Posted By:
Julie Vognarl) four years ago, I bought through the mail a T202, "Birmingham gets To Third," ex-mint, from E and R. I don't know whether I talked to Ron or some other person. When the card arrived (it was $575--it has Walter Johnson on one end, one of only 2 in the set), there was a good-sized crease up the cetner--not all the way up, but a good way up. I called E and R, and told them.
"It must have happened in the mail," said the man.
It did NOT happen in the mail, not in the last 50 years.
I was so disgusted, I hung up, kept the card, last year replaced it with a SGC 80 (look ma, no creases!), and sold the E and R one to mark Macrae for vg/ex-ex.
2) The other day, I was talking to Nacho at kit Young cards, and he told me Ron Vitro had some Scrapps, which he knew i collected. I asked who that was, and he told me. Well, time to give them another chance. I called E and R and spoke to Ron; he called me back that night with one Scrapps i needed. At first he told me it was "Kid" Gleason--I pointed out that it couldn't be, since Kid had never been in the American Association, and this was an 1888 St. Louis player. He agreed quickly. He first said the card was "
ractically perfect,' and then suddenly said it was ex-mint. At first, he said it was $575, and then he said it was $550. I gave him creditcard number, he sent card. The case, when the card came, said "$650."
I was quite disappointed, but wanted mark macrae to look at it, because I thought I might be prejudiced. The card had a 1/4 to 1/2 inch tear in Gleason's right shoulder, a big bend in the neck, and a blistered and somewhat discolored mustache. Mark took one look at the tear, and said 'you can't call a torn card ex-mint, or even vg+. Send it back. Pass."
So I called ("A TEAR?"--I was afraid he was going to say it must have happened in the mail, but he didn't.) I said, mark macrae--he told me i could use his name--told me to send it back. I'm sending it back, with a letter, ending
"You guys have a wonderful reputation; why can't I profit from it?"