The Cincinnati Wagner "Graded"

[barrysloate]

You're probably right. They will look for some venue that might work for them. It might be ebay, it might be one of those small country auctions like they tried the first time around. This story won't have a happy ending, but I'm sure these guys will try to sell it.

[glynparson]

sIMILAR CARD BOARD SAME PLATES, big DIFFERENCE FROM THIS PIECE OF CRAP, AGAIN IF YOU NEED A LOUPE FOR THIS CARD YOU DONT KNOW CRAP ABOUT CARDS, SORRY Larry but since i dont sell anymore i actually can be more honest, about what is know a hobby and something I do love and am passionate about. There are alterations and even a few counterfeits that need louping but the overwhelming majority have a number of signs that give them away as fraudulent before you ever need to pick up a loupe. I am willing to bet over 90% of fakes are deemed as such at grading companies before they ever pick up a loupe. You can discredit authenticity without one, however on something like wagner or a mantle 52 many may need one before unequivocally authenticating.

[brass_rat]

...but thought I'd share a link to a "press release"...

http://www.prlog.org/11711982-ohio-c...lectibles.html

...and in case you want to "like" the card on Facebook, the card even has its own fan page...

http://www.facebook.com/TheCobbEdwar...onusWagnerCard

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by brass_rat

...but thought I'd share a link to a "press release"...

http://www.prlog.org/11711982-ohio-c...lectibles.html

...and in case you want to "like" the card on Facebook, the card even has its own fan page...

http://www.facebook.com/TheCobbEdwar...onusWagnerCard

I hope they are planning to use Colossal Auctions.

[Kenny Cole]

Interesting. They were willing to place the card in a safe owned by someone else (who unsuccessfully attempted to auction the card) for 5 years, but were afraid to give it up to a grader for 20 minutes or so. Hmmm. Yep, race and class are the issues. Particularly class, or the lack thereof.

Anyone want to go in halfsies on creating a few fraudulent Just So cards, or maybe some N172 Anson in uniform cards? If I read the story correctly, all we have to do is perservere for a few years. I'm a WASP, so that race thing is kind of problematic, but I'm sure we can figure out a way to overcome that handicap. If we can, at the least, we should be able to get a book or film deal. If the article is correct, it should easy money.

[iggyman]

Whoa! So it's not a proof but a genuine reprint from the "war to end all wars" era??? All this from a Canadian cable tv appraiser??? Bernard Goldberg and Bryant Gumbel! I'm stoked! I can't wait for the movie!

Lovely Day...

[barrysloate]

Well, they need an angle to sell this so of course they're playing the race card. We're just picking on them because we're white and they're black. And outright lying doesn't hurt either. They claim that various message boards (meaning us) have been hurling racial epithets at them. Nobody here has ever made even one racial comment towards them; the only negative criticism we've expressed is that they are committing fraud.

Then they take another predictable route: since Mastro is under investigation, he can't possibly be trusted to authenticate it. And since PSA graded the Gretzky Wagner, they too wouldn't know if it's real. Just play out the bullsh*t angle and everything will be fine.

And I knew they would go back to the Connelly fellow because he was the only one to support them the first time around. I hope that on the day this card is scheduled to be auctioned, the feds are there with three pairs of handcuffs. What a crock of sh*t.

[z28jd]

The funny thing about them playing the race card is they are trying to sell the card so how does it even make sense to say those rich white men who run the hobby won't buy the card from them because of their color? I could see them playing the race card if they had a mint condition Wagner and wanted it to be recognized as the best one in the hobby but they are trying to sell the card to these rich white men who want to own a Wagner, you could probably find hundreds of them to bid on a real one and they wouldn't care who owns it. There has never been an auction description for an authentic Wagner that sold that included the color of the seller in the description just for full disclosure

Playing the race card makes absolutely zero sense in this situation and I don't know how they convince people to write stories based on that premise. They're basically saying these rich white men refuse to give them money for the holy grail of baseball cards, not based on the card's authenticity but based on the color of the seller's skin.

[bosoxfan]

Originally Posted by z28jd

The funny thing about them playing the race card is they are trying to sell the card so how does it even make sense to say those rich white men who run the hobby won't buy the card from them because of their color? I could see them playing the race card if they had a mint condition Wagner and wanted it to be recognized as the best one in the hobby but they are trying to sell the card to these rich white men who want to own a Wagner, you could probably find hundreds of them to bid on a real one and they wouldn't care who owns it. There has never been an auction description for an authentic Wagner that sold that included the color of the seller in the description just for full disclosure

Playing the race card makes absolutely zero sense in this situation and I don't know how they convince people to write stories based on that premise. They're basically saying these rich white men refuse to give them money for the holy grail of baseball cards, not based on the card's authenticity but based on the color of the seller's skin.

Truer words have never been spoken

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Well, they need an angle to sell this so of course they're playing the race card. We're just picking on them because we're white and they're black. And outright lying doesn't hurt either. They claim that various message boards (meaning us) have been hurling racial epithets at them. Nobody here has ever made even one racial comment towards them; the only negative criticism we've expressed is that they are committing fraud.

Then they take another predictable route: since Mastro is under investigation, he can't possibly be trusted to authenticate it. And since PSA graded the Gretzky Wagner, they too wouldn't know if it's real. Just play out the bullsh*t angle and everything will be fine.

And I knew they would go back to the Connelly fellow because he was the only one to support them the first time around. I hope that on the day this card is scheduled to be auctioned, the feds are there with three pairs of handcuffs. What a crock of sh*t.

wow Barry, in the ~6 years of me being part of net54, i think thats the most worked up I remember you getting!

[barrysloate]

Rob- when these guys first surfaced on the board- I believe it was Mr. Cobb who posted here many years ago- I was equally agitated. There are so many things about them that get me worked up. However, I agree I'm normally a whole lot calmer... I forgot to take my Propofol this morning.

[MW1]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

wow Barry, in the ~6 years of me being part of net54, i think thats the most worked up I remember you getting!

Barry's absolutely correct. I've recounted the story a number of times, but to wit, I was there when they first purchased the card at a show in Cincinnati and it was obvious from the beginning that the two of them were con men. They knew (and admitted) it was fake then and they know it's fake now. The most remarkable aspect of the entire saga, however, is how far the story has been drawn out and how many resources various local and national news outlets have expended on it. Cobb and Edwards bought a reprinted T206 Wagner off of a dealer's table for $1. End of story. No other footnotes required.