NY Times covers the scandal

[swarmee]

Pretty good piece for its brevity. Glad they contacted Ken Kendrick about the issue. Surprised they didnt show any images from the before and after. Neither Brent nor Joe Orlando wanted to talk, very unlike them, and still didnt say which law enforcement agency they're working with.
And Moser throws PSA under the bus; that's rich.

[barrysloate]

Peter- did The Times contact you directly, or is that just a quote from one of your posts?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Peter- did The Times contact you directly, or is that just a quote from one of your posts?

I spoke with the reporter at some length, and also directed him to some background materials.

[conor912]

The last paragraph says a lot. The bellwether card of the hobby, when discovered trimmed, increased in value 4 fold. I imagine it'll be hard to gain sympathy from the masses when it appears the alterations are making everyone, including the buyers, rich.

[groundskeeper]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Surprised they didnt show any images from the before and after.

Anyone wanna throw up a quick link to some examples? I saw the 52 mantle PSA 4.5, but nothing else. Thanks!!!

Also, yeah, this is so annoying. I guess you get more fraud when the values go up, but these people are such scum. Sucks.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by groundskeeper

Anyone wanna throw up a quick link to some examples? I saw the 52 mantle PSA 4.5, but nothing else. Thanks!!!

Also, yeah, this is so annoying. I guess you get more fraud when the values go up, but these people are such scum. Sucks.

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...90614&page=110
Just keep scrolling forward or back. Hundreds of examples.

[groundskeeper]

Originally Posted by swarmee

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...90614&page=110
Just keep scrolling forward or back. Hundreds of examples.

SWEET JESUS!
Hats off to the people who did the investigative work.
PWCC eneds to go.
PSA needs ...to....i don't know?
I'm done buying cards over 6!

[WhenItWasAHobby]

Notwithstanding the lame rhetoric by Orlando and Moser and the mute response by Huigens, I'm glad to see this scandal is making national news. The more publicity, the more pressure will be put on PSA to proactively address the problem. Great work Peter!

By the way, has anyone heard from Michael O'Keefe of the New York Daily News? He was the lone voice in the wilderness in the media many years ago on hobby news like this.

[darwinbulldog]

I do have one question. Does anybody know what are these "25 rarest baseball cards" that Ken Kendrick owns? Surely there are more than 25 unique baseball cards, so the claim can't be accurate; I'm just wondering which cards are being touted as the 25 rarest.

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I do have one question. Does anybody know what are these "25 rarest baseball cards" that Ken Kendrick owns? Surely there are more than 25 unique baseball cards, so the claim can't be accurate; I'm just wondering which cards are being touted as the 25 rarest.

Not really the rarest (unless you consider them the rarest for their condition?), but certainly some of the most valuable.

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...on-on-exhibit/

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

Not really the rarest (unless you consider them the rarest for their condition?), but certainly some of the most valuable.

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...on-on-exhibit/

Thanks for the link. I love that he has the D Backs collection on all flips. Very smart. Even if determined to be altered, the cards are still from Kendrick's D Backs collection, which will make them valuable (exactly like the “Gretzky Wagner”).

[oldjudge]

Glenn—Ken’s collection is more condition rarities than really rare cards. He has the trimmed Wagner, a PSA 10 ‘52 Topps Mantle, and other high grade cards such as the M101-5 Thorpe, a nice, albeit blank back, M101 Ruth, etc. None of the rarest cards in the hobby are in his collection.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Glenn—Ken’s collection is more condition rarities than really rare cards. He has the trimmed Wagner, a PSA 10 ‘52 Topps Mantle, and other high grade cards such as the M101-5 Thorpe, a nice, albeit blank back, M101 Ruth, etc. None of the rarest cards in the hobby are in his collection.

Oh, okay. [yawn]

[ruth_rookie]

Peter, does the fact that Moser actually commented indicate he hasn’t lawyered up yet? If he has surely he would have been advised to shut his pie hole. And if I see hundreds of doctored cards on the net linked to me, I’m buying the best attorney i can find, which should be a pretty damn good one considering the sheer volume of cards outed on BO and the funds that appear to be coming in faster than he can can count it.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Glenn—Ken’s collection is more condition rarities than really rare cards. He has the trimmed Wagner, a PSA 10 ‘52 Topps Mantle, and other high grade cards such as the M101-5 Thorpe, a nice, albeit blank back, M101 Ruth, etc. None of the rarest cards in the hobby are in his collection.

I harsh assessment of what by almost any standard is at worst one of the top 2 or 3 collections in the world, at least as far as I'm aware. The article is actually referring to what are generally accepted as the top 25 cards in the hobby in terms of value, significance, and popularity. Keep in mind this article was written by a journalist who obviously doesn't collect. A few details are bound to be incorrect.

[RedsFan1941]

congratulations to peter on joining the 1 percent

[aaroncc]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

I harsh assessment of what by almost any standard is at worst one of the top 2 or 3 collections in the world, at least as far as I'm aware. The article is actually referring to what are generally accepted as the top 25 cards in the hobby in terms of value, significance, and popularity. Keep in mind this article was written by a journalist who obviously doesn't collect. A few details are bound to be incorrect.

Jay stated condition rarities. Not too hard to comprehend.

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by WhenItWasAHobby

Notwithstanding the lame rhetoric by Orlando and Moser and the mute response by Huigens, I'm glad to see this scandal is making national news. The more publicity, the more pressure will be put on PSA to proactively address the problem. Great work Peter!

By the way, has anyone heard from Michael O'Keefe of the New York Daily News? He was the lone voice in the wilderness in the media many years ago on hobby news like this.

Mr. O'Keefe, as was the case with most of the Daily News staff was laid off years ago. He's out of the sports card reporting business.

Rich

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Mr. O'Keefe, as was the case with most of the Daily News staff was laid off years ago. He's out of the sports card reporting business.

Rich

Mike quickly was hired by Newsday in New York and is doing well.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Mr. O'Keefe, as was the case with most of the Daily News staff was laid off years ago. He's out of the sports card reporting business.

Rich

Michael O Keefe is now with Newsday. I offered him information on a story about the hobby but he told me that his newspaper would not have been interested.