Caught! Crook who sold Ruth fakes to FL pawn shops

[Mr. Zipper]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...eballs/1186842

Largo police are holding this baseball with its phony Babe Ruth autograph and fraudulent certification letter as evidence in the case against 40-year-old Marc A. Szakaly of Land O’ Lakes. He’s charged with organized fraud, accused of selling at least 35 of the balls throughout the state.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Thank you for the link to that story, Steve.

[JayZim13]

Interesting article since I am living in Florida.
Was there anything on the cert that would identufy as phony immediately without checking back with PSA?

[mdschulze]

The article states, "A snowbird who wanted it for his son asked that it be recertified. So Pawn Mart sent the ball off to PSA/DNA Authentication Services in California, the company that had penned the first certificate".

Why would someone want it recertified by the same company? Is this a common practice by other collectors?

[packs]

Maybe he thought the ball looked fishy.

[mdschulze]

Maybe so but if it were me, I'd want a totally different authenticator to look at it... not the original one who possibly made a mistake the first time.