If anyone knows who bought this fake

[Doug]

Originally Posted by onlychild

On the PSA 52 Mantles, if you look close enough these are real flips that have been erased. You can see the wipe marks where the undercoating has been removed as well...the middle unprinted area has not been touched (it's whiter). From what I can tell the bar code is an original and only the previous print has been removed then reprinted.

He is close but the font is off. It's a standard font that resembles a special font used by PSA (and others). Look at the open ended "5's" and the narrow "0" in the serial number and compare them to a real PSA flip and you can see.

With this font the "#" sign typically has less of a slant than an original but it's tough to see on this one without being able to cut, paste and compare. There are other ways to tell but in this case the numbers "5" and "0" is what to look for.

This guy has the potential to be dangerous.

Here is a picture of some flips I made a few years ago to use as an educational tool showing when this particular wrong font is used. It's a perfect example for this scenario. Both are real flips, just one has been erased and remade...the other is original. Now imagine if the real font was used.

This is not digitally made or enhanced the fake is in-hand. When first made, out of everyone I showed (both graders and advanced collectors), only Mark Anderson at Beckett nailed it....perfectly.




Kevin Saucier

Luckily I've gotten to the point that when I buy a card on ebay I make a point of looking at the holder and label as much as the card. It kind of defeats the purpose of TPG when you have to analyze the holder as much as the card itself before making a purchase.

[GrayGhost]

This is really really sad. Back when I was a kid in the late 60s, 70s, all of us bought cards, put em in bikes, traded, etc. Then, we put them in shoeboxes, w rubber bands, etc. It was a FUN HOBBY.

Sadly, this business has got so out of control. Fake autographs, not just the Coach's corner frauds, but a ton more. People switching labels on graded cards. That one is really bothersome, as the previous poster said, what good is TPG anymore?

I love looking at the great cards, and unreal autographs and memorabilia many of you guys buy/sell/trade and own. But, it just is so sad that you really can't totally enjoy your passion for collecting, if you have to worry about the authenticity of a holder, as well as a card, etc. Very sad indeed, and honestly, really puts a bad taste.

Rant over, just somehow, this stuff all bugged me at once today.

[danmckee]

How about we meet half way Matt and Iggy? I will take half of Matt's double salary and twice of Iggy's recommendation.

[Doug]

With all of the fake/altered cards, doctored holders, stolen scans, etc. it's become more of a gamble than a "fun hobby" like it should be. When a guy can buy a fake Mantle for $25 and stick it in a PSA holder listed as a fake and still sell it for $1,925 it's mind numbing. It's just sad what big money can do to what was a simple hobby. What's going to happen when these guys start getting less greedy and start passing off fake VG '54 Hank Aaron rookies or something? If their only expense is a $25 reprint and a PSA holder, who's to say they won't go for lower profile stuff in the future when they can still make a few hundred dollars a pop.