Posted By:
RhysThis is EXACTLY why other hobbies have organized and have self policing aspects of the organization. Antique collectors societies exist for almost every other hobby in the world except Sports Collectibles. You pay a small due and have rights and responsibilities as a member. Dealers and collectors who engage in shady acts will loose their membership and the reasons for such can be known throughout the organization. Those without a membership are looked at with a crooked eye (dealers anyways) sort of like how people react to private auctions on ebay. It will not solve all the problems in the hobby, but it certainly would solve some of them. I think my fathers dues every year as a member of the TCA (Train collectors Association) were like $15 annually but for that cost you also got discounts for shows and a newsletter etc. My brother Rhett and I grew up around it so it seems natural, and in most other hobbies, it works pretty well. It probably will not happen in Sports Collectibles, but it should.