The other day I was told by one of my readers to check out NSA’s (National Sportscard Authenticator) new website. Their old one had been under construction for a very long time. After checking out their Testimonials page I noticed something that seemed very familiar. Almost like I’ve seen these sentences before. Wait a minute! I think I have. NSA copied & pasted comments made on my initial post I wrote about them. It wouldn’t surprise me if they wrote those comments and then put them on their site. I also like how on their Product page they state “NSA has nothing to hide.” I’m betting when a company says they have nothing to hide, 95% of the time they probably do.
NSA asks people to contact them if they have a piece of “game-used” memorabilia they would like to sell. Just for the fun of it, I made up a story to see what they would say and I received the following response:
Thank you for your inquiry. Yes! We are very interested in purchasing your jersey. There are a few strict qualifications that your piece must meet. First and foremost, do you have any COA? Second, do you have a photo of your meeting and Jeter handing you this jersey? If so, we may accept your piece and at that point what we normally do is visit your local area courthouse with you, all expenses on us, and obtain a sworn affidavit verifying the authenticity of the piece.
We also send it off to a qualified authentication company. To clarify, we do not offer in house authentication, and we only accept pieces after they have been authenticated by a qualified company. Therefore once the piece is ready to be made our company can certify each piece since NSA is a relatively new company. This insures our integrity and a quality product for our customers.
We look forward to your response,
NSA Grading Merchandising Team
Even though it sounds like they want to try and make sure the relics are real, there is just something about them I don’t like. I would really like to know who their “authenticator” is since they say they don’t do it in house. I e-mailed NSA back asking who they use, but I haven’t received a response back yet. I asked them this a long time ago too and never received a response. If I do get one, I’ll be sure to let you know. None of the COA’s on their cards state who the authenticator is. Not even their newer cards. As I have stated in numerous other posts, I still don’t trust this company. Its not possible to pickup an authentic NBA logo patch card of Michael Jordan for $20.00. Manufactured patch cards in some cases sell for much more than that. Remember people, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
UPDATE:
I did get a response from NSA and they wouldn’t give me the names of their (3) authenticators they use. Probably because they don’t use any!! Be sure to check out this post over on SCU about this fake crap.
Filed under: Scams | Tagged: authenticators, card, info, national, nsa, patches, reads, real, relics, sports, sportscard |
Sports Card Info 
I have only left one comment on this blog in the past.
I think you are fishing for something that is not there and have been for a while and it is a disgrace. Just because someone has opened the items does not mean that they are not real, and actually they look quite real to me. I have also looked at some of your photos; maybe you should thank God that you have a chance at life-
Clearly you do realize that you are just giving NSA more business! I am also sending a copy of all this to NSA so now they are aware of what you are doing.
Since I am a lawyer I hope they sue the shit out of you.
All you are doing is writing about a product so you can get hits on your blog meanwhile boosting business for them and making yourself look bad in the process.
It is very apparent from their response to you they have done nothing wrong, any smart person knows there are only 3 companies that do professional authentication and to only accept game used memorabilia from these companies is highly professional of them.
Maybe you just need to get laid…your blog is a joke
I will represent NSA at this point, if they would like for free or maybe trade for some of their great products.
you are a joke and so is the clown that is running the scam.
All of the fakes out there make me sick. Honesty is so rare and overrated.
I think you’re spot on when saying that they probably do have something to hide. It make sense. Why say “we have nothing to hide”? Does that mean people question you? Why are people questioning you?
very damning, I hope many people read this, I’m glas I passed on these cards.
Looks like you got an NSA stooge threatening you – I’m sure that you are trembling at the thought og him “sueing” you.
I’m very scared 🙂 I guess this is one sign that I have a popular blog, lol.
you are using the same name on ebay
hey everybody buy something from this idiot and leave him negative feedback
When any person states in a comment on a blog that they are a “lawyer,” rest assured that that person sits at home on the couch all day eating Doritos and watching Judge Judy.
I guess that qualifies them in their own mind?
http://cgi.ebay.com/BABE-RUTH-CY-YOUNG-RELIC-JERSEY-BUTTONS-NSA-1-1-YANKEES_W0QQitemZ330349971006QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintage_Sports_Memorabilia?hash=item4cea64863e
Unreal. Just unbelievable …
Wow…amazing how white the thread is still after all those years!! and never mind that it’s made of modern Plastic’s….
does the word REPLICA mean anything to you? maybe you should google it first DUMBASS
WTF is a replica button?! I mean over 250 for a 2 cent button if anyone buys this they deserve the loss!
I’ve been investigating NSA (National Sportscard Authenticators) that make nothing but fraudulent items for about 8-months now. They are making more & more TV & movie star items these days in addition to sports without ANY LICENSE from anyone to make anything with anyone’s picture on it. This is now headed into Federal charges for EVERYONE involved with this company of crooks!
As soon as I first heard of them, I gave them the opportunity to explain themselves & provide proof that a dual encased “game-used” Jeter/A.Rod PATCH card I bought on eBay for $10 was authentic (knowing it was fake). They never replied. They didn’t reply to the three other e-mails I sent them either.
So I started trying to collect info from their biggest eBay sellers. They all had such wonderful things to say about NSA (because of the money they are making from them of course). Yet not one (out of at least ten) would get an answer for me from NSA to anything NSA failed to respond to. In fact eBay suspended me for asking these sellers of this garbage these questions because eBay’s makingt too much money from the sales of these cards!!!
I caused Paciic Trading Cards to lose their baseball license in mid-2001 for making fake/fraudulent game-used baseball cards in 2001 Private Stock. The MLBPA pulled their license less than a month after reading my full investigation. I either commit myself 100% to something or I don’t do it at all.
I was also the catalist that caused Donruss/Playoff to lose their baseball license eventually as well (it took 4-years).
This bankrupted both companies because the cost involved in making baseball products & the financial expense that was lost after losing that one license. Believe me, they both deserved what they got or they would have continued plaguing the hobby with fraudulent items & distributing cards to big direct buy dealers illegally- while thousands waited years for redemption items (Donruss/Playoff specifically).
I’m suffering from a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy & multiple ruptured disks in my low back & neck since 2001. I really became ill by 2004, then by 2008 I became bedridden most of the time and can never walk more than 1-2 city blocks (on rare VERY good days). So I got a laptop & I’ll continue to fight fraud in this hobby with my dying breath.
Know that there are people quietly fighting fraud without ever expecting or wanting recognition or personal gain which is why many of you never heard of me: because I like it that way.
The longer NSA makes this junk, the more laws they break. JUST SPEAD THE WORD THAT NOTHING THEY MAKE IS REAL!!!! That’s all I ask of anyone reading this.
Thanks!
Cardcop
Thats sad about you being sick, i wish you the very best, but nowherein your post you discuss any facts, well and that understandable because just like me you don’t have any.
Its a fact that you got susspended, because you broke ebay rules, not because they are making too much money off NSA. Ebay is a business but they do have rules and regulations.
Its a fact that you emailed me a while back fishing for informaition about NSA that was about a year ago when I was selling some NSA cards.
You caused Pacific to go down? HAHAHA thats a joke
Do you know how many nasty letters NSA gets on a regular basis from Upper Deck, Topps, Donruss etc… threatening them with a lawsuit if they don’t stop their operation.
Last time I checked they don’t even have to be licenced as long as they buy athenticated game used jerseys they have a right to cut them up. Look at ITG (In The Game) cards they don’t have a licence
yes they are not cards and some people like them and some people don’t
if you don’t like them don’t buy them
i am one of those people that likes them in moderation, i think they are good looking when pictures are not so pixalated, but that i was told has to do with NSA database of pictures, they don’t know until the “card” is made
take care
PS if you are looking for answers try emailing them again, they answer all my questions, they probably don’t answer you because of your motivation to take them down 🙂 or you can ask me and I will email them for you, but please keep it down to a minimum where they can answer your questions without giving out their business secrets. I mean if you had a recipe for bush’s baked beans that would not be good for bush’s business
i will check back have your questions, i will try to get them answered for you
HAPPY HOLLIDAYS TO ALL!
Sir . It’s now May of 2011 and company still in business . I am not of fan of these ” items ” , but if people like them ; who cares where they came from . Obviously they are doing something correctly because they are still in business and no current lawsuits against them . At least nothing I could find on the internet . I recently received an e-mail back from them in regards to authenticity less than 24 hours of sending . They are buying game used jersey’s from every source possible . Think about it ; buy a 1000.00 -$1500.00 game used jersey and one could get 500 jersey cuts out of it EASILY !! That’s $3 a cut !! I have nothing personally againsy you James McCay but you sure seem like your a legend in your OWN mind !! lol
Take a look at the photo on the front of the NSA cards. Are the players clearly identified? Yes. Are there league logos etc. found on the cards? Yup.
Are there any indicators that the players associations or the league have licensed these cards? Nope.
Even if the material is authentic (which i highly doubt it is), NSA has unquestionably produced illegal material as no licensing fees have been paid to the league or the player. If they were, then the logos for these groups would be clearly displayed on the pieces.
It’s also a pretty safe bet that the photographer/group was not paid for the photo.
So right there, you have three sources of licensing/usage which assuredly would be more than happy to sue. Ask Upper Deck what happens when Major League Baseball comes knocking at the door.
i talked to upper deck and they are aware of this crap and are taking measures to shut this fraud down.this does nothing but hurt the hobby…
I keep seeing these being sold at flea markets and it makes me so angry to think collectors are getting swindled. Needless to say I totally agree with jwtragic.
This is the message I received from you 6 month ago:
Every game-used item from NSA is FAKE & was never touched by ANY player! I investigated them for over a month & proved that nothing they had/have is real. I’d never buy anything that has their name on it!
I single-handedly caused Pacific to lose their baseball license in 2001 for the exact same thing: making FAKE game-used cards!
eBay is investigating them as I write. When they prove what I already know, they could cancel all your auctions & suspend everyone selling NSA items.
James
19-year Sports Memorabilia Fraud Investigator
– cardcop05
I think its safe to say that ebay’s is done investigating NSA and found them to be 100% authentic because they are still selling on ebay.. Not sure what you or ebay has nvestigated because nobody wants to share the results, no offence but I will have to go with ebay over you, This is just my opinion, but if you have any common sense you would agree with me.
I love the “ebay would never let fraudulent items sell” argument. 99% of the jerseys sold on eBay are China made rip offs. I’ve bough plenty of jerseys to wear at dirt cheap prices. So yeah… eBay lets plenty of fake crap sell on their site.
we are not talking about chinese jerseys, we are talking about NSA jersey cards
It amazes me how so many people can be so ignorant. What could my reason for going after NSA like this unless I had at least an extremely strong hypothesis that NO ONE has proved to be wrong in any way, shape or form. Since 1997, I have not been wrong once going after scum like NSA! So I’ll trust my track record over your uneducated opinions anyday… as you can see I’m not here to win a popularity contest. I’m here to HELP you whether you like it or not!!!
This is why it’s a fact that NSA’s GU cards are fake: they refused to reply to a SIMPLE request! Before I ever questioned them or anyone regarding the authenticity of these “items” or before I ever e-mailed them before, I very politely asked for a copy of the COA/LOA for a card I won that comes with every real Game-Used Full item. THIS IS THE REASON I CAUSED PACIFIC TO LOSE THEIR BASEBALL LICENSE! Apparently the MLB/NBA/NFL Player’s Associations don’t think NSA is big enough to bother going after & eBay doesn’t seem to care about fighting fraud AT ALL anymore! So those siding with eBay simply because they are #1- LAZY & #2- GREEDY are just plain dumb!
I was suspended from eBay 18-months ago (for 2-weeks) for e-mailng the biggest sellers of NSA cards and asking them to help me get a LOA for my card, or asking them to explain how dual LeBron/Michael Jordan patch cards were selling for $10 each at the time & how they could be real at that price. THAT’S ALL I DID TO GET SUSPENDED! People who follow rules simply because they are rules, regardless how non-senseical they are are true followers with no guts. I’m obviously the polar opposite of those people. I’ll break any rule OR LAW to expose the truth and rid fraud from our hobby & I HAVE NO REGRETS!
eBay made this new rule at that time where if anyone complains about someone contacting them about an item they are selling, they can get a Policy Violation and if you get more than (3) in a month- YOU GET SUSPENDED! Guess where that rule is now? GONE, BECAUSE IT WAS STUPID & COMPLETELY ILLOGICAL!
I’ve been e-mailing every seller I find with prospective fraudulent sports hobby items again for a few months now and I have not received ONE warning or violation, or have been suspended. This is eBay admitting that they were WRONG for doing what they did to me & others fighting fraud. I’ll accept that…
Cardcop, how about you look into the possibility that Brian Gray at Razor possibly could be taking the high end products out of former Razor/Leaf products for himself and selling them on eBay.
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cardcop05 (4523) Not a registered user
I WONDER WHY……