http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/ite...est-drops.html
June 12, 2009
Sports Collector's Digest drops major advertiser
by Michael O'Keeffe
Here's one sign that the scandal-stained sports memorabilia biz is getting serious about cleaning up its act: Sports Collector's Digest, the hobby Bible, will stop accepting advertising from Coaches Corner, one of its biggest advertisers.
Collectors and memorabilia industry leaders have complained about Coaches Corner for years, saying the autographed balls, game-used bats and other memorabilia offered by the Souderton, Pa., auction house appears fraudulent and doesn't pass the sniff test.
The marketplace certainly doesn't have much respect for the company's offerings. As the Daily News reported in a story last year, prices for items sold by Coaches Corner are often a fraction of the prices for similar items offered by other auction houses. In a January 2007 Coaches Corner auction, a Josh Gibson-signed ball sold for $1,158, a real steal, since the Negro League star's autograph is very rare and expensive. Robert Edward Auctions, meanwhile, sold a Josh Gibson postcard for $81,000.
Coaches Corner executives did not return calls; SCD publisher Dean Listle declined comment.
Robert Edward Auctions president Rob Lifson was one of those who urged SCD to purge Coaches Corner from its pages. "I think there was a groundswell of opinion that forced them to do something," Lifson said.