Merchantman Auctions in Davie FL trying to sell counterfeits Jan 27

[swarmee]

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=295474

Figured it was worth putting on the main board to get broader knowledge.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Have Justin and Daniel resurfaced?

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Have Justin and Daniel resurfaced?

Were they Candiman? I think their main problems were trimming and using photoshop/overexposure to hide flaws on real cards. Not selling fakes at this level.

[swarmee]

$60K in counterfeit cards, listed in the thread above. Reported them to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Lets see what comes of it.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Well done John.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by swarmee

$60K in counterfeit cards, listed in the thread above. Reported them to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Lets see what comes of it.

Thank you John. Hopefully something comes of this.

[Eric72]

Rather unfortunate that this thread has had so little participation. If it were an, "oh my, this grading company is changing the font size on their label" thread, there would have already been hundreds of comments.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Rather unfortunate that this thread has had so little participation. If it were an, "oh my, this grading company is changing the font size on their label" thread, there would have already been hundreds of comments.

I'm surprised that this has gotten not a whole lot of participation either but I think this is more because that no one has heard of this Auction company, to my knowledge at least, and that it seems like a small scale operation.

I think also when push comes to shove there's only so much we can do against counterfeits, for both Cards and Auto's. We talk about Operation Bullpen all the time, yet there are still countless fake signatures of everyone from George Washington to Marilyn Monroe, to Mickey Mantle floating around, I'd imagine the same thing with cards.

[swarmee]

Yeah, I realize that. I had not heard of it until the post in the post-war forum brought them to my attention. I'm sure there's an auctionhouse in every state doing stuff like this, but not all of them post it on the internet for all to see.

Maybe someone from an auction house wants to report them to the FL state licensing board, presuming they're even registered in the first place.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Apparently all that comes from it is he switches providers. He is not with icollect anymore but in a Facebook group I belong to he was just outed as selling fakes with Hibid.

[D. Bergin]

Meanwhile, "Coach's Corner" still openly doing business.

Here's a couple doozies ending tonight:

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/354/marie-...signature.aspx

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/354/2-diff...-artworks.aspx


Casino gift shops and Cruise ship silent auction companies everywhere, can't wait to bid on their priceless paraphernalia, to stock up on items to sell to their sucke..................hmmm.......I mean "clients".

[judsonhamlin]

I love the idea that the Marie Antoinette ‘signature’ should be mounted with a photo. I’m sure Coaches could make one of those appear.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

I love the idea that the Marie Antoinette ‘signature’ should be mounted with a photo. I’m sure Coaches could make one of those appear.

[byrone]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Meanwhile, "Coach's Corner" still openly doing business.

Here's a couple doozies ending tonight:

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/354/marie-...signature.aspx

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/354/2-diff...-artworks.aspx


Casino gift shops and Cruise ship silent auction companies everywhere, can't wait to bid on their priceless paraphernalia, to stock up on items to sell to their sucke..................hmmm.......I mean "clients".

Who doesn't want a Picasso?

And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I'd buy you some art
A Picasso or a Garfunkel

Lyrics by "Barenaked Ladies"

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by byrone

Who doesn't want a Picasso?

And if I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)
Well I'd buy you some art
A Picasso or a Garfunkel

Lyrics by "Barenaked Ladies"

Probably only cost you a couple grand this time around though.

"If I had a thousand dollars, I'd buy you a fake"


Saw them live, what seems like a million years ago, at a free concert in Hartford. They were great! They basically free-style improvised half the concert with input from the audience. It was essentially a novelty act, but fun.

[SteveS]

See, what you're all missing here is that the reason the Marie Antoinette autograph looks so off is because she signed it right after she was beheaded and still had a few seconds left of reflexive body action. You really expect under those circumstances that it would look like all her other signatures?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by SteveS

See, what you're all missing here is that the reason the Marie Antoinette autograph looks so off is because she signed it right after she was beheaded and still had a few seconds left of reflexive body action. You really expect under those circumstances that it would look like all her other signatures?

It would have been great if it included the inscription: "Let them eat Crazy bread #littlecaesars"

[Sterling Sports Auctions]

I had a client that bought three reprints from him that he was guaranteed over the phone they were Authentic. Needless to say they did not back the purchase and my client had to claim a dispute with his credit card company.

Lee

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Apparently all that comes from it is he switches providers. He is not with icollect anymore but in a Facebook group I belong to he was just outed as selling fakes with Hibid.

and now he's on Live Auctioneers lol.

[mrreality68]

Never a dull moment and it is tough keeping up with them.

But sadly in any area where money can be made some people will try to exploit it

[mrreality68]

Never a dull moment and it is tough keeping up with them.

But sadly in any area where money can be made some people will try to exploit it

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Rather unfortunate that this thread has had so little participation. If it were an, "oh my, this grading company is changing the font size on their label" thread, there would have already been hundreds of comments.

If this was about Probstein we'd be up to 300 posts.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

If this was about Probstein we'd be up to 300 posts.

and 100 of them would be saying how great he is.

[Sterling Sports Auctions]

Merchantman Auctions continues to sell reprints and scam there buyers

I just received a call from a client that was scammed by them in the December auction on a Green Cobb. They are selling the same Ty Cobb reprints over and over. That is just one player, who knows how many others are out there.

hibid.com should be held responsible since you can find there auctions through them.

I hope I do not have to hear of any others getting scammed by these people.

Lee

[JustinD]

God, every single one of these is just an awful fake.

Honestly, even if I didn't know they were I would run from a signal as bad as selling top shelf cards as a auction house in lucite 4 screws and the world's crappiest snap-tites.

I get that this is frustrating and I want more than anything for jacka**es like this to rot in a cell. When the fakes are this bad, I also don't feel bad victim blaming on this if someone is spending 1000s. If you buy a fake Lamborghini built on a Fiero chassis, you should be consulting someone.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I have reported them on several platforms, and I'm not bashful about letting these platforms know I am a licensed auctioneer who belongs to his state association who would be very interested to know they are not only allowing non-licensed auctioneers (many platforms do that) but are promoting frauds. Who are they using now?

[adeichert56]

Is there any chance he is more legit now? I am finding this thread after spending a fair amount of money. Since it was through HiBid I figured the auctioneer was legitimate. Bought some lower end mantles, other 50s and 60s that all APPEAR good to go, but now I am nervous..

Maybe not nervous that they are real, but that they could be altered, underlying issues, etc. Would love to hear if anyone has had a POSITIVE experience from buying through him. All I see are 5 good reviews through LiveAuctioneers.

[NiceDocter]

Guys like this almost never change. I would suggest submitting some of your cards to PSA or SGC to see what they say. Alternatively you could let a respected dealer with a black light , a magnifier and a good measuring device see what he thinks. A leopard does not change his spots …… I hate that people do this to an otherwise fun and enjoyable hobby. But money is a powerful character corruption for some . Good luck. Rocky Rockwell

[Exhibitman]

I'e run across a few dealers whose basic attitude is 'meh' when it comes to what they sell. They will blithely sell bad stuff mixed in with their good stuff.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I'e run across a few dealers whose basic attitude is 'meh' when it comes to what they sell. They will blithely sell bad stuff mixed in with their good stuff.

LOL, I had one of the highly respected dealers call me names and tell me he could do anything he wanted to a card after I pointed out he had sold several altered cards as rare errors.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by adeichert56

Is there any chance he is more legit now? I am finding this thread after spending a fair amount of money. Since it was through HiBid I figured the auctioneer was legitimate. Bought some lower end mantles, other 50s and 60s that all APPEAR good to go, but now I am nervous..

Maybe not nervous that they are real, but that they could be altered, underlying issues, etc. Would love to hear if anyone has had a POSITIVE experience from buying through him. All I see are 5 good reviews through LiveAuctioneers.

You won't find a more knowledgeable group than right here. I would post good clear pictures and someone will spot most problems.

[JustinD]

I would have a hard time thinking that the lengthy history of that group shows they have or will sell an honest thing unless it's by mistake.

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by swarmee

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=295474

Figured it was worth putting on the main board to get broader knowledge.

I just won 3 auctions from this guy (only $375 total) but I had some hesitations when bidding because of the lack of photos/back images. I have requested a refund, so let's see what plays out.

Lesson learned...I assumed that HiBid would have a more robust vetting system in place and not allow counterfeit cards sold on their platform.

[swarmee]

Wow, still going on after three years.

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Wow, still going on after three years.

They have assured me that the cards are authentic and have had 50 + auctions with only positive reviews. Since this is not a large purchase, I plan to send them to SGC and see if they are indeed authentic cards. Two of them are graded by some no-name grading company based out of, you guessed it, Davies FL. And the worse thing, the number to the grading company (from their website) is the same as Merchantman Auctions phone number (from their website). Such a shame

[Fred]

Just curious, what cards did you get for $375? Any pictures/scans we can look at?

[Gorditadogg]

Lee, welcome to Net54. I always figured that swarmee was this dude's huckleberry. But if you can take the mantle, I wish you well.

Keep us posted, please.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by Fred

Just curious, what cards did you get for $375? Any pictures/scans we can look at?

These were 60's cards and I hope that I am wrong about my assumptions, they just seem too sharp after further inspection. Also a "GEM MINT" grade by a no name grading company should have been all the validation I needed to not bid, but I got caught up in the excitement of the auction. The Aaron card is not even the correct year on the slab label :/

See Attached

[swarmee]

Hank Aaron looks real, but without a right black border line, it will only grade AUTH by most grading companies (most of the time).

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Hank Aaron looks real, but without a right black border line, it will only grade AUTH by most grading companies (most of the time).

That makes me feel better then! I don't really care the grade, I just want it to be authentic. Thank you!!

I wanted to Edit my original reply: I only paid $50 for the Aaron, and if it comes back Authentic, I am fine with what I paid for it because I thought it looked really clean and I never plan to sell it. The Mantle was the bigger risk at $150, but I thought that was fair from other cards I saw being sold (if it is not counterfeit). I do plan to send these to SGC, so I will keep everyone posted!

[ahmanfan]

Mantle looks fake.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[I'm Your Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by ahmanfan

Mantle looks fake.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That was what I was afraid of honestly.

[rjackson44]

Both look horrible sorry

[webdog21]

Merchantman Auctions is a total fraud. I bought a vintage card from him about 2-3 years ago and it was fake. It was through the HiBid auction website and I messaged him before the auction took place to verify the card was authentic and he assured me it was (his exact words were it's 100% authentic). When I received the card I could immediately tell it was a fake and I'm certainly not an expert in this area. I sent it to PSA just to be sure and it came back as a fake. He kept saying he would refund the money to me but never did. I got HiBid involved and they were absolutely no help. Here is their email to me:

Hi Jeff,
Unfortunately our legal team does not handle these types of things and I have been told by my supervisor that you would need to file your own legal law suit against the Merchantman Auctions.
We lease them the tools to run their own auctions and businesses. We do not legally go between bidder and auctioneer on these types of issues.
Our bidder support team is here to help you with technical issues and we of course will act as a go between and email the auctioneer any message you may have in regards to the auction.
I will send Willie an email on your behalf today letting him know that you still have not received your refund and that if he could start the process that would be great.
Keep my updated on what you decide to do so I can document it and also I will do the same, if I hear back from him I will let you know.
Please report all of this to the BBB and the local auctioneerÂ’s association as well .
Thank you and have a great day.
Please do not hesitate to call us or e-mail me, if you have any questions or issues. We are here to help!


Willie McCoy from Merchantmans auctions is a total fraud! Do not buy his fake cards. He basically ruined the hobby for me. I lost a lot of money because of him and I spend tons of time trying to get reimbursed (with no luck). After all of this happened HiBid still allowed him to sell on their platform (which is absolutely crazy to me).

[Michael B]

I just looked at their current auction. They are doing something quite shady/slimey/not cool. There are a number of lots with multiple cards of the same player, all slabbed (by BMG Grading?). If I read the title correctly, you are essentially bidding on one card and that bid will be multiplied by the number of cards in the listing. You bid on the Will Levis 3 card rookie lot and are the top bidder at $15.00. It would be $45 plus whatever fees are attached.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Did we ever confirm that this is the latest iteration of Battlefield then Candiman?

[Danlaw74]

Good morning he's been banned from our show in Fort Lauderdale. We actually had a process server, trying to serve him with paperwork at our show, he wasn't there because he allegedly sold a counterfeit card to a guy who decided to sue have you can always check public records in Broward county Florida
He owns BMG company and essentially grabs common cards of players that are popular and slabs them
Unfortunately, there are collectors that are not educated with grading cards and assume any gem mint 10 slabbed card is valuable so there's always a market for it. I'm assuming that the merchant man company doesn't care what their customers sell in my opinion, but then again, it's not like the hobby has regulations
I always believe karma will catch up to people like this
Back in the day he sold me an OPG rookie Wayne, Gretzky, and I graded it a year or so later, and it turned out to be counterfeit. He promised me a refund, but I never saw it. I always gave him the benefit of doubt on the card because I had no reason to believe that he would knowingly sell a counterfeit card like that, because not many people know the nuances with that card and at least I didn't at the time the fact you never refunded me and there are people looking for refunds who have had to sue him is a red flag
I believe he does live at that address with his girlfriend hope and unfortunately process servers are being frustrated by her saying he doesn't live there, which makes serving him a little difficult