Miracle Pocket Watches: Honus, Babe, Mantle and Maris... Beware!

[perezfan]

Does anyone outside of Goldin Auctions believe these Pocket Watches to be authentic and of the era? They must think we are really gullible....

https://goldinauctions.com/Category/Memorabilia-31.html

First, this type of engraving (Sultan of Swat, Baseball Legends, etc.) was not invented when these were purportedly made. Second, the watch face graphics are laughable for the time period they supposedly represent.

Let's look at the "1900s" Honus Wagner Watch... the "Earliest Wagner Watch Type" according to Goldin...

https://goldinauctions.com/1900s_16S...-LOT89408.aspx

Make special note of the engraving on the reverse. Now let's look at the "1961" Mantle/Maris Watch...

https://goldinauctions.com/1960s_16S...-LOT89414.aspx

Gee.... that reverse engraving looks familiar! A sheer miracle that the engraving style did not change one iota from 1900 to 1961. And even more miraculous that watchmaker Ingersoll would use the same exact crossed bats motif in 1900 as rival watchmaker Ingraham employed in 1961.


Now lets look at the "1920-21" Babe Ruth Watch...

https://goldinauctions.com/1920_21_1...-LOT89409.aspx

This one is even more miraculous. It is from Babe's first-ever season with the Yankees, yet pictures him in a Red Sox Uniform. What a lucky day for us collectors... what are the odds! Even more astounding is the reverse engraving. In modern day font, it proclaims "Baseball Legends Babe Ruth". So he was already a baseball legend before ever swinging the bat as a New York Yankee!

There are 4 more that have modern day "Sultan of Swat" engraving on the reverse side. A type of engraving that was not even available in the 1950s. Here is one such example...

https://goldinauctions.com/1950s_16S...-LOT89413.aspx

So.... where did all of these watches miraculously come from? How could so many rare pieces be hitting Goldin's auction block all at the same time? Check out these recently completed auctions on eBay, and scroll all the way down...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...pg=50&_fosrp=1

Look familiar? Someone is taking vintage generic type pocket watches, removing the original dials, and replacing them with recently concocted Baseball themed dials. I could envision these "Franken-watches" fooling a few novice collectors. But the reverse engraving should fool nobody.

Just more greed plaguing our troubled hobby. Hope nobody gets burned too badly in Goldin. I informed them of the problem (in great detail), but these auctions continue to run.

[D. Bergin]

LOL, at least they're nice looking fantasy pieces.

Not like the Ebay stuff we've been seeing for years, that are just old pieces of hardware, slapped with brand new engravings on them.

[drcy]

1900s means 1901-1999. Which is more specific that "circa 1900s"

We weren't even supposed to be alive after Y2K, so let's count our blessings that we're here to complain.

[todeen]

I would agree their 100 year approximation is problematic. I also don't think that 1920-21 watch is accurate. I agree with your astute attention to detail, too, that all of these watches are more likely more modern (post-1960) than Goldin is advertising them for.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by drcy

1900s means 1901-1999. Which is more specific that "circa 1900s"

We weren't even supposed to be alive after Y2K, so let's count our blessings that we're here to complain.

Yeah, maybe I could stretch so far as to believe they mean a 99 year time span. But to proclaim it "The earliest Wagner Watch Type" is something that even Stretch Armstrong wouldn't buy in to.

[ooo-ribay]

Those are ridiculous.

[khkco4bls]

What an absolute joke and I feel sorry for the people that actually bid on this crap