We have been serious collectors of rare baseball memorabilia and rare high grade type cards for more than 35 years. Whilst we have only sold a select few items since the grading services became dominant players in the market, we have had five cards items that "were altered" In each case we obtained our money back. In the case of one dealer who did not want to accommodate our request, we said we would call the FBI. That solved the problem and within 48 hours we had a check and an apology note.
Whilst we have no way of proving "shill" bidding we do not that Wolfers did it,and its owner, Duane Garrett, (a long time Al Gore supporter) jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge rather than face criminal charges..
Although shill bidding and "fakes" are prevalent in every collectible arena,
it is our hope that the FBI and USPS investigation will catch the culprits; that they will be forced to pay heavy fines for their unspeakable actions, and that they will be sent away for long prison sentences.
In this way, hundreds of potential forgers and shill bidders will get the message.
Perhaps Topps can come out with a new set of Shills and Crooks- the money raised could go to support a hobby review body. We have been contacted in the past by certain government agencies with regard to our experiences with certain dealers and auction houses. We will do anything that we can to bring justice and fairness to to the collector community.
Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List
bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com
Top dollar paid for rare, high grade type cards and rare memorabilia