Colossal Auctions?
 

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?

Garbage.

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 :p 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:

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.

-

OMG!!! :eek::eek: 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! :D

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?

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

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.

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?

Total Garbage again. Prob from the same consignors as coaches

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

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).

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.

Colossal Coaches Corner!

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

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.

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? :D

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

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? :D

Steve B

And on items which are legit (Cards)
 

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

"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.

Still every bit the Christian Gentleman...

Tom C

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

:eek::p:p:o:o

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

This Mathewson has been removed from ebay.

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. :D

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.

Colossal
 

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

Tony

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! :p

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

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.

-

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

+1

I'm sure they would!

What a joke.

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."

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Likewise... I've sold about 45 - 50 autographed pieces on ebay. Most without a Cert or LOA of any kind. Have never had a return or any issues with ebay.

I've sold a number of autographs without COAs on eBay (I've also sold with COAs) and have never had any returned or rejected. Though I usually get my autographs from reliable sources (ala Mike Gutierrez Auctions, SCGaynor bulk lots), state that provenance and have had a good enough feedback to back that up. Again, with big clear images so the potential bidders can themselves judge.

I am interested in the Colossal prices realized list. Should be a good read.

I just went and looked at it again. It's hilarious.

Well, they are just trying to keep it affordable for the average Joe. That's why they don't bother with any of those over-rated services that the big auction houses use... they just drive up prices beyond the means of the average collector.

:rolleyes:

Who is/are the name/s behind this auction group ? The items look like a joke, but it isn't funny.

COLOSSAL AUCTIONS
AuctionZip Auctioneer ID # 27123
COLOSSAL AUCTIONS
4396 DIXIE HIGHWAY
WATERFORD, MI 48329

Phone: 248-461-6170
Email: COLOSSALAUCTIONS@GMAIL.COM
Web:

[Add this auctioneer to your favorites.]

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.

that is disgusting and most likely happening more than anyone would like to admit with many other items at these 2 respected companies.

They really need to go back and correct many of the mistakes past and present when they blatently know they have messed up. Infact all authenticators should practice this policy, but sadly no one does....

Case in point.

http://www.fighttoys.com/Firpononauthentic.htm

If it ever goes to ebay, good luck getting it off. And I heard but can't confirm that all the authenticators at JSA look at each item and they all have to pass it for it to pass. What is going on? When you click on the link, the firpo on the bottom left (circa 1958) is one i obtained myself from a friend who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, so it's directly from Firpo's stomping grounds. Show us your exemplars you used to authenticate this item, Mr. Spence. I want to see your Firpo signatures. Please discontinue boxing.

When I first saw this Firpo, I figured it had to be an April Fools joke, or a Halloween prank. But it has a valid JSA cert, which is equivalent to getting a passport and visa, ready to travel the world.

It's insulting to people who study boxing signatures and it would look the same to baseball collectors as calling the following Babe Ruth "authentic." When i see this Firpo, that's what I see, the boxing equivalent to this Ruth ball. Why do they bother with boxing?

I don't know. They don't seem to have the phone number of someone who can figure out this Luis Firpo, which ends up going to auction. And they aren't autographs on the fence in my opinion, not questionables that could go either way. They are obviously no good, but how can you get this through to Spence so he can understand the gravity and width, depth, and breadth of the situation?

Now if Morales name were in place of Spence, all the guys would pile on and say "yeah, get him!" (That's fine, I don't have a problem with that), but evidently JSA is above reproach. The third rail of autograph authentication? Why is it so sacrosanct to ignore the criticism and NOT hold these guys feet to the fire and demand explanations when they authenticate like this, and instead just make excuses for them? (My favorite is that "hey they just make a few mistakes like anybody else. They authenticate a lot of autographs. If you only knew how many autographs they cert.") Maybe they should do a little less then.

That's attitude seems fine if you don't collect boxing, but if they start doing this to YOUR favorite sport, then you might think different.

They don't even make excuses for themselves. They just say nothing and hope it goes away?

This is all my opinion, and if people want to use JSA, more power to you. I think people are scared to say anything about the top two authentication outfits because they think they need their certs to sell.



(I didn't make the ruth ball, it came off the internet, looks like the sig is computer generated.)



Travis Roste

The difference is that 99 - 100% of Morales' stuff is bad. No one in their right mind (on this board) would buy a piece that he's authenticated.

What you presented represents a tiny fraction of what PSA and Spence have authenticated. Most would estimate that they are right 95% of the time (give or take a few percentage points). Granted that 5% potential error rate represents a large number of items. And I am sure you are all over this 5% segment, as you have an apparent "axe to grind".

But to answer your question, the outrage you're seeking doesn't occur- because the vast majority of PSA/Spence authentications are correct. There is a massive difference between 5% (PSA/Spence) and 100% (Morales).

Nobody is above reproach... Spence's Firpo authentication is awful. No argument there. But for you to compare the two outfits in the same breath is preposterous. Best of luck with this interesting mission :confused:

Travis, as if your JSA example isn't bad enough, I just spotted this PSA slabbed HORRIBLE Nolan Ryan on eBay this morning. This is so far off, it's not even funny. Please note the inscription "5 K K's"??. This would insinuate that Ryan signed this 1979 Topps card after he struck out his 5000th batter in 1989. This signature does not look like a Ryan signature from any era, and especially one signed post 1989. Ryan would never have written the inscription that way; he would have used "5,000 K's". Give me a break! I saved the photo just to remind myself how far off authenticators can sometimes be. :eek:

Another example: JSA signed off on this clubhouse signed Ryan ball that is in a current auction.
Another mistake on a very common signature. BTW, this ball was actually signed by one of the Angels bat boys during the 1970's, which was a pretty common practice back then.

Both are examples of pretty bad detective work, IMHO.

See my posts on page 4.

I am not comparing the two in the same breath, i am just pointing out the hypocrisy. Should I not have shown the Firpo? Is showing the Firpo an axe to grind and nothing else? Maybe they should be RESPONSIBLE for their authentications. Novel idea I know.


You admit that no one here will buy a morales piece, so morales isnt that big of a problem, is he? You wouldnt have known about the firpo authentication if i hadnt shown it, and if you thought it was a cool autograph, might have even bought it based on spences opinion. THAT'S the problem.

People buy all the time with a spence loa trusting it is good because it is signed off by spence. If no morales piece is ever good in your mind, you will never buy one. Morales can never harm you.

What I am trying to say is that people are buying COA's, not autographs, and if what spence is doing to boxing is the best he can do, then in my opinion we are all in trouble, because people are buying his coa's by the peck and bushel, and Morales doesn't have anything to do with that.

Everytime there is criticism of spence, people bring up morales, and they keep saying "well, at least he isn't THIS guy." That's the fools argument that is brought up every time spence is put on the hot seat to explain and be responsible for his authentications. Morales is put out there to get him off the hook again.

I noticed another member say that jsa and psa are the closest thing we have to reputable authenticators. Notice he didnt say they were reputable authenticators, he said "closest thing we have to reputable". Even he didnt believe they were reputable. That's a problem. Shouldn't we have an authentication outfit that is reputable, not "the closest thing we have to reputable?" it's their opinion when they make an opinion on authenticity, it's not their fact. you can believe them or not, or you can believe me or not. it's up to people to decide whether what i say holds water in my opinion, or what they do and say holds water.

Everyone has an opinion as to whether psa or jsa is reputable. but if someone brings up an opinion that questions their authentications, all of the sudden it is "Morales" just like "THIRD BASE" on the abbot and costello baseball routine.

What I find interesting is that it seems to be okay by many if jsa or psa makes horrendous mistakes, (not tough mistakes, that could go either way, but simple, glaring, obvious errors), it seems to be okay as long as they didnt TRY to make the mistake.

As long as they tried to do it right, then its fine. why?

If a towing company tows your car by mistake, it's okay as long as they didn't try to do it on purpose? Wouldn't you be mad if the towing order said red lamborghini and you drive a silver vw beetle?


I don't get it. If you bought a 30,000 signed letter by a certain hall of famer, and they got it wrong but they "tried", do you feel better now? Is it worth more now because they tried? No, it's still worth zero.

Think of a mythical authentication company.

They cert 100 babe ruth baseballs, get 50 wrong, for an error rate of 50% on Ruth.

They then cert a stack of 9900 Josh Hamilton signed photos that took place at a signing session with photo proof, and a representative present with documentation. (no brainer). Error rate 0%.

They then claim they certed 10,000 autographs that week, and if 50 were found wrong, then they had a weekly error rate of only .5 percent, so come get your Babe Ruth ball certed with us because we get 99.5% of our autographs right!


If they have a 5% error rate, and if some autographs are no brainers (which many, many are) that doesn't require an expert authenticator, or they are certed from signing sessions "in the presence" (0% error rate,) then the error rate for the others is higher to even it out at the 5%, now isn't it? And a so called error rate of 5% doesn't take into account the autographs that were good that they called bad, because no one tries to sell them one ebay or elsewhere with the rejection letter, do they? Those are the hidden errors so you can take the 5% and practically double it.

The tough ones are much higher than the 5%. We all know it. BUT THE TOUGH ONES ARE THE REASON A LOT OF US SEND IT IN, because we don't know!

Firpo isn't particularly tough!

All I want to see is the Firpo exemplar he compared that one to, to make his "authentic" decision. Show the exemplar, go ahead. Me and the guys with 20, 30, 40 years experience each can't find an exemplar anything close to that and we do boxing 24/7/365 for our entire lives. Spence can't call a boxing guy?

But good thing this is a mythical company, because in real life it is all gumdrops and lollipops.

People can send their autographs in to psa or spence if they want and that's their choice, I advise people to do what they want to do. They can trust who they want. But the system is broken in my opinion.

But people keep defending a system that is broken because they want the certs, because it is the certs that sell. Someday collectors might have the certs displayed on the wall that represent autographs, proudly looking at a cert that shows that an autograph of Al Hbrosky is out there somewhere and it is "authentic".

I am not against 3rd party authentication, just the way it is being done now, but I am against the status quo, so I have an axe to grind? A lot of people want silence to reign supreme. Chirp, chirp goes the crickets.

I once gave a `15-20 point reform post with suggestions that I know the companies saw, and 3 years later, NONE implemented. Guess my suggestions, all built on responsibility, transparency, and accuracy, check and balances, and a customers bill of rights is just too radical.

How would you suggest an authenticator take responsibility for this or any other mistake when it's discovered after-the-fact? I'm not meaning that to be an attack, but a genuine question. Of course, ideally the mistake would be caught in-house before the LOA was printed up in the first place. Failing that, if the person paying for the authentication discovered the mistake, I suppose they could get their money back (though I'm sure most would just keep the LOA and pass it on down the line). But when a mistake is discovered two or three links down the chain of custody, what can an authenticator do at that point?

I'm thinking in particular of a situation Richard Simon posted about recently in which an item was brought to his attention that he had previously passed, but now revised his opinion on. Much to his credit, he contacted the current owner and encouraged them to go back up the chain and get his money back from whoever he bought it from, but the current owner declined to do so. In a situation like that, I'm not sure what else the authenticator could do to "be responsible." He can't break into the guy's house and destroy the fraudulent item, he can't force the guy to tear up the LOA, he can't even force the current owner to disclose the identity of the next buyer so that he can let them know the situation. It seems like once the LOA goes back with the item, the authenticator's hands are tied unless the owner notices the mistake (in which case, why is he having it authenticated in the first place).

Again, not an attack on anybody, authenticator or otherwise. Also, this question is presented with the understanding that mistakes do happen, so answers like "they shouldn't ever make mistakes in the first place" aren't particularly helpful.

being responsible means owning up to the mistake (never saw them ever do that yet), then put procedures in place to tighten up that area of authentication they are having problems with (never saw them do that with boxing either). then refund money whenever and wherever possible.

The problem is that it is not just an occasional mistake that exasperates me. We can all make mistakes. But it is the level of mistake that is made.

That firpo mistake could NEVER, EVER be made by anybody i know that i consider to really know boxing. Can't be done. Impossible, not possible.

So what is going on? That's the question. The question is, show the exemplar you used to prove it was a mistake. Because if you don't have an exemplar that looks anything like the bogus Firpo autograph, then the question becomes, "How did you authenticate it without an exemplar. i cant answer that and I am not accusing him of not using exemplars, but I really would like to see that funky firpo exemplar he must have used if people hold him to his word that he uses exemplars. that's all.

If you type in the firpo cert number, it STILL COMES UP AS A VALID FIRPO AUTOGRAPH.

That is not taking responsibility. it should read "Luis Firpo- cert cancelled, call customer service.

THAT is taking responsibility.

We showed the george chuvalo that was called a julio cesar chavez by psa a long time ago, and it STILL shows up in their database as a George Chuvalo.

Some companies databases show bad Joe Louis' that stgill show up as Joe Louis, the bad Muhammad Ali's show up as Ali, the bad Max Schmeling, Marciano, etc. list goes on and on and on and on and on.

WHy? Why? Why? Why? Why?

They can admit it, they can say they were wrong, they can cancel the cert in their database. they can refund money for the authentication, they can refund money for the bad item. It's whoever gets stuck with it last that is out the money. Write a check if it was your opinion that gave the buyer confidence to buy it only to find out it is not real. They cash checks, try writing one out.

Have you or someone you know contacted JSA about this mistake and shown them the exemplars you posted here?

Again, not trying to question whether you're right. I'm just wondering what their response, if any, was.

The suggestion that the cert be invalidated on the website certainly sounds like a reasonable suggestion if the signature can be shown to be a forgery. As far as writing checks though, I would assume they have some fine print limiting their indemnity to the fees charged for the service, not the value of the item itself. If that is the case though, who would they make the check out to? The person who submitted the item originally, or the one who has it now? Is there a policy/process in place with any of the major groups for rectifying mistakes? (whether it actually works or not)

Here's a suggestion: What if there were a sort of "bounty" in place for authenticated items that were proven to be faulty? Something like 1) show us the proof that the sig is not authentic 2) send in the cert card, loa or whatever 3) the authenticator either sends back the cert/letter with their own proof (copy of exemplars, etc) or cancels out the cert and sends back a check for the original authentication fees (regardless of whether the current owner was the one who submitted it or not)

Any other ideas?

I really don't think that "refund the money for the bad item" would ever really be a possibility unless the value of the item was less than the cert fees. If it were, someone would pick up the aforementioned Firpo auto, flip it to a friend for $1million, then claim a refund on the $1million. Even if they're backed by cert insurance or something, the insurance company's lawyers would never allow a loophole like that.

It would be great if these top authenticators would do this. They think they above reproach, but they are wrong. If the whack jobs that are ANL are interested in a fix, they ought to go back to their rising son Christopher Moral Less and get him to fix his exemplar files too, don't you think.....or is he just a scammer himself? Agree whole heartedly that JSA and PSA should do better at correcting their horrendous mistakes. I have stated in the past, if they don't get better, they will go the way of The GAI Global Bird. They’re almost there, but Moral Ass has jumped the shark so far he is above repair.

What makes me laugh like hell, is when industry giants like Muellar & Koschall say that "they have never seen Morales work” to judge if he is a walking boob or not? Or “good for Chris”, like he’s magical Chris Kringel or something. They are sticking up for a guy who has rarely got an autograph right. He has never had Mickey Mantle correct. I bet dollars to donunts more people are looking to buy Mantle than Gropo the robot or whoever that boxing guy is?

I have an idea....how about checking it out and knowing your industry completely as you state you do (Muellar & Koschal), instead of being skirt boys and skirting the issue? Or they love to use the same line Fryingpangiani used to use..."someone stole my certs or they are fake certs". LOLOLOLOLOLOL

The whole industry is a laughing joke and will continue to be so until guys like Moral Less is in jail or at least done with his rubber stamping everything fake as genuine. Maybe he should admit his mistakes? JSA & PSA need to tighten up their business model too or they will falter and go out of business, but there is little comparison to the 2 issues. Both are bad. When ANL and their wack job band of 3 get on board they might actually have some credibility, until then not so much

Now on eBay
 

Several autographs from the Colossal Auction have started to appear on eBay. One seller has two or three supposed Satchel Paige cuts and a Ty Cobb. How can you provide a quick link to an auction? I don't know how to do it, otherwise I would have provided it for those that care to look... :(

You mean this one, Scott:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ty-Cobb-Sign...item2c6094f609

Attachment 49259

Attachment 49260

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And this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Satchel-Paig...item2c60954828

Attachment 49262

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Attachment 49264

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lou-Gehrig-S...item2c6094e7b3

'Colossal' Gehrig - $950.00

And this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Satchel-Paig...item2c60950da1

Attachment 49265

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Gehrig on ebay already sold. 950 is a great price for a legit Gehrig, but not for this one.

What a shame.... :(

Hi Chris,
Thanks for providing the links to these!

All have been removed.

I talked to Colossal, the sports arm is run by Rick Behar, Sandy Lane, and a Myron something. Any sound familiar? The nice girl I talked to knew very little about the sports section of the company.

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

Please excuse my ignorance, but how could the sold Gehrig be removed?

A quick google search links Rick Behar to a store by the name of 'SportsCard Central' and eBay's 'americard' ... a personal facebook page too for those that fancy social networks.

http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI...erid=americard

My understanding is that an auction can be "voided" even after it's been completed.