An eye-opening experience at the Card Grading Station

[swarmee]

Feel free to read articles about Operation Bullpen, Eli Manning, Mastro Auctions, and Hauls of Shame. There are definitely fraudsters in this hobby.

[PhillipAbbott79]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Feel free to read articles about Operation Bullpen, Eli Manning, Mastro Auctions, and Hauls of Shame. There are definitely fraudsters in this hobby.

63 charges and convictions
◾Seizures exceeding $4.9 million including 5 homes, cash, bank/investment accounts, jewelry, a Ferrari, a boat, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
◾18 forgery rings dismantled.
◾Over $300,000.00 in restitution paid to over 1,000 victims and continuing.
◾$15,253,000 in economic loss prevented in the seizure of tens of thousands of pieces of forged memorabilia through 75 search warrants and over 100 undercover evidence purchases.

I often wonder, how if they seized 5 million in assets, how they only pay a fraction of that in restitution.

It always makes me feel like the government stole the stolen proceeds from the thieves, gives some of it back, as justification that they did something good. If you were a victim, wouldn't you want to sue the government for not giving back all of the seized proceeds?

[Yankees1964]

After living through card shows of the 80's and knowing people who faked autographs it is really difficult for me to buy any high dollar autograph today. I know that most of the authenticators are true experts in the hobby, but they are also human. If I don't know the person that got it signed, I do not buy it.

[Kingcobb]

I don't buy any autograph's of living players unless I have them signed in person. I saw a segment on ESPN that 85% of autographed material of players that are alive are forged.

[drcy]

I don't deal or am an expert in autographs, but, as an art and artifacts expert, my saying is "It's easy to make a forgery. It's hard to make a good forgery."

I assume the 85% includes a whole lot of bad forgeries.