity. We at First State Comics do our best to gather cards from the most reliable sources, but even we aren't 100% foolproof. Some autographs may be forged, while others can be signed by the playmate at a convention. The February cards released by Sports Time are in the same boat, but they are numbered (written in). With the March edition, all autograph cards have a foil stamp of authenticity. You'll also notice that many autographs look different from the centerfold autographs in playboy magazines. The explanation for this I've heard is: the editors at Playboy have the Playmates sign their autograph 20 or 30 times on acetate and pick the best. At this time, the Playmates are carefully signing their autographs and have plenty of room to do it. With the trading cards, the Playmates must sign multiple thousands of them and have a deadline to do so; hence, the autographs may look slightly different. Also, don't forget to take into account what some sports stars have been doing: hiring people to sign their name for them. I'm not saying the Playmates are doing this, as this is fraud. I just hope they're not! ;-)