Gentlemen:
I am the OP. HOURS after my post here I finally received a reply. A coincidence? I think not.
I received a reply saying they took the item out of the frame. And they went on to answer my questions. However they sent no photos as requested,Their answer negated a reason for me to see photos.
The item had been trimmed and is missing small printing on the bottom proving that it is an original. They say "given the provenance of the item we believe it is 100% authentic" but because I brought this up before bidding they will allow me to retract my bid.
I don't think I want to pay $8500+ for a trimmed item that is missing the proof that it is original. You can see the item here:
https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-c...5#50023-256001
Thanks for all your imput.