major auction houses a lesson to be learned

[Al C.risafulli]

I want the item described.

If you're describing a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr in PSA 10, perhaps you don't need to say much more than describing any important characteristics in the card, and maybe a little bit about the significance of that card in the hobby.

But if you're describing a Henry Johnson Confectioners Ty Cobb, some information about how there are two graded copies and this one is the highest, and perhaps some background on how tough the cards truly are, how they were issued, and what their significance was, well, that may have helped the consignor get the price that card should have gotten.

I'd rather have too much copy than too little.

That said, useless crap like "A REAL GEM!" and "WHAT A GREAT DEAL!" is used car salesman copy that has no business in an auction of historically important sports memorabilia. That's Crazy Eddie stuff.

-Al