The T206 Honus Wagner has been removed!

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Posted By: DJ

Just in...Honus is gone.

This listing (#250015375445) has been removed or is no longer available. Please make sure you entered the right item number.

Now what does that mean for the owners and more importantly, the HBO people?

DJ

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Posted By: John S

Definitely a step in the right direction.

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Posted By: Russ Bright

This is definately a good thing for the hobby, but leaves me asking one question...

What's HBO going to do now? Continue with the episode about this card?

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Posted By: Joann

Good for ebay. But the Connelly's are still hanging in there, "not purporting to authenticate this card" but still looking for the consignment fee on $300K+. So I think HBO still has a story, but I'm sure they would much rather have been able to refer to ebay since so many viewers could get there and find it via search. Much more cumbersome to have to provide URL's or help people figure out how to get to it.

J

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Posted By: Kenneth A. Cohen

I, most certainly among others, reported the auction to Ebay for violation of the authenicity disclaimer policy. This may or may not have contributed to its removal as I also signalled auction#110017694073, where the seller states "I cannot assure someone it is not a reprint..." For whatever reason, Ebay has declined to de-list that one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&item=110017694073&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Could it be that Ebay doesn't bother because the bogus Wagner game is so old now that no one gets sucked in anymore?

Ken

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Posted By: Chad

Paris Hilton bought the card as a present for her chauffeur and auction was voluntarily closed! You heard it from me first.

--Chad

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Posted By: Max Weder

If you don't get a bid in early, all the good sales happen off-ebay.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

.

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Posted By: Corey R. Shanus

I'm a little confused. When I go to Connelly's website (www.bobconnelly.com), he still lists the card. When I click on the link to eBay live, I see the card is still listed there. It seems to me then that the card has not been removed, or am I doing something wrong?

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Posted By: leon

Try it again. I just went to their site and hit every link I could and it's not there anymore. You possibly could have had the link stuck in your browser somehow. Also, if you go to ebay and put the # in you can see it's gone. Good for ebay for doing this. They only lost the listing fee which is $5-$10...as no way would this sale have ever fully happened. I guess Connelly's estimate of 850k is still sticking though. If it's worth 850k then I guess my fake '28 Ruth Candy Company cards should be worth at least several thousand. Maybe I'll send them all of my fake pieces of crap to auction....nah, it's better to keep them for comparisons sake....

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Posted By: joe brennan

I found the perfect site to sell that bridge I've been wanting to get rid of. In the early 70's I had a ton of swamp land in Florida to sell and finally unloaded it on some dupe named Disney. I wonder what he did with that land?

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: Corey R. Shanus

Thanks Leon. I just tried it again and I see it's been removed now.

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Posted By: barrysloate

The question now is do the two owners finally accept the fact that it is fake, or do they think ebay pulled it because they were black?

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Posted By: Anonymous

maybe it wasn't pulled because they're black or because its fake. maybe its perfectly real, but iranian hackers (who had firsthand evidence that the card was very real) have such disdain for our capitalist system that they couldn't bear to see a small piece of cardboard sell for so much money. that being the case they hijacked the websites and removed the wagner. why hasn't anyone suspected iran's involvement in this debacle?

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Posted By: jay behrens

I think Opus Dei is behind it.

Jay

A good friend will come bail you out of jail. A true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn, that was fun."

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Posted By: ScottIngold

Mensa ?

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Posted By: Larry

Just for those that did the same as I, getting e bay notified as to this crazy listing, I think we all deserve to be commended. Now we should not waste anymore time or effort on this horrible and ridiculous "sports moment".

Last Night, I contacted the e bay trust and safety dept via e mail and phone, and I also contacted my representative, and I forwarded e mail documentation of "authentic graded" Wagners and this one, it was very obvious this auction was ludacrous.

Maybe it helped, maybe they already received so much flack, somebody blinked, but for all those that agree that this was one of the most ingeneious and ridiculous attempts to gain notoriety, lets all say thank you for ridding us of one giant flea.

To all those that laughed and wondered about this episode like myself, we should also be thankful that e bay finally did do something positive for the sports card community.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

.

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Posted By: John

“Quick Wonder Mint! To the Type Card Cave!!!”

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Posted By: leon

You're killin' me, man.....and the biggest problem is I bear a resemblance to him...ouch....but I could never be as flamboyant....He had on a purple coat and bright yellow glasses at the National. I almost asked him where is big red nose and big feet were....

edited to add my 9yr old looked at it and asked why I am skinny in that pic?

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Posted By: William Heitman

The link Ken Cohen provided is to a very old reprint of the Wagner. Note the trouble in the upper left of the background. Haven't you all seen this before? It closes in a couple of hours.

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Posted By: ScottIngold

Wow... Big brother and little bro.

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Posted By: William Heitman

I contacted the seller of the "Wagner" Ken Cohen provided the link to and told him that the card was a reprint. Here was his reply: "Yeah sure buddy... and I got a bridge for sale in Arizona if your interested! I am sure that that the 650 people that have offered me money to buy it before the auction ends are ALL less intelligent than you right? Get a life!" I then suggested that he do a google search of my name which I gave him and here was his reply to that: "I typed your BS name into Yahoo's search and go figure, nothing shows! By the way, my name is Bill Gates. "Google" my name and you'll find me also!" So I sent him an email with a scan of the cover of my book, T206 The Monster and this was his reply: "nice picture clown... also, recommend proof reading your emails before sending ("check you spelling").. didn't you mean "check your spelling"? If you ever did write a book, I am surprised you sold a single copy with grammar like that. Further proof that you are the con here pal.... give it up." Here is the last email I got from him: "I was just contacted by a member you emailed stating your opinions about the sports card and have forwarded the email to ebay security for your breach of member policies and guidelines. I informed ebay that I would like to take legal action against you under my rights as an ebay member. You screwed up buddy by sending emails through your member IP and name. You can't erase it now. Just giving you a courtesy heads up, author. Thank you, eBay" The sad thing is the card went for more than $400. I emailed the winning bidder who had just set a record high price for a reprint. This was eBay item #110017694073. I just got another email from the seller that I will share with you: "Again conman, you violated your member agreement and you'll pay for it. Regardless of how the auction went, people saw through you immediately and courtesy copied me the emails you sent at least 2 members and I will take it all the way. You can blame a small keyboard all you want, but your lack luster attempts to buy this sports card from me before the auction ended didn't work. And by the way, how hard is it to find some 26 year old book on the internet, look up the authors name and claim to be the him or her? Come on! All the emails you are sending to me and the other members are being saved, so please continue to do so, it's making my case against you easier by the minute! Thanks again and NO I will not sell you this card out from under the feet of the winning bidder so stop asking." This seller's email address is: realestateadvisor@verizon.net This guy is actually accusing me of trying to buy this crap card from him. I began this post as a way of showing how far some sellers will go when faced with reality. I have a small favor of Leon and you other board members. Please email this guy and tell him what you think of his "Wagner" and tell him who I am. It would be appreciated. You can send me copies if you want.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Someone should put his email addy on a porn spam list. Not that I would do anything like that

Jay

A good friend will come bail you out of jail. A true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn, that was fun."

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Posted By: Ray Piskadlo

now what happens when he takes legal action and finds out you are the author of the book? LOL!

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Posted By: William Heitman

I really couldn't believe this guy. I assumed when I first read the listing that he just didn't know anything about cards. When I first emailed him, I was just trying to give him the heads up on the card. The high bidder at the time was a kid and anyone who knows me knows I have a very big soft spot for kids in the hobby. But his reaction tells me that it wasn't that he didn't know whether the card was real, he didn't want to know. That tells me that he was attempting fraud.

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Posted By: Kenneth A. Cohen

I reported this auction to Ebay FOUR different times, and was obviously ignored. I used to be successful at having the "selling as a reprint" authencity disclaimer auctions removed. However, lately it seems the security folks at Ebay are understaffed or don't give a crap. I hate to see people get scammed like that. I suppose it's part of the learning process - but 430 smackers is some pretty heavy tuition.

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Posted By: William Heitman

Here is his latest response to my email in which I told him I was not interested in the card at any price and that I had made no effort to get him to sell it to me: "Again scam artist, I will not sell this card to you for the price you offered me during or after the auction. You need to do two things however.... first see a doctor for obvious mental issues that derive from illusions about being an author who you aren't that wrote a book a quarter century ago and uses this pathetic accomplishment as his only bragging rights in life, which clearly identify a personal life failure over the last 26 years. Finally, stop harassing me. I have informed ebay of your threatening emails thus far and will forward this to them as well. The winner has also forwarded me the email you sent him telling him he paid $400 more than he should have so that also has been forwarded to ebay to show how much integrity you lack as a pathetic man who has interfered in a sale and breached your ebay member guidelines. Again, do not harass me or my family any further or I will take legal action against you for mental anguish. Have a wonderful night." Will somebody please email this guy? But, I have to admit it's probably a waste of time. He makes no sense at all.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Most of these auctioneers of fake Wagners are well aware
the card is fake. There's no point in telling them the
what they already know.

Bill, the seller likely knows the card is fake and that
you are the author, so he's blowing smoke. All you
have to do is ignore him. Someone who is knowingly selling
a fake (which he likely knows is against the law) isn't going
to persue anything serious. The last thing he wants to do is
to expose his illegal behavior to someone in authority.

If I knew Norman Mailer I'd have him contact the seller and tell
him that you are indeed the author of the book. I'm sure Mailer
has harassed the families of a few critics of his writing.

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Posted By: Kenneth A. Cohen

I just did a live chat with an ebay rep. Waste of time I'm afraid! Upon the rep's suggestion, I reported the auction one last time. I don't know what else to do to try to save this guy from paying big money for a reprint.

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Posted By: William Heitman

I don't have any fear of whatever action he pursues, but I hate to see somebody get taken so badly. These are the kind of sellers who give eBay and this hobby black eyes. I fear we might lose a collector when he gets his card in the mail and finds out that it is a reprint. His first contact with the hobby--a guy who has sold exactly one card and specializes in old Ford Mustang parts. Thanks guys.

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Posted By: David Smith

Why don't you E Mail the scumbag and alert him that you are contacting the FBI in San Diego, the ones who have done sting operations against sports memorabilia con men. Then also tell him you are contacting his state Attorney General on Monday morning.

You also might want to let eBay know you are doing this and that if eBay retaliates against you, then you are also contacting the California Attorney Generals office and reporting eBay for allowing this fraud to occur when they were told AND KNEW THIS CARD WAS FAKE.

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Posted By: peter ullman

why don't you just alert the high bidders? Can't you do that?

pete in mn

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Posted By: William Heitman

I did alert the high bidders at that time. Unfortunately a last second bidder won the item.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

And don't forget say you contacted Norman Mailer and
he's pissed.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Pete, members of this board have been temperorily NARU'd for contacting winning bidders about fake cards they are buying. Most of the time, the high bidder is a shill for the seller, so he forwards the email to the seller and then seller files a complaint with eBay sinced contacting the high bidder of auction and telling him not pay for any reason, is considered auction tampering (you screwing with eBay's money), thus, they will hammer those of us that try to police our little corner of eBay and let the con artists run rampant because they generate revenue for eBay and we don't.

The funny thing that eBay seems to forget that it takes not just a seller to generate revenue for them, but also buyers. They wrongly side on the seller all the time thinking that these are the guys that generate all their revenue when it actually takes 3 people, the seller, high bidder and the underbidder. There are more buyers in this equation, but eBay hasn't figured that out yet.

Jay

A good friend will come bail you out of jail. A true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn, that was fun."

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Posted By: David McDonald

I read somewhere once that 5 per cent of the population is sociopathic. This may be altogether incorrect but it has become my rule of thumb. What that means for me is that one out of twenty people I encounter has no conscience to be troubled and, more plainly stated, doesn't give a rat's a$$ about anybody but himself. This seller really takes the prize. For him four hundred bucks for a fake Wagner is a guilt-free payday. Call his BS and he yanks your chain with false accusations and puffed up threats. I also read that the condition is incurable - once a sociopath, always a sociopath - but smacking his face with a 2x4 could help (insert psychotic emoticon).

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Posted By: Ricky Y

Wow how sad and pathetic...I don't know what I find more disturbing...that people continue to fall for such scams...or that epay continues to allow such auctions to run.

All the bidders should be directed to this forum to learn some basics about card collecting.

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Posted By: William Heitman

When I contacted the "winner", I merely said that the card he had won was a reprint. If I get NARU'd, so be it.

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Posted By: Cobby33

Bill: Email sent to seller.
Best regards-

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Posted By: barrysloate

Bill- Sorry to see you had to put up with all this aggravation. I think it might be best that all of us just remove ourselves from this issue because this has become a problem without a solution. When these guys accuse you of lying about writing T206-The Monster when in fact you did I think you need to accept that it is impossible to get through to them. They will go down with the Titanic and tell you the boat isn't sinking. I like the comment that they had 650 offers on the card before the auction. I've been in the business for 25 years and if I had say 3 offers on something I would say that is pretty good. I think we should all get as far away from these two miscreants as possible.

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Posted By: Rich Mueller

Bill,

The poster who said to contact the FBI in San Diego was absolutely correct. They will likely be interested in this. So likely will the attorney general in the seller's home state. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're wasting your time.

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Posted By: William Heitman

Thanks everyone.

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Posted By: Jeff Lowe

Phase two .. Who sues who ??





Jeff

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

An announcement from Connelly's web site:

"eBay has ended Internet bidding for the Honus Wagner Baseball Card. Internet bidding on eBay via Live Auctioneers continues for all 390 other items in this Sports Memorabilia auction. You can bid on the Honus Wagner card in person on Saturday, August 12, 2006 at the Showplace in Binghamton, NY."

(Warning-Seinfeld reference)

Quoting Elaine Benes, "I am without speech. I have no speech."

Also quoting Elaine, and more to the point, "Fake, fake, fafe, fake."

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Posted By: Eric B

Hey guys. I follwed your lead about the $430 Wagner and sent an quick email to the winner. Nothing to "tamper" with the auction. Just a short note that basically said....."If you want a reprinted Wagner, I believe you can buy an entire T206 reprint set in perfect condition for about $20.00."

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Posted By: David Davis

Did anyone go to the Connelly auction? Did the Wagner sell?

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Posted By: Anson

The sad thing is, there are several other Connelly items that are obvious fakes. Even though they won't fetch the hilarious Wagner BIN, a lot of folks are going to get screwed.

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Posted By: frank

I followed this entire auction very carefully, and although I'm a big baseball fan, I'm no expert, so I am very curious as to what the other obvious fakes were in the Connelly auction?

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Posted By: NickM

One of the other threads mentioned the Lou Gehrig and Harry Heilmann autographs as being obvious fakes. I don't recall seeing any others specifically identified.