Ebay Pickup - 1953 Topps Mike Sandlock

I like being able to put a face with a player that I got TTM and Mike Sandlock was a really good one I got on March 21, 2012.  You can read my TTM success here.  Sandlock is the third oldest living former baseball player at 97 years of age.

I really like the 1953 set.  I like the artwork of the set and the backs are really nice as well.  I got this card fairly cheap, at around $6.

One day, I would love to tackle the '53 set, but I think that might be a long time from now.  The set is 60 years old and there are some huge names in the set that command a hefty price tag.  I have always wanted the Satchel Paige from the set.  I'm hoping I can find that one for a steal sometime soon because I have had my eye on it for several years now.

A Nice PWE From Night Owl

I got a nice envelope in the mail the other day from fellow blogger Night Owl that contained 5 more 2013 Topps Emerald parallels that I needed for my set.  His PWE put me at a total of 146 cards, so out of the 330 needed to complete the set, I am now just over 44% complete.  Woo Hoo!  Until Series 2 comes along, then I will need to get all of those, too.  But, I digress.

Thanks for the cards, Night Owl!  He also sent me a great 2013 Topps Gold parallel Robert Andino.  I kind of miss him on this year's club.  Flaherty definitely isn't getting the job done at 2nd base.  Of course, had Roberts not gotten hurt, it would be a moot point.  Oh well.

Some 2013 Emeralds From The Card Shop

While I was looking around the card shop the other day, I found two 2013 Topps Emerald parallels that were in the bargain box.  I needed both of them, so I picked them up for my set.  I got Vance Worley and the above Ryan Raburn, leaving me with 141 total for the set out of 330.  That puts me at almost 43% completed.  These were the first two cards that I actually bought for the set.  All of the others came from packs that I busted or trades.  I think I did pretty well getting a good portion of them from trades.

Speaking of trades, I need to pick back up on that.  Hopefully, I won't have any delays in picking up any Series 2 Topps, so maybe trading will pick up for that.  I also want to get another shipment of cards ready for COMC, but the stuff I have on there has really slowed down.  You guys should check back on there and see if I have anything of interest.  The link is at the top of my page.

Operation Bullpen and Autograph Forgeries

Being an avid autograph collector, I am always looking for deals on signed baseballs in hopes that I can knock off a few hard to find Hall of Famers.  I'm always looking at auction sites to see if I can find anything that many folks who only use mainstream auctions like Ebay may miss.  Today, I was looking at an auction of a Roger Maris signed baseball and saw that it had a COA from "Forensic Document Services."  After my purchase of a fake Hank Aaron baseball a few years ago, I am much more stringent in making sure I have a reputable COA on my baseballs.

So, I googled Forensic Document Services and found some very interesting information that I thought I should share, especially with some of the younger folks around here who may not have heard of the FBIs sting operation titled "Operation Bullpen."

Some of you may know that the market for baseball memorabilia didn't really become 'mainstream' (much like baseball cards) until around the mid 1980s.  Most autographed memorabilia was passed around by dealers at shows, through shops and through mail order catalogs.  Remember, this is before the internet made it easy to find anything you want just by doing a Google search.

A few dealers began to forge their autographs, realizing that there was a ton of money to be made.  According to the FBIs website, Operation Bullpen began in the 1990s when the FBI identified a problem growing in the celebrity and sports memorabilia market.  Their sting operation culminated in 1999 when several prominent California memorabilia and autograph dealers were arrested.  The FBI seized tens of thousands of pieces of 'signed' memorabilia.

Some of the prominent subjects of their forgery were:

Mickey Mantle
Joe Dimaggio
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Wilt Chamberlain
Michael Jordan
Roberto Clemente

Going back to my Google search for Forensic Document Services, a link popped up about Ebay's autograph policy.  They have a list of authenticators that they do not recognize as reputable, therefore, if you have an item with a COA from said company, your item is likely to be forged.

According to Ebay.com, here is a list of the authenticators that they do not allow:

• Autographed items with COAs and LOAs, or references to COAs and LOAs from the following people or organizations:

  • ACE Authentic
  • Coach's Corner Sports Auctions LLC
  • Christopher L. Morales
  • CSC Collectibles
  • Donald Frangipani
  • Forensic Document Services
  • Hollywood Dreams
  • J. DiMaggio Co. / J. DiMaggio Company
  • Legends Sports Memorabilia
  • Nathan's Autographs / N.E. Autographs
  • Nicholas Burczyk
  • Pro Sports / Pro Sports Memorabilia
  • Rare and Signed.com
  • Robert Prouty
  • R.R.'s Sports Cards & Collectibles
  • SCAA / Front Page Art / Angelo Marino
  • Slamdunk Sportscards & Memorabilia
  • Sports Alley Memorabilia
  • Sports Management Group
  • Stan's Sports / Stans Sports Memorabilia
  • TTA Authentic (formerly STAT Authentic)
  • Universal Memorabilia
  • XMI Authentications
  • USA Authentics
• Blank COAs and LOAs
• COAs and LOAs as stand-alone items
• COAs and LOAs from anyone listed on the FBI's Operation Bullpen website
  
  

  Some tips when buying autographs:

  
  

  1. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  My Hank Aaron fake ball cost $50.  I should have known then that it was a fake, but I was still getting started.
  2. Verify the auto you are looking at with others that HAVE been verified by reputable companies.  I have identified several fake baseballs by doing this.
  3. Always check into the COA that you are getting.  Don't accept copies of COAs.  Make sure it is a company you have heard of.  If not, do as much research as you can before spending any money.
  Something that always bothers me is when people complain about a former player or personality charging for autographs.  One reason they charge is because of everything I said above.  Another is that older players, for example, weren't making the tens of millions of dollars that some of today's players make, so they don't have the financial security that others may have and are supplementing their retirement with auto fees here and there.
  
  
  For more information on "Operation Bullpen" you can check out the FBIs website here. You can also read Ebay's autograph policy here.  I hope this information has been helpful.
  
  
  Oh, and one more thing...  I did not bid on that Maris ball.

Card Shop Pickup - 2003 Fleer Fall Classic Bob Feller

So, there hasn't really been a whole lot going on this past week as far as the blog goes.  I haven't gotten any mail at all, so finding stuff to post about has been a stretch.  So, to fight off some boredom, I went to the LCS today and got a few more packs as well as a few singles out of the bargain bin.  One of the cards that I found was this 2003 Fleer Fall Classic Bob Feller.  I think the card looks great.  I love the coloring of it, definitely a sharp card.

I really was glad to get this one for my Feller PC, which has slowed down as of late.  I need to get some more of his stuff to show off, but I have been concentrating on my HOF baseballs and my 1971 set.  I'm really trying to lock down the '71 set so I can start to fully concentrate on 1959 and 1969.

There are a few Fellers that I really have my eye on for my PC, so I am always keeping a lookout for bargains.  Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and stumble upon a few and break out of this slump.

Card Shop Pickup - 1976 Topps Mike Cuellar

I picked up this 1976 Topps Mike Cuellar last week at the card shop when I found it in the bargain bin.  I have been quietly putting together a Cuellar PC recently.  He is one of the best pitchers in Oriole history not named Palmer or Mussina.

I figured since I haven't had much mail coming in and am waiting on a ball I got in an auction, I would show this card off.  The 1976 set was a pretty decent one.  It featured Dennis Eckersley's RC, some pretty awesome hair and some even more awesome uniforms.  The Orioles of the era were very good, but were on the tail end of their AL dominance.

My Thoughts on 2013 Panini Prism

Last Saturday, I went to the LCS and saw that they had 2013 Panini Prism available for $6 a pack.  I figured it would be a good idea to check some out, so I got one pack.  I didn't pull anything monumental out of the pack, but I did get a Will Clark that I gave to my older brother who was in town visiting.  Clark was his favorite player, so I was happy to hook him up with something new.

I like the design.  Panini has done a pretty good job so far this year, even though they don't have the official license of MLB.  I'm thinking they and Topps can compete together and create a healthy marketplace for cards.  We'll see though.