Colossal Auctions?

[mighty bombjack]

http://www.colossalauctions.net/contact.html

Some pretty crazy stuff there, especially on the bottom of the page in the "future lots" section. Anyone heard of them? This doesn't look as blatantly bad as Coaches, but the sheer number of high-end and rare stuff is raising a lot of red flags for me.

Opinions?

[David Atkatz]

Garbage.

[Scott Garner]

Bombjack,
There is also an eBay seller selling a supposed Christy Mathewson check cut with a Colossal Auctions COA. Mathewson sigs must be falling out of trees!! As David stated, just more crap Most of these signatures look like they were signed with the same fountain pen.
Here is what the Mathewson check cut on eBay looks like:

[barrysloate]

Did you see lot #40, the 1932 Yankees signed team ball? The ball shows significant wear, yet somehow every signature is a gem mint 10 out of 10. Crap.

[Vintagedegu]

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[gnaz01]

OMG!!! Roaches by another name!! If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, THIS AIN'T NO DUCK!!!! Better you DUCK from this auction! The only sig I saw missing is from the Messiah himself!

[benjulmag]

Their "return policy":

Colossal Auctions certification is all you'll need to ensure the authenticity of your item.

We will issue a COA if applicable, and stand behind every autograph sold. Our money

back guarantee entitles the winning bidder to receive a full refund of the purchase price, after meeting certain criteria. First, a written statement must be submitted by a reputable forensic examiner, stating the reasons why he did not wish to render an opinion as to the authenticity of the submitted item. Next we reserve the right to challenge the findings by submitting the same autograph to another independent third party forensic examiner.



If the forensic examiner we chose agrees that the item is uncertifiable, we will issue the winning bidder a full refund.

If the forensic examiner we chose deems the autograph as genuine, contrary to your examiner, and issues a COA

to that effect, we will accept his opinion as validation that the autograph is genuine. In that case, at our discretion, we will not offer a refund. However, we will offer the new COA free of charge with no fees incurred for the additional authentication service provided. Another option would be to consign it in our next scheduled auction.



We assume no liability on any loss allegedly sustained resulting from a differing opinion by any other independent third party authenticator on any autograph that is deemed genuine by any other third party authenticator.

Translated: Only an absolute moron would bid in their auctions.

EDITED TO ADD that since Coaches Corner seems to be making money and nobody has stepped up to stop them, why should anybody be surprised that others would try to emulate their business model?

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by gnaz01

OMG!!! Roaches by another name!! If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, THIS AIN'T NO DUCK!!!! Better you DUCK from this auction! The only sig I saw missing is from the Messiah himself!

This also looks strangely like the inventory of Mr. Pris*o....
Hmmm..........................

[mighty bombjack]

Scott-I saw that Mathewson on ebay, which brought me to the Collossal website. Now that I am home and can look at some of the lots more closely, I have to agree that the whole thing is laughable (though that is where I was leaning from the get-go).

A look at the Ed Plank check (yeah, ED PLANK, you see that auto everyday) shows an auto that is not only much darker than any of the other writing on the check, but that has ink blots indicating that is was drawn slowly. Akin to that is the Honus Wagner postcard, which was clearly drawn slowly.

There is also a Frank Chance (among numerous other Christmas cards), multiple Mathewsons and Ansons, as well as about 20 Ruth autos, all with no third party authentication. Whatever you think of PSA/DNA and/or JSA, there is clearly an advantage to selling with these certs, especially so with autos as rare as these. Why don't any of these have said certs? These people are clearly emulating Coaches Corner.

My name is Wayne Walker, by the way.

[sycks22]

After laughing at the scans of the 32 Yankees ball I thought "maybe there's a Ruth / Gehrig auto bat" and to my dismay surprise surprise there was one. How do auction houses like this not go to jail?

[GrayGhost]

Total Garbage again. Prob from the same consignors as coaches

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Scott-I saw that Mathewson on ebay, which brought me to the Collossal website. Now that I am home and can look at some of the lots more closely, I have to agree that the whole thing is laughable (though that is where I was leaning from the get-go).

A look at the Ed Plank check (yeah, ED PLANK, you see that auto everyday) shows an auto that is not only much darker than any of the other writing on the check, but that has ink blots indicating that is was drawn slowly. Akin to that is the Honus Wagner postcard, which was clearly drawn slowly.

There is also a Frank Chance (among numerous other Christmas cards), multiple Mathewsons and Ansons, as well as about 20 Ruth autos, all with no third party authentication. Whatever you think of PSA/DNA and/or JSA, there is clearly an advantage to selling with these certs, especially so with autos as rare as these. Why don't any of these have said certs? These people are clearly emulating Coaches Corner.

My name is Wayne Walker, by the way.

Hi Wayne,
Nice to know your real name so I don't have to call you Bombjack!

[GrayGhost]

I wish I could see closeup scan of some of the crap, esp the Plank check. It just shows small pics of items to me.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

I wish I could see closeup scan of some of the crap, esp the Plank check. It just shows small pics of items to me.

Hmmm, I went there to see if I could post the check here, but it seems that all of the auto photos have been removed (at least temporarily).

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Hmmm, I went there to see if I could post the check here, but it seems that all of the auto photos have been removed (at least temporarily).

Here is a quote from the website:
"We will email you scans of lots you may be interested in bidding on."

Wow!! What a way to run an auction.
Why not just say "we are afraid to show scans of our items due to all the criticism we are getting, so if you care to bid, sucka, then just let us know."
I cannot even find any company address for Colossal Auctions on the website.
Oops, there is an address on the auctions page, sorry about that and thanks to Rob Lifson for pointing that out to me.
And those refund on autographs terms are just too funny, reads like Larry David wrote them.
"you can get a forensic, or anyone, to examine the autograph we just sold you, but if your authenticator does not like it, we can send it to our choice of forensic (who could that be??) and if that forensic says it is good than our forensic wins."
I think this auction site should emulate some other auction sites and also start selling jewelry, shirts, tube socks and other quality items.
Unreal.

[mschwade]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

These people are clearly emulating Coaches Corner.

Colossal Coaches Corner!

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

Here is a quote from the website:
"We will email you scans of lots you may be interested in bidding on."

Wow!! What a way to run an auction.
Why not just say "we are afraid to show scans of our items due to all the criticism we are getting, so if you care to bid, sucka, then just let us know."
I cannot even find any company address for Colossal Auctions on the website.
And those refund on autographs terms are just too funny, reads like Larry David wrote them.
Unreal.

Wow, they really did take down the auto photos, but the photos of non-auto stuff have stayed up. That sure instills confidence, no?

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

This also looks strangely like the inventory of Mr. Pris*o....
Hmmm..........................

I agree, Scott. I was just looking at the Christy Mathewson cut on their home page and that's the first thing that came to mind.

[barrysloate]

What their return policy really says is don't expect to ever actually get a refund, because no matter what your forensic expert says, we will find one who will say it's good. And once that happens, you are SOOL.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

What their return policy really says is don't expect to ever actually get a refund, because no matter what your forensic expert says, we will find one who will say it's good. And once that happens, you are SOOL.

So Barry, what you're saying is, don't make a COLOSSAL mistake, right?

[barrysloate]

Yep...run the other way as fast as possible!

[steve B]

Wow, you can't even see the descriptions of the autographed stuff. What a bizarre marketing scheme.

Was Mathewson ever the cashier of a bank? If not why was he signing as cashier?

Steve B

[Rich Klein]

In many cases; just a little description would help their prices. I looked at that lot of the 61 Fleers which were PSA graded. Nothing wrong with adding a little text as to the player's name and the grade. I did not see any qualifiers, but in either case, legit grading company, legit cards. Add some detail and make yourself some money

Rich

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by steve B

Wow, you can't even see the descriptions of the autographed stuff. What a bizarre marketing scheme.

Was Mathewson ever the cashier of a bank? If not why was he signing as cashier?

Steve B

"Mathewson" signed as cashier because that is the only old check that they could find when Matty had his private signing session.
FYI - He still holds the line on his pricing. $12 for flats, $20 for baseballs.
Matty does not believe in overcharging for his autograph.
This business and website is one of the stranger things in this hobby/business and that is saying something.

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

"Mathewson" signed as cashier because that is the only old check that they could find when Matty had his private signing session.
FYI - He still holds the line on his pricing. $12 for flats, $20 for baseballs.
Matty does not believe in overcharging for his autograph.

Still every bit the Christian Gentleman...

Tom C

[mighty bombjack]

Here is a link to the prices from their last auction. Ruth and Mathewson autos for under 400 bucks! Hughie Jennings for 150! Anson and Plank for 300 each! "J. Collins and J. Kelly" lot for 225 total!

Unreal prices for according autographs. What an interesting website.

http://www.colossalauctions.net/Past-auction.html

[GrayGhost]

Originally Posted by steve B

Wow, you can't even see the descriptions of the autographed stuff. What a bizarre marketing scheme.

Was Mathewson ever the cashier of a bank? If not why was he signing as cashier?

Steve B

[baseballart]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

I am still waiting to bid on a Mathewson signed checkers piece

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Bombjack,
There is also an eBay seller selling a supposed Christy Mathewson check cut with a Colossal Auctions COA. Mathewson sigs must be falling out of trees!! As David stated, just more crap Most of these signatures look like they were signed with the same fountain pen.
Here is what the Mathewson check cut on eBay looks like:

This Mathewson has been removed from ebay.

[D. Bergin]

They're like a shyer, more coy version of Coach's Corner.

Maybe we'll show you a blurry photo of a bad autograph.........and maybe we won't. How bad do you want it?

I had several dates like this in High School. They never ended well.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by baseballart

I am still waiting to bid on a Mathewson signed checkers piece

Max,
You have to ask for these things when you want them. They just don't appear out of thin air .
Send a letter to Colossal and I bet you can have one in a few days .
Matty was also a poker player, I am going to write to Colossal now and ask for a Matty signed Ace of Hearts.

[e107collector]

Hauls of Shame just posted a new thread on the new auction house.

Tony

[sylbry]

Type their address into Google Maps.

4396 Dixie Hwy
Waterford, MI 48329

The place is called Colossal Closeouts and is pretty much a thrift store in a strip mall.

Edited to add:

Colossal Closeouts is now open at 4396 Dixie Hwy. in the retail center on the northwest corner of Dixie and Sashabaw in Waterford Township, adjacent to Papa Romano’s and Rite-Aid.

The store purchases closeouts and liquidations of high-quality merchandise including new Holloway brand jackets, golf shirts, sport pants, bags, hoodies, sweats, stadium blankets and more at low prices.

Colossal also sells jewelry, brand name petites, plus sizes, military wear, Michigan colleges apparel and trendy fashion accessories for men, women, teens and young adults.

The store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, call 248-461-6170.

From: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...4133674977.txt

And don't forget to check out their ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/ColossalCloseouts

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by sylbry

Type their address into Google Maps.

4396 Dixie Hwy
Waterford, MI 48329

The place is called Colossal Closeouts and is pretty much a thrift store in a strip mall.

Edited to add:

Colossal Closeouts is now open at 4396 Dixie Hwy. in the retail center on the northwest corner of Dixie and Sashabaw in Waterford Township, adjacent to Papa Romano’s and Rite-Aid.

The store purchases closeouts and liquidations of high-quality merchandise including new Holloway brand jackets, golf shirts, sport pants, bags, hoodies, sweats, stadium blankets and more at low prices.

Colossal also sells jewelry, brand name petites, plus sizes, military wear, Michigan colleges apparel and trendy fashion accessories for men, women, teens and young adults.

The store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, call 248-461-6170.

From: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/artic...4133674977.txt

And don't forget to check out their ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/ColossalCloseouts

Sweet!! That's who I want to buy my vintage Matty, Babe and Lou Gehrig signed items from. Some company that specializes in blowing out cheezy unsellable merchandise. Give me a ****ing break!

[sylbry]

From another web search on Colossal Auctions:

35 YEARS EXPERIENCE AS MICHIGAN'S PREMIERE SPORTS CARD AND COLLECTIBLES DEALER. 3 TIME SPONSOR OF THE NATIONAL SPORTS COLLECTORS CONVENTION. PROMOTER OF OVER 300 SPORTS CARD AND COLLECTIBLES SHOWS.

Reverse phone lookup brings you to a Barbara J Fisher. Any one heard of her?

This person appears to be involved as well.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sports..._edit_sections

Rick Behar is the owner.

http://www.manta.com/c/mmdzs5z/sportscard-central

[RichardSimon]

This is on the Colossal website:

"There are some authenticators who cater to major auction houses extensively. They get more visibility and recognition when their company name is listed in the auction catalogs. These auction sites and venues choose
to allow only a few of these selected high profile authenticators to be associated with their collectibles. As such, many collectors are more familiar with those high profile authenticators, and they perceive signatures authenticated by them to be more credible, and therefore more valuable. It is unfortunate that this view is common in the field of authentication, because being a familiar name may enhance the authenticator's reputation, but certainly doesn't mean they are the best in the business. So if you choose to use an alternate authenticator, consider your options and choose wisely.
Please note that eBay policy allows only a select few authenticator's COA associated with autographs sold there.
Most autographed items will be delisted if they don't have the appropriate COA."


--
Yet when their return policy was questioned via e mail, Rick Be from Colossal stated in an e mail:

"We issue our own COA with a 100% money back guarantee. If you wanted to get a another third party opinion, we would suggest using AAU, ACE or Morales Forensics. If you got a negative opinion from any 3rd party authenticator you choose, we have the right to challenge that with a different 3rd party authentication also. We would probably choose Morales Forensics."

So they are "educating" the collector about various COA's on ebay yet they would probably choose a 3rd party authenticator who is on the ebay banned list.
To sum it up,, if you buy something from them and you send it to PSA, JSA, me, David, Keating or anyone else and we do not think it is authentic then in order for you to get a refund, you have to wait for them to send the item to someone else. That would probably be Morales Forensics, and if MF says it is authentic then you are the owner of it, along with a COA from MF and a turndown letter from another 3rd party authenticator.

[Vintagedegu]

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[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Vintagedegu

He also added ACE and a couple others when I asked.

Organized crime. Hopefully something like this will finally get the FBI involved with this ring of scumbags.

[benjulmag]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

Organized crime. Hopefully something like this will finally get the FBI involved with this ring of scumbags.

+1

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

we would suggest using AAU, ACE or Morales Forensics.

I'm sure they would!

What a joke.

[travrosty]

Their suspicious behavior and actions notwithstanding, The following paragraph they posted IS true, though.



"There are some authenticators who cater to major auction houses extensively. They get more visibility and recognition when their company name is listed in the auction catalogs.

These auction sites and venues choose to allow only a few of these selected high profile authenticators to be associated with their collectibles. As such, many collectors are more familiar with those high profile authenticators, and they perceive signatures authenticated by them to be more credible, and therefore more valuable.

It is unfortunate that this view is common in the field of authentication, because being a familiar name may enhance the authenticator's reputation, but certainly doesn't mean they are the best in the business.

So if you choose to use an alternate authenticator, consider your options and choose wisely.

Please note that eBay policy allows only a select few authenticator's COA associated with autographs sold there.

Most autographed items will be delisted if they don't have the appropriate COA."

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by travrosty

Most autographed items will be delisted if they don't have the appropriate COA."

That is totally untrue, as we all know.
You do not have to have a COA from PSA or JSA to sell on ebay.

[ruth-gehrig]

yeah as someone has already brought up, if it's worked for another auction company why wouldn't it work for this one?

[travrosty]

A few dealers I know were forced to either get ALL their stuff either certed by one of the three companies on ebay's pre-approved list or else they could not list the items on ebay. either pay for the sticker or get off ebay. it has happened.

[RichardSimon]

I would assume and just guess that those companies might have been selling questionable items and ebay made their selling conditional on approval by one of the authentication companies.
Everybody here knows I have no love lost for the authentication companies but lets keep our facts straight here.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by travrosty

A few dealers I know were forced to either get ALL their stuff either certed by one of the three companies on ebay's pre-approved list or else they could not list the items on ebay. either pay for the sticker or get off ebay. it has happened.

Travis, maybe those "few dealers" you refer to can come here on Net54 and tell us their story.

[travrosty]

there is another related point that is important, and that anything that gets a psa or jsa cert cannot be booted off of ebay, even if it is obviously fake. And that is just as concerning as anything else.

I have seen both a jsa and psa certed 8 x 10 signed joe louis photograph, (400 dollar plus items), both totally bogus, that wouldnt get taken off of ebay because they have a coa from an ebay pre-approved authenticator. i could show them my joe louis signature study all day long and go point by point and ebay isn't going to do anything.

that's a big problem too. so even more problematic than items requiring jsa or psa to sell on ebay are items that are jsa or psa but fake but can't be taken off ebay. ebay is a terribly flawed system.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by travrosty

there is another related point that is important, and that anything that gets a psa or jsa cert cannot be booted off of ebay, even if it is obviously fake. And that is just as concerning as anything else.

I have seen both a jsa and psa certed 8 x 10 signed joe louis photograph, (400 dollar plus items), both totally bogus, that wouldnt get taken off of ebay because they have a coa from an ebay pre-approved authenticator. i could show them my joe louis signature study all day long and go point by point and ebay isn't going to do anything.

that's a big problem too. so even more problematic than items requiring jsa or psa to sell on ebay are items that are jsa or psa but fake but can't be taken off ebay. ebay is a terribly flawed system.

You are unfortunately correct.

[slidekellyslide]

I've sold more than a few autographs on ebay...at least a dozen minor league team signed balls, a 1930's Brooklyn Dodgers team signed ball, a Kennesaw Landis signed document, and signed letter, a Lefty Gomez single signed ball...NEVER have I had a single one of them certified by anyone. I simply guaranteed they would get a cert or your money back...never got a single autograph back.

[drc]

For honest sellers of authentic autographs on eBay, the following go a long way: 1) Big clear images-- give bidders (many knowledgeable, many knowing what a real versus fake Nolan Ryan or Dizzy Dean or Joe DiMaggio signature looks like) a good look and give bidders confidence in you as they see you're wiling to give an up close look, 2) Good return/authenticity guarantee. Big clear images can never be underestimated. A good feedback/reputation as a seller also helps the cause.