I was going through some of the older SPA rookie patch autos on eBay, and I have gotten to the point now where I am questioning most of the three color patches from years past. Obviously if you are looking at Chris Henry or Jerome Simpson, its one thing, but for players like Sidney Rice, Adrian Peterson, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Chris Johnson, etc, it may be too risky now to get one. I am beginning to support the thought that three colors may be a bad idea when you can have a two color for less money, and you know its more likely to be legit.
Because so many fake RPAs have been sold, some of them are making their second or third go around, and at this point, we may not even be able to trace it back to a shady seller. This means, legit people who happened to unknowingly buy fake patch cards are selling them now, and they only deserve my ridicule for not doing their research.
This also begs the question if it is only safe to buy cards like the RPAs early in the release time frame when the donkey rapers havent gotten their grubby mitts on them yet. For now, I am going to say that it is heading in that direction, or at least until UD gets off their lazy ass and does something to help us.
Its at this time that I am happy to be someone who buys early, because I know the cards I buy arent fake. On top of all of that, I have become EXTREMELY skeptical by nature, so I havent even bought a three color before. If you are in the market for one, I would be sure to think twice, or at least run a few photobucket searches to see if its been posted before, because you never know.
Lastly, I have seen a rash of non-graded, authenticated, RPAs hit ebay with obviously fake patches. Remember before jumping on one of these, “Authentic” cards just minimally examine the authenticity of the card’s patch area, and dont authenticate the patches. Just because a card features a Beckett blue slab doesnt mean the patch is real. It just means the card is real.
As always, the biggest defense is your response to seeing red flags. If you watch your ass, you will be fine.