Quote:
Originally Posted by Volod
It's disturbing that there are apparently so many with thousands to spend who have so little concern for authentication of an expensive item that is commonly counterfeited. Are well-heeled neophyte collectors - or dealers - suffering from the delusion that anything in a graded slab must be genuine? If so, it reveals one of the biggest problems with the grading industry. Or, is it just a case of PT Barnum grinning at us from his grave?  |
Precisely! I've confronted dealers on ebay in the past about selling fake Mantles, and they all respond the same way, that it's been authenticated and slabbed. It must be real. It doesn't enter into their minds that you can crack a slab and steal a real ID number. It's a classic case of buying the plastic not the card. I mean, these fakes aren't that good. The team logo is totally wrong, and far too good...it resembles a '54 Topps logo really. I've never owned or even seen a real '52 Topps mantle, yet I can spot these fakes in two seconds, because I've bothered to study the real ones online.