Some buyers are funny that way. Sometimes all it takes is getting outbid on one item to send a determined buyer on a tear to either win or run up the bids on a number of other items with the mindset of, "If I can't have it, I'm at least going to drain the pockets of whoever does win it." While frustrating for the other bidder, it's perfectly legal as long as you follow through with payment on any winning bids. Whether it has the intended result for that buyer or not, it does look very much like shill bidding to a third-party observer (especially when the ID's are scrambled), despite being out of the seller's control.
There is a difference between escalating the bidding and actual shill bidding. If you see the same unique items offered again later, then you'll know or at least have a stronger suspiscion that it's shill bidding. If not, it may have just been a pair of overly-aggressive bidders.
I'll say again, I have no reason to doubt Jon's character or his selling practices. If one of his regulars has some odd or aggressive bidding practices, I would just chalk that up to there being a lot of odd or aggressive buyers out there in the sports collecting community. I think you would be hard pressed to prove that this sort of "odd bidding" is widespread or in any way typical with his auctions.
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