Auction Fraud Article

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Posted By: scott

As someone who collects (again) baseball cards because it (usually) is an enjoyable way to spend time, I would offer that this is the type of thing that keeps people AWAY from the hobby.

If the card was once sold as altered by a respected hobby source and the current owner is knowledgeable of that recommendation, then simply please put it in the item description ALONG with any other opinion that you or someone you deem a respected source has on the card.

Being out of the hobby for a number of years, I don't know the story behind the card or who/when/where/how much the card has been sold for in the past. But the whole scenario kind of reminds me of when the screw down holders first arrived on the scene (about the same time the corners became more important than the actual card) and there were those that would literally get vises to clamp down the card to "flatten out" those corners - then sell the card as NRMT. I know a number of very disappointed collectors that curtailed their buying because of this type of thing. This is the type of thing that spawned "grading services" - and I view some of the grading services as nothing more than the new way to "flatten out" today's cards. Its one thing to use the knowledge acquired over the years to one's benefit in the positive sense - ie "finds". Its quite another to use knowledge in a negative or misleading sense.

Looking forward to seeing some good stuff in Chicago.

Regards