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Posted By: Corey R. Shanus

In regard to the issue of uniqueness, I have never had reason to doubt that MHCC really did not know of the existence of another one when they wrote their catalog description. While at the end of the day I think they could have performed their due diligence a bit better and been a bit more careful in how they described the card's scarcity, their actions in this regard is not what triggered this thread. I also agree with you that one would think that bidders, especially those prepared to pay that kind of money, should reasonably know that there is really no way of knowing how many are out there and that another one could turn up at any time, especially with the publicity generated by a staggering reported realized price.

My agreement that a bidder would not be acting reasonably by believing the card is unique, coupled with a poster on this Board coming out before the close of the auction and flat out saying he knew of the existence of another one, is one reason I responded so skeptically to the underbidder, an experienced dealer at that, using the uniqueness argument as a principal justification for going as high as he did in the MHCC auction but then rejecting the opportunity to buy the Mastro one when it was privately offered.