Where is Rudy Giuliani When We Need Him?

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Posted By: Bruce Dorskind

Whilst Dave may believe that the pre-war elite collectors account for
less than 1% of the hobby, we are not talking about the packs that are
sold in retail stores or $20 autograph baseballs.

If one looks at the published results from the top 15 auction sports houses
for the past two years, total sales are close to $200 million.

While there were literally thousands of bidders, our guess is that 500
or so collectors/dealers Davis alludes to acquired more than 50% of the items.

These are the very items where there is a both an incentive and an opportunity
for fraud.

We, as a hobb,y have to regulate the grading companies, the auctioneers and
the major dealers. If they violate our trust, and more importantly the law, they
MUST BE PUNISHED. Christies, Sothebys, a plethora of coin dealers and others
have been pursued and punished by the Government. Whilst many of those who
were punished still sell goods today, their ability to conspire on fees and/or sell
illegal items has been greatly restricted.

No system is perfect. But we need to try. We need highly skilled, well trained professionals
who will enforce the rules. If we publish report after report that a certain dealer
is not behaving properly and if we recommend that no one bid in a certain auction or
consign materials- the dealers will pay attention.

It won't be easy, but many Four Star Restaurants have fallen when it was discovered that
their kitchen was not clean.

Can you imagine a newsletter that goes to 10,000 collectors that says

Before you consign to XYZ Auctions consider the following

1) Evidence of trimming
2) Evidence of shill bidding
3) Remind a potential consignor what happens to his payment if the Auction Company
gets into trouble.

If this initiative is implemented in well panned way and all the so called elite collectors.
along with MLB,the insurance companies and E Bay support it- the auction companies
will have no choice.

This not a question of protecting the uneducated, lazy or elite, rather it is a question of
rules that protect all the participants in a $500 million business.


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List