Not prewar but....Topps '52 Mantle on eBay...

[Potomac Yank]

Why be miserable?

Don't let us talk you out of it.

[iggyman]

Another one of these fake '52 Mantle RC in a PSA holder. This is reaching epidemic proportion.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1952-TOPPS-MICKE...mZ120466314227

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Potomac Yank

Why be miserable?

Don't let us talk you out of it.

Don't worry I got another real one Monday. The label on this one has apparently been doctored since "Mickey Mantle" the "311" and the serial number are a bit crooked. The color of the card looks a bit off as well, but these things are getting scary close. It may be the picture, but it looks like the right and bottom edges of the holder are frosted.

[Doug]

I just sent PSA an email with links to the auctions to make them aware of the situation. If I hear anything back I will make sure to post it.

[Jantz]

I was at a card show in Columbus, OH. the weekend before the National and talked to a dealer who purchased a graded card off of Ebay. The card had been advertised by the seller as PSA graded and the slab & label looked as such. After receiving the card, the buyer(dealer) noticed something wrong with the card. Not only was the card a fake/reprint, but the label was also fake. I asked the dealer if I could get a closer look & he obliged. The detail of the label was scary and it was a dead on match. It could have fooled almost anyone not taking a close look and viewing it from a scan on Ebay made it, I imagine, almost impossible to tell the differences. Also, the slab was sealed. No frosting or spider line cracks. It was sealed completely around the edges.

Now, I'm in no way trying to bash PSA. My opinion is that these thieves prey on PSA's name and probably get better prices for a card with a look-a-like PSA slab/label than they would another grading companies slab/label.

After seeing this card it changed my way of thinking. Now, not only do I inspect the card, but the label also.

Jantz

[Doug]

Hopefully PSA takes some kind of approach to help stop this kind of stuff. As someone who mostly collects postwar cards it's a huge concern since it seems like about 90% of graded postwar cards are PSA graded. It seems like scammers are getting less greedy. Instead of trying to pass off a fake PSA 8 Mantles, they are dropping down to lower grade ones. That PSA 1 Mantle looks like someone bought a legit PSA 1 1952 Topps card and changed the name to Mickey Mantle, the number to 311, and certification number to match a real '52 Mantle while leaving the rest of the text intact which at least shows a difference so you can tell the label was altered. Still a PSA 1 common is probably a $5 investment and after some label doctoring and a fake Mickey Mantle in the holder, you have a $4k card. After a couple of those deals they could afford to buy a legit '52 Mantle and all they would have to do is switch out the real card with a fake and keep resubmitting the real card for more legit labels and holders. The possibilities are scary.

[HOFAUTOS]

Im sure those Mantles are from the Criagslist scams of PSA cards that was going on. A little Photoshop to produce a flip, and fake cards.

There have been numerous threads about it over on CU, if I find the time and not drunk , i'll post them here

[onlychild]

Flip (and slab) doctoring is nothing new. It has been discussed on Net54 in detail several times in the past, in great detail. The results of the Mantle flip(s) are somewhat novice. A well made flip is very difficult to recognize without a very close examination or a side by side comparison with one that is real.

To the best of my knowledge, all grading companies are aware of this issue. PSA, Beckettt and GAI have "definitely known" about this, for at least a couple years. Some have taken proactive steps to make their flips/slabs more secure. Not only does PSA know but almost perfectly forged flips have been sent for their review...still nothing.

Kevin