I was the seller of the cards in question. First off, I'd like to thank smtjoy for all of his assistance. I really appreciated the fact that he contacted me and helped me to understand the situation (vs. someone else who took a more accusatory and nasty approach).
Here's the chronology of what happened:
- I had 10 Exhibit cards graded by PSA and they received grades ranging from 6 to 9 (I've had a sizeable sports card collection for many, many years, but I am certainly no expert on Exhibits, as I only had a handful of them from when I purchased them in the late 70s/ early 80s).
- When PSA authenticated them (the "a" in PSA does stand for authenticators, right?!), I decided to sell them on EBAY. I sold two cards on EBAY last month, and had 6 more up for auction to end later this week. I also had two highly-graded cards slated for a December auction with a reputable sports card auction house.
- SMTJOY sent me an e-mail expressing his concern that PSA made a mistake and that the cards may not be legitimate. I sent him a scan of the back of the card, and he said that legitimate Exhibit cards should not have a gray back. By the way, I had only scanned the front of the Exhibit cards for the auction because the back was blank and I thought there would not be any reason to show the back of the card (obviously, I was wrong on that one!).
- I called the auction house to tell them that the two cards I gave them for their December auction which were both graded PSA 9's may not be legit.
- SMTJOY and I exchanged e-mails and I was impressed with his knowledge of Exhibit cards.
- I took down all six EBAY auctions based on the information SMTJOY gave me. Being a buyer, not a seller for the vast majority of my life, I view things through a buyer's perspective. There is no way I would want to sell anything that was bogus, regardless of whether it was authenticated by PSA or not.
I have been a part of this hobby for the past 40 years, and my EBAY reputation is impeccable (not a single blemish on my record in 10+ years).
- I received a call from PSA before I even had the opportunity to call them first. They caught wind of the situation and reached out to me. The representative of the company could not have been more forthright and apologetic. The situation was handled in a very professional manner. PSA accepted responsibility, accountability, and blame for what happened, and could not have handled it any better. No excuses, no weaseling, no "blame game," just an admission that they made a mistake and wanted to rectify it.
Here's a breakdown of the 10 Exhibit cards that were incorrectly graded by PSA:
6 cards on EBAY - taken down. Fortunately, none of them had bids.
2 cards - sold on EBAY last month--- I contacted both buyers, explained the situation, and told them they would be reimbursed.
2 cards with auction house --- I spoke to the auctioneers again, and they agreed to remove the cards from the auction and send them directly to PSA.
In the final analysis, what this all proves is that the hobby community could help one another, especially when it comes to keeping the hobby "gene pool" pure. SMTJOY did everyone a great service.
As for PSA, I'm philosophical about the whole thing. Hey, they messed up. I'm sure it's not the first time and I know it won't be the last time. I believe it was an honest mistake, but I was quite impressed with the way they assumed responsibility for their mistake and did not try to pawn their mistake off on someone else. It was actually quite refreshing in this day and age of people always trying to avoid responsibility. PSA isn't perfect, but neither are we. At least they tried to work together with me towards a resolution.
Sure, I'm disappointed that the cards were not legit and I'm going to be out a lot of money (especially since I've been out of work for quite a while now). Still, I want to make money the honest way, and if I have to rip people off to get it, then I don't want it.
When all is said and done, all 10 Exhibit cards that were graded incorrectly by PSA will be sent back to PSA and removed from circulation. That resolution is the result of knowledge, and SMTJOY'S willingness to be a part of the solution, and not the problem.
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