Revisiting the T206 Wagner "strip"

[Leon]

Originally Posted by botn

What is even more mysterious than the origin of the strip is the number of experts who Ted and Leon have talked with whose names cannot be mentioned. It is just an opinion they are providing not testimony in a court of law. Why the anonymity?

One commented in this thread and the other is a bit more private but has been collecting for around 40 yrs. And my response mentioned one collector and another friend of his....so that number is 2, Greg.

[jimonym]

Because of its plastic entombment, I couldn't determine whether it was a frankenstrip or not. What I feel totally convinced of is that the strip (or "strip") was separately produced from standard T206 press runs and thus sheds only limited light on T206 production methods.

[martyogelvie]

Barry,
maybe there is some room for grey area..
perhaps its a 3 card strip with two cards added (glued on). ?

[tedzan]

My "beef" is just with one character here....Matt, and his comment in post #48......
" My math skills must be off - perhaps I miscounted, but it looks like every single person who has examined the card
in person and come on the forum, including two people who held it raw, say it is printed, with the exception of Ted. "

While his comment may sound innocuous to you, it is unsolicited "digs" like this that he posted on several occasions,
that I have finally become fed up with.
It is apparent that he did not bother to read the prior posts here, before making that comment. Or, perhaps he did
read them; but, has a comprehension problem.

In any event, please try to understand my side of this matter. I don't post on here to generate controversy.
I have stated my opinion on this strip and that I'm entitled to do so. I fully expect & accept constructive differences
of opinion.
However, I don't think we need uninformed, sarcastic commentary.


TED Z

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by tedzan

I fully expect & accept constructive differences of opinion.

TED Z

Ted, quite simply: No, you do not.

[barrysloate]

Rob- I agree that even the simplest threads can end up in dogfights, so I'm with you there.

But we aren't asking them to reveal anything even slightly confidential or controversial. We're merely asking if it's a single strip or not.

And as far as where they draw the line, it would pretty much stop right here. This is an extremely unusual, and admittedly unique item. I don't care how they came to the conclusion it's genuine, I don't care who submitted it...I just want to know if it's a strip or not.

And I agree that they wouldn't have slabbed it if it were five cards glued together. Therefore, I have to put myself in the camp that it is a strip and not five individual cards. But it would be nice to hear it from them.

That said, they probably will not chime in.

[Al C.risafulli]

And as far as where they draw the line, it would pretty much stop right here

I disagree. Two or three times a week on this board, I see people calling for a representative from a grading company to chime in to a thread and offer an opinion or explanation. The first time a grading company representative does this, it sets a precedent. There have certainly been plenty of other high-profile items where grading companies have been asked to comment on this board.

I also know that if I submitted a card to a grading company, or if I owned a card that was the subject of some discussion, I wouldn't want the grading company to be making public statements about my card - whether they be positive or negative or indifferent. SGC is not the owner of the card; they were asked to render an opinion for the owner of the card at the time of submission, and not to make a public statement to the entire hobby at the request of someone who has no ownership interest in the card at all.

My suggestion would be to have one of the academics here contact the owner of the card, and in the interest of learning, ask if the slab could be opened at next year's National, in a public forum. It could be examined under a loupe, and then re-slabbed. I'd be happy to pony up some cash for re-slabbing the card.

-Al

[peterose4hof]

Since they are the ones who slabbed the strip, it really is a shame that someone from SGC hasn't chimed in on this thread. If we keep the debate going for another 5 days maybe Brian Dwyer (who will then be formerly of SGC) will have some comments.

[barrysloate]

Marty- you are a master at finding that great middle ground.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by peterose4hof

Since they are the ones who slabbed the strip, it really is a shame that someone from SGC hasn't chimed in on this thread. If we keep the debate going for another 5 days maybe Brian Dwyer (who will then be formerly of SGC) will have some comments.

I sort of doubt SGC will come on here for this debate. They do read the board quite a bit though. I would have to imagine that if they thought it were seperate cards glued onto a strip then they would not have slabbed it. If I am wrong I will let ya'll know tomorrow, after they call me and correct me . regards

[barrysloate]

Leon- why couldn't SGC come on here and comment? All they would have to say is whether it's a strip or an amalgamation of cards. It's easy and they certainly (hopefully) won't get attacked. I bet if you asked them they would- they've certainly commented on this board before.

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Leon- why couldn't SGC come on here and comment? All they would have to say is whether it's a strip or an amalgamation of cards. It's easy and they certainly (hopefully) won't get attacked. I bet if you asked them they would- they've certainly commented on this board before.

I can think of a few reasons. One is that it establishes a precedent I'm guessing SGC would like to avoid. If someone from SGC comes on the board and provides details on the strip, then where do they draw the line? Are they required to do it the next time there are questions about a high-profile card? Plus, my guess is they'd prefer to let their work do the talking. I don't think it would be slabbed like it is if it were five cards pasted together (the collective opinion of Ted's group of experts not withstanding).

Second, I'm sure they feel a responsiblity to their customers to not publicly comment on cards they grade. I'm betting they would feel the need to get permission from the card's owner before commenting.

Third, I'm sure they've seen how quickly other threads have deteriorated when folks who don't post that often come aboard.

Finally, I doubt it would end up being a simple post. One answer would lead to another question, which would lead to another, etc., etc., etc. They received the card, received payment and did their job. I don't think SGC should be expected to host a Q&A. At least at this point in time.

Of course, now that I've said all this, expect someone from SGC to post within the hour.