Should All Questionable Auctions Go in One Thread?
 

We could sticky a thread at the top of the forum for all questions regarding authenticity of items on ebay, Coach's Corner, et cetera.

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Sure!

And now we have a thread about a fake Whitey Ford autograph that is apparently not a fake!

Greg

Well, it only makes sense. If third-party authenticators aren't correct 100 percent of the time, then why would people who criticize third-party authenticators be correct 100 percent of the time?

I voted No, but I wouldn't mind one OFFICIAL MONTHLY COACH'S CORNER THREAD that will simply continue to resurface to the top by the month, collect hits (and attention) instead of hiding within and getting lost as 'bitchin about the Coach' has lost it's luster since they basically have the same items, every month. I mean, another pair of signed Babe Ruth pants? Again?

I sometimes frequent this site: http://www.voiceofthecollector.com/

Thy have the following jpg: , with the headlines: Say No To Fake's, Boycott Coaches Corner Sports Auctions

DanC

A once a month sticky at the top is most likely what will happen...I'll give this poll a day or two first though.

I voted yes as well.

I'm guessing blackmamba and SteaknChop are two of the no's...

Ditto!!!

it's all you Dan
 

As I said long ago, when this forum was formed, I am mostly hands off. It's all you guys. Unless there is something extraordinary, which I will email Dan about, I am leaving this up to Dan. I did suggest maybe doing one thread and not a sticky as sometimes stickies are a bit distracting. But again, whatever Dan decides is it......Thanks for helping too!!

I voted no.

While it would make sorting out and maybe ignoring posts about fake stuff easy, I don't think it's truly better.

Each sort of item and sometimes each fake is its own circumstance with its own set of useful information. Consider just what's current right now.

A piece of silver/plate recently engraved
A fake WS ring
A questionable autograph
And probably others.

Posting about each of those things gets slightly confusing, imagine the postings about all 3 jammed into one thread.

Personally I might skim one thread out of disinterest, but read another in detail. If I had to figure out which post was about which item I might not read any of it. And I wouldn't learn anything.

Steve B

I was thinking the same thing, Steve. Also, it still wouldn't stop someone from posting a new thread anyway. I like the idea of consolidating, but maybe not a sticky. I guess I don't have a better solution, so don't mind me!

Maybe a "sticky" comprised of links to threads discussing individual questionable items?

(I didn't read through the entire thread, so perhaps somebody else suggested it, but...)

How about two threads: one for Coach's and another for eBay/other? I really don't want to see all the CC material, but some of the other auctions listed can be interesting. It would be nice to separate these two categories from one another.

I think leave well enough alone, but one massive CC thread would be cool as all of those fun threads are scattered about and lost.

Regards,
Larry

A concern about one consolidated thread is that it may hamper search engine results. A great value of threads of this type (with their own thread titles) is that the thread may be near the top of the results if someone is searching on a rotten seller's name. I'm not sure the same would be true if they were all lumped together.

I think it might be best if questionable items had their own forum, but I'm not sure Leon is up for that...I know I get annoyed by the fake Wagner T-206 threads that pop up on the card side all the time...if all that stuff could go in one forum that'd be okay with me.

it's all you Dan were Leon's exact words Dan. I think it's a fair solution for all parties involved. Let's give it a try.

Sincerely, Jimmy

It will hamper searches. Leave well enough alone (IMO) as there isn't that much of a difference between yes and no.

CC thread alone, good idea.

A 20% margin shouldn't be dismissed with "there isn't that much of a difference between yes and no"

Jimmy, I can pretty much do with the memorabilia board as I see fit, but adding a new forum is not up to me.

My bad Dan. Was just responding to what Leon wrote.

hey now :)
 

Hey now :)

The cards side is under my tutelage. For the time being I like the way it is. I am on the board frequently enough that if something gets out of hand (as in too much of anything), I can politely ask to minimize whatever it is that is happening too much. There are a ton of newbies and fakes/alterations/fraud are some of the biggest issues in the hobby, so more threads about them isn't necessarily a bad thing, imo. If a few people get saved (and I am positive it's more than a few already) then we have done a service for our hobby and therefore ourselves as collectors.

regards

guys
 

Adding another forum is not something I really want to do. When I said it's up to Dan, I honestly wasn't talking (nor did I know you think so Dan) about changing the characteristics of the board itself and adding or subtracting to what we have.

I don't think that the difference is that big of a deal either.

It's not like there's an uproar where the ratio is completely slated in favor one way or another (like 8-1 or 10-1), and we're mulling over drastic ideas like forming another forum?

DanC

I'm still mulling it over...there seems to be pretty good discussion both ways.

If we do a whole new section, maybe make it a "general negativity" section. A place for all the fake stuff, dodgy sellers, horrid Ebay policies etc. Sort of like Craigslist rants and raves section, but mostly rants.

I think it would get full pretty quickly, and be ignored almost instantly by most of the people with lots of knowledge.

I'm not a new collector at all, but there are a few areas that I'm just not involved with - Some from a lack of funds, some from a lack of serious interest. But I do read the threads and learn about them.

Stuff I've learned the last 7 days or so

WS rings seem easier to fake than I'd thought.
WS rings were at one time a one size fits all sort of thing
How to spot a really bad fake Mickey Mantle autograph
How one player had 2 very different signatures
A few new ways to get rid of cigarette odors from paper goods
What a real LSU lettermen Jacket looks like
And that autos on a card from a major company may not be as sure a thing as I'd thought.
Various stuff about Orcajo postcards
saw the original ads for Baseball bats cards and colgans chips
Learned just what 14K of restoration will buy on a Wagner card

And probably some other stuff. Of the things above, I have a couple Orcajos, and a few colgans. I'll probably never find a WS ring in my price range, and I'm not terribly interested in buying a Mantle Auto. But I file the info away because someday I may run across one, and It's good to know I can spot the worst fakes.

I know the recurring posts of this sort of stuff are a nuisance to the guys who specialize, but I think for most of us they're worthwhile.

How about US all collectively increasing the percentage of positive posts? I'll do a couple later today or tomorrow, depending on when the baby lets me take a few pictures.

Steve B

I agree with this as well. In the poll, I initially voted "Don't care one way or another". But after reading all the responses and reasoning (including the well thought out reply from Steve B above), I would vote to leave it as-is.

There aren't that many total posts on the Memorabilia side anyway... significantly fewer than on the Card side. If people don't like them all, they can simply opt to ignore those threads. I think they have value.

That said, I would not be opposed to an onging separate thread for Coach's Corner only. Those obvious/outrageous fakes could certainly be lumped together. It's the other "borderline" stuff, for which posting and exposing adds value to the community.

This is exactly why I let this thread play out before taking action. Lots of great points. I'm going to ask those who are annoyed by the questionable authenticity threads to ignore them. I would ask though that ALL Coaches Corner items go in one thread per month...it will not be stickied so if you have something to point out in one of their auctions to please find that thread and post to it instead of starting a new one.