With the Seahawks in the Super Bowl again, its time we revisit a topic that I am literally sick of talking about. Yet, because no one in the hobby really does their homework on certain things like they should, I feel like it is always necessary.
Back before 2010, Topps did not number the yearly rookie premiere auto releases that were always part of the flagship set. Because of the way the cards were produced, they always printed more of the cards than were needed, just in case something went down during the signing at the rookie premiere. After 2010, the cards were numbered to prevent this situation from happening. Dont fall for any of the crap out there, as its just not worth it – especially with the 2007 versions.
To start, for the best of my knowledge, these are ones that LOOK real. No guarantees:
2007 Rookie Premiere Auto Marshawn Lynch Blue Ink
2007 Rookie Premiere Auto Marshawn Lynch Blue Ink BGS 9.5
Here are some of the examples of what the fakes look like for Marshawn Lynch:
FAKE 2007 Rookie Premiere Auto – Marshawn Lynch/Adrian Peterson
FAKE 2007 Rookie Premiere Auto – Marshawn Lynch/Adrian Peterson/Calvin Johnson/ Ted Ginn
FAKE 2007 Rookie Premiere Auto – Marshawn Lynch/Adrian Peterson Red Ink
NOTE: These cards have changed hands so many times, the seller is likely not the person responsible.
Its actually widespread across the whole series prior to 2010. There are fakes everywhere, but 2007 remains the biggest of the run:
FAKE 2007 Rookie Premiere Auto – Calvin Johnson / Adrian Peterson
FAKE 2007 Rookie Premiere Auto – Ted Ginn / Antonio Pittman / Troy Smith / Anthony Gonzalez
A well known hobby scam artist used his knowledge of the process to obtain hundreds and hundreds of the leftovers that werent signed, and forged so many signatures that the fakes now outnumber the real ones. The worst of these sets was the 2007 set, which features Super Bowl participant Marshawn Lynch, alongside other big names like Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson. I want to make sure everyone has a pre-emptive warning to STAY FAR AWAY FROM EVERY LAST ONE OF THESE CARDS, unless you have intimate knowledge of the real examples vs the fake examples.
Because Lynch’s signature is already erratic, it is harder to pick out the fakes, unless they are one of the early iterations where the autograph looks like it was done by my four year old. Since that time, the scammers have gotten better at perfecting their craft, which means it isnt as easy to pick ou the real ones anymore. BGS actually stopped grading these cards because of so many fakes. PSA wasnt as smart in that respect, as many fakes were slabbed repeatedly by them. DO NOT take a slab as representation that it is real, unless it also bears the mark that it was certified by JSA too. Blue PSA slabs may also be acceptable. Even ones like this have entered questionable territory
, as I cant trust them anymore. The fakes are everywhere, real ones are few and far between.
Again, if you want more information on how I know these are not real, please go back through my archives and search “Rookie Premiere Auto.” They will all pop up.
This is a subject I have written about ad nauseum over the years, and with Lynch on the highest of national stages, its time to brush off the dust, as much as I hate to do it.