Report of the January 25 NYC Hobby Forum

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Posted By: barrysloate

I'm back from our long awaited hobby meeting and am happy to say it was both enjoyable and productive. First, I want to thank Jim Crandell for providing a warm gathering place on a frigid night, as well as for the pizza and refreshments. Besides Jim and myself, attendees included Doug Allen, Dave Forman, Al Crisafulli, Frank Evanov, Dan Gantt, Michael Sarno, and Keith Thompson (grand nephew of HOFer Sam Thompson).

The discussion was lively, and our primary focus was to find ways all collectors can protect themselves from the fraudulent practices of hobby card doctors. While it is of course impossible to find all of the card trimmers who are working below the radar, we feel that the burden falls squarely on the shoulders of the grading service. With Dave Forman taking an active stand and explaining the various problem cards that cross his desk (he also brought in sample cards for us to study and try to determine which ones were good and which ones were bad), and Doug Allen being very open in discussing the process that Mastro Auctions goes through before any card makes it into one of their catalogs, we all felt a little better about the steps being taken to insure the integrity of the product.

We also had a brief discussion about the removal of creases, and Dave assured us that it would be very difficult for such a card to receive a high grade without being detected. Everyone at the meeting participated and gave their thoughts, and while no conclusions can ever be made in this ongoing process, we felt that besides the need of the grading services to provide the highest possible standards, every collector needs to likewise make his own assessment when buying a card. One of the things we realize that is missing today is either a book or comprehensive article that can educate collectors more in this area, especially those who are relatively new to the hobby.

I hope I touched all the bases here. I invite everyone to participate and ask questions, and for those who attended, please add anything I may have left out. And it was a social evening as well, and I know I enjoyed meeting a really nice group of board members.