ALERT!!! Sellers To Be Concerned About LIST

In our on going efforts to keep you informed of the questionable card board dealers out there, we will provide a list of the sellers offering dubious merchandise. Again to remind you, we are not making claims that the cards for sale, or that have been sold by these dealers are not genuine, but are very questionable. To further that effort we also provide the name of the buyer of closed auctions of this material so that if you run across it being resold you know to question it’s validity before bidding. This list will be updated as much as possible so check back…

1. Seller: starsforless
1952 TOPPS MICKEY MANTLE #311 Item number: 5163171981
Buyer: greensleeves2003
1952 TOPPS MICKEY MANTLE #311 Item number: 5163433092 Buyer: Private
1952 TOPPS MICKEY MANTLE #311 Item number: 5164915579
Buyer: brewcrew90
1952 TOPPS MICKEY MANTLE #311 Item number: 5165328246
Buyer: 516tommy
1952 TOPPS MICKEY MANTLE #311 Item number: 5165726404
Buyer: blaclabl
1933 GOUDEY BABE RUTH #53 Item number: 5166209603
Buyer: blaclabl
2. Seller: akanugget
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Item number: 5170311707
Purchased similar card from starsforless on 2/18/05 Item number 5167193527
3. Seller: blaclabl
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle RC #311 Item number: 5170276171
Purchased similar card from starsforless on 2/15/05 Item number: 5165726404
1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 No Reserve Item number: 5170278230
Purchased similar card from starsforless 2/15/05 Item number: 5166209603
4. Seller: newcer
1954 HANK AARON ROOKIE Item number: 5169950978
Purchased similar card from starsforless on 2/22/05 Item number: 5168491416
5. Seller: themike34
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 Item number: 5168261414
Purchased a Gehrig card from starsforless on 2/24/05 Item number: 5169077159 Coincidence?
6. Seller: monty7198
1909 T206 HONUS WAGNER Item number 5170366854
He got it in a shoe box from an old man?
(Hint) There are 50-75 known original examples of this card

Before You Bid Arm Yourself With Knowledge !

last updated 2/27/05 @ 1.53pmCST

A Study: Vintage Unsearched Wax Packs Coincidence?

In one of the oldest scams in the hobby, some sleazy sellers elect to buy old wax wrappers and place commons in them re-seal them and pawn them off as “Vintage Unopened Wax Packs”. Snooping around last month one of our eBay board members found this seller, treasureseeker52296 and reported their activity. Upon further investigation this is what I found. Of course the person in question is no longer a registered eBay user under that name at least, but don’t be surprised if they resurface under another ID.

The following are the items that our seller purchased over the last 30 days.

[Link]1970’s Topps Baseball Wrappers
[Link] 1979 Topps Football Wrappers
[Link]1977-78 OPC Hockey Set Lot 320 Diff. + 7 Wax Wrappers
[Link]1977-78 Topps Hockey Set Lot of 1300 Mint Cards

These are the types of items they sold.

[Link]1978-79 Topps Basketball Unopened Wax Packs
[Link]1972 Topps Baseball Complete Unopened Wax Box
[Link] 1976-77 Topps Hockey Unopened Wax Box
[Link] 1971 Topps Football Unopened Wax Pack

Coincidence or questionable? You be the Judge.

Here is a classic case where the consumer by doing a little homework and researching the sellers recent activities, would have had a reasonable doubt as to weather or not to bid on unopened wax packs from this seller.

Vintage Sports Card Buying On The Net 101

As I mentioned in my last post once a new card collector has gained a little experience and becomes hooked on this hobby, they usually turn their collecting interests towards “ Vintage Sports Cards”. The unfortunate part is that around every corner there are opportunists waiting to take their money. This is a wonderful hobby and the collecting of Vintage Sports Materials is a great way to own a piece of Americana. Don't let the scammers scare you away from the hobby, just take precautions and you'll be fine.

The cards that most commonly are counterfeited in the hobby include: 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie, T206 Honus Wagner, and the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. These cards represent the Holy Grail of Vintage card collecting and one should approach buying them on the net with extreme caution. They are offered on a daily basis all you have to do is a search. Here is a search I did for completed auctions for the (click following text to see results) 1952 TOPPS MICKEY MANTLE #311 ROOKIE . As you can see over the last 30 days one seller has cornered the market on these. Can you explain to me how this person came to own this many Near Mint examples of a card that books for $18,000, and there is no news of it in any of the major sports collecting publications? If you happen to do a search on this seller you will also find that they have also sold several copies of the 33 Goudey Ruth and Lajoie. Makes a person wonder.

If you follow these simple rules before buying a Vintage Card on an internet auction you are likely not to get ripped off.

1. Never buy from a seller that has private Feedback. Why would an honest seller want to hide their feedback?
2. Never bid on an auction where the buyer’s ID is kept private. The other bidders are likely to be shills.
3. Never buy from a seller that does not have a return policy. Honest dealers will always stand behind their products.
4. If buying a graded card make sure it comes in one of these holders PSA, BGS, BVG, SGC, or GAI any other companies grading vintage cards just do not offer the expertise of the companies mentioned.
5. Research your seller do as much homework as you can on the seller you are buying from.
6. Seek a second opinion. There are plenty of discussion boards all over the net for people interested in collecting Vintage Cards.
7. If your not sure don’t buy there will always be another card.

T206 Nap Lajoie Graded 0 by Beckett's

Here is another example of a questionable auction on eBay. Most people who enter the hobby start collecting modern era cards, be it of a favorite player or team. Eventually what happens is they learn a little and then find themselves wanting to collect vintage cards. The T206 Tobacco cards are the Rolls Royce of Vintage Cards along with the 1933 Goudey set, and the 1952 Topps set. Unfortunately these sets have been reproduced over the years and this fact gives liscense to many shady dealers to sell their junk to unsuspecting novice buyers.

In this auction 5166648717 the seller states that this card has been graded by BGS (Beckett) as 0, becuase of a pressed crease. A quick jump over to Beckett's would reveal that there is no such grade given by them. If Beckett's where to return the card as ungradeable it would be for simple reasons, the card in question is a fake or it is altered. Vintage cards are graded with creases and tears all the time, as in this example 5168458513

You be the judge, questionable?

What a great Seller

Oldliz is the eBay Power Seller.....

I was shocked to see this person finally is going to get the ebay axe. She and her husband and son have been selling "autographed baseballs". I knew before buying from them it was going to be a forgery. Their M.O. was always the same, Private auctions, issue their own COA, NO PHOTOs and the cheapest prices on ebay (and many were the real hard ones that don't do signing shows). Because they used the USPS for delivery, my postmaster general called her's and she ended up in court, settled the case out of court for $3,000 fine and had to give me a real Frank Robinson signed baseball. Ebay was informed about the results of the court (by me) and took no action. They remained Power Sellers! Click on the title "What a great Seller" to see their awful feedback!

Looking at their recent feedback, surely this time they'll be gone!

Same Seller Different Card Same Scam?

Well seems like our seller is busy here is another great card you can bid on.

(note) click the auction numbers below they are links to the auctions.

5167708135

Now who did he buy it from ?

5166209603

1952 Topps Mantle what do you think?

Well it did'nt take long to find the first fishy auction. This seller is auctioning this 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie.

(note) click the auction numbers below they are links to the auctions.

5167702940

Now how is it that you own a card that is apparently in a very high grade condition and not send it off to PSA/BGS or any other reputable grader for grading? I'll tell you why. Could it be that on Feb 16,2005 he purchased this

5165726404
You tell me?

eBay fakes and fraud

Welcome to the auction watch page for sports memorabilia. I have chosen to create this page because in eBay's infinite wisdom, we as consumers are not allowed to post what are obvious fraudulent auctions which are taking place on that site and others on a daily basis. If you do happen to post on the sports memorabilia board there you are subject, to having your post removed and possibly having your account suspended. I will remind anyone reading on this site that what is posted is an opinion and in no way represents that sellers of items posted are selling fakes. If you are a seller that is mentioned here you are more than welcome to defend your product offering and inform the readers what makes your product geniune.