Sports Memorabilia Auction Concerns & Knowledge

Welcome to SMACK an Auction Watch Page. This page is meant to educate and warn buyers of possibly fraudelent memorabilia auctions listed on the internet everyday. You are welcome to have us review and post auctions so that others maybe warned. If you as a seller have been mentioned please feel free to defend yourself. Disclaimer: Anything posted here is an opinion and in no way represents that what is being offered for sale is fake, just questionable. Before You Bid Arm Yourself With Knowledge !

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

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.


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