Some things or documents -- some things and documents with certain characteristics or appearances -- do not have to be authenticated: some things or documents are "self-authenticating."

United States v. Hebeka, 25 F.3d 287, 291 (6th Cir. 1994) (reversing and vacating conviction for food stamp fraud because, even though accused's prior food stamp fraud conviction established accused's motive for setting up the sham sale of his business, the trial court erred in entering separate...Another act, wrong, or crime is admissible to show a motive for some alleged conduct on a particular occasion.

Fed. R. Evid. 804(b)(1) advisory committee's note ("The common law did not limit the admissibility of former testimony to that given in an earlier trial of the same case, although it did require identity of issues as a means of insuring that the former handling of the witness was the equivalent of what would now be done if the opportunity...The hearsay exception for former testimony can apply even if the issues in the former proceeding were not the same or were not substantially the same as the issues in the proceeding in which the former testimony is offered.

Cf. United States v. Gwathney, 465 F.3d 1133, 1140-1142 (10th Cir. 2006) (holding that the trial court erroneously admitted Western Union's response to the DEA's subpoena as a business record exception because the proper foundation....There is a hearsay exception for a memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, in any form, of acts, events, conditions, opinions, or diagnoses, made at or near the time by, or from information transmitted by, a person with knowledge, if kept in the course of a regularly conducted activity of a business, institution, association, profession, occupation, or calling if it was the regular practice of that business, institution, association, profession, occupation, or calling to make the memorandum, report, record or data compilation, unless the source of information or the method or circumstances of preparation indicate lack of trustworthiness.