How Long Before The Scams Look Perfect?


Its been close to six months since the fake rookie premiere autographs have swarmed the net, and I have to admit, its getting a little bit harder to tell which are fake and which are real. PSA has already taken to grading the fakes as real, which means that they A) cannot or will not disqualify a fake B) believe the actual cards to be real and C) dont care because they make money.

Thats not all.
Take a look at some of the Rookie Premieres that have already started popping up on the net. Adrian Peterson, a favorite target of these ass hats, has remained closer to fake than real, but Calvin Johnson is getting more closer to real than fake.
Notice the progression, things arent as obvious anymore. This situation is VERY bad, and it looks to be getting worse. Even the price has dropped considerably because no informed collector is willing to take a chance anymore. These used to sell for hundreds, now they can sell as low as 150.
The lesson is, if the autograph (compared side by side with a certified one) doesnt match up 100%, stay away. Look at tilt of the signature, start and stop points, and pen thickness. Also look at the rest of the sales, if there are a ton that are up, why believe that seller is the one guy who has sold 100 Peterson red inks in the last 30 days. Its just not feasible.
Remember, if you dont watch your own ass on these things, no one is going to do it for you. I am always happy to help with any questions you have.

New Name For The Hobby Devil


Guys, just wanted to give you a heads up that if you see something by LarryHolmesSickness, its actually one of Kevin Burge’s accounts. One reader, Joseph was searching for peopleschoice7373, another one of Burge’s many accounts, and eBay directed him to this new switch. Keep this in mind when you are bidding on eBay. Not that most of Burge’s fakes arent completely obvious, but just a heads up.
EDIT: Here is a good catch by Jeff at IAJC from this new name.

Some People Are Dumber Than A Bag Of Idiots

Check this auction out, brought to my attention by the guys over on FCB. Its basically a very similar situation to the fake Pujols card that I posted on earlier, only this time, the seller just re-signed the card in a different colored ink.


Though a huge checklist disappointment, last year’s Mayo was one of two 2008 Topps football sets to feature on card autos. This year, they switched to the usual ugly ass stickers, and at the same time, allowed stuff like this to run rampant.

Like the Pujols, the guy took his cheaper LeSean McCoy blue auto that wasnt numbered, wiped off the auto with rubbing alcohol, and re-signed the card with red ink to signify a card numbered to 10. Because Topps was stupid enough to not foil number these cards, someone got screwed. Seriously, they have almost as many numbered parallels in their products as Panini, and yet the Rookie Premieres and cards like these continue to go unnumbered for some god forsaken reason.

On another, equally stupid note, who the fuck thinks that this card is real? Are people THAT fucking stupid? I mean, this one isnt even close. Then again, there are people who still pay 175 dollars for those ridiculous fake rookie premieres, so I guess Im not surprised.