Mike Baker Authenticated Is A Pointless Service The Hobby Does NOT Need

In 2020 and 2021 we saw card prices shoot to the moon. And in 2022 we have seen them completely tank.

During that fun time when everything was going up in price lots of new businesses arrived on the hobby scene attempting to convince collectors that they needed them. A lot of new and naive people bought right into it too. In this hobby it is very easy to convince people you are something that you really aren’t.

One of these joke business ventures that popped up is Mike Baker Authenticated. I’ve talked about them before, but it can’t hurt to bring them up again.

Mike Baker Authenticated would love to grade your graded cards. They’re trying to create another level of scarcity for you to chase. DON’T FALL FOR IT!

For example, lets say you have two of the same cards both graded by PSA a GEM MT 10. Mike Baker Authenticated wants you to believe that if they place one of their Silver, Gold, or Black Diamond labels on one of them its going to be worth more than the card without it. This has to be one of the most pointless services ever offered to collectors. What’s next? Grading the graded, graded, graded card?

Who is Mike Baker? Mike Baker was the first grader to work for PSA. In fact, he was their first employee. He was right there when the world famous 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner was graded a PSA NM-MT 8. It was altered/trimmed, and slabbed in a PSA holder. That card shouldn’t have been graded. Knowing the publicity and money that card would bring is what didn’t stop them. On the Mike Baker Authenticated website it states “He has been a developer in the field of identifying counterfeit and altered trading cards.” What a joke!

Probstein123’s auctions was the first place I remember seeing Mike Baker Authenticated labeled slabs. Early on the COA Mike Baker Authenticated supplied with the card was down right sloppy. SGC graded cards came with PSA labeled COAs. Numerous misspellings could also be found. You could tell they were in a rush.

With card prices in free fall, grading companies are beginning to lower their fees. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the big three BGS, PSA, or SGC go under. BGS or SGC more likely. PSA has some other sources of income. HGA and CSG could also be on the chopping block.

If the grading companies are hurting right now, so is Mike Baker Authenticated. This downturn could easily put them out of business. A good thing about a tanking market is purging the hobby of bogus and unnecessary services such as Mike Baker Authenticated. If you’re attending a card show and see their little tent, just ignore it.

What Are Your Collection Holes That Need Filling?

Picking up single cards for my collection is not something I get to do that often.  I’m very selective as to what I buy.  The main person I collect isn’t even a player.  As a die-hard Phillies fan, I settled on former broadcaster Harry Kalas.  He has a small number of cards, and they rarely popup.  I have a good number of them, but there are currently five I’m looking for.

• Mike Schmidt/Harry Kalas 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Announcing Greats Dual Auto #’ed/25
• Harry Kalas 2012 Sportkings Series E Sketch Card Premium Back Redemption #’ed 1/1
• Harry Kalas 2015 Topps Five Star Cut Signature #’ed 1/1
• Harry Kalas 2018 Topps Diamond Icons Cut Signature #’ed/4
• Harry Kalas 2018 Topps Diamond Icons Cut Signature Gold #’ed 1/1

I spotted one of the Harry Kalas 2018 Topps Diamond Icons Cut Signature #’ed/4 a few months ago, but got outbid.

Outside of those Harry Kalas cards, there is one Topps NOW card that I’d like to get my hands on.  It features Scott Kingery, Todd Frazier, and Michael Conforto, and commemorates the 2018 MLB Little League Classic that was played at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.  I’d like to own one of the cards Topps made that contains a piece of game-used ball from that game.  Only sixteen total cards were made, and I wasn’t quick enough to land one when Topps listed them for sale.  I don’t live far from that ballpark, and always attend a few games each year for bobbleheads.  I’ve never seen one show up on the secondary market.

As of right now, those are the only singles I’m interested in.  What holes do you have in your collection that need filling?

2013 Press Pass Platinum Cuts Inscription Edition Preview – Do We Really Need Another Cut Signature Driven Product?

I have to be honest.  The hobby doesn’t need another all cut signature driven product.  Panini, Leaf, TRISTAR, and Historic Autographs already do plenty of them.  We don’t need another.  Is there a spot for them?  Sure.  But just because a few companies do something doesn’t mean you have to join in.  Competition is good for collectors, but when it comes to cut signature products you’re not really competing for much.  When an entire product is based on the signature itself, design goes straight out the window.  Nobody gives two cents about the border design or if the card is encapsulated in a Beckett holder.  With each release the market gets flooded with the same signatures.  Of course they all contain cards we would love to pull, but the chances of that happening are slim to none.

2013 Press Pass Platinum Cuts Inscription Edition is Press Pass’s first venture with a cut signature product.  With 2,000 “1 of 1” cuts in an already saturated market, I’m sorry to say I don’t see this going too far.  I also don’t think cut signatures should be made of people that are still living.  Personally, I’d like to see some fancy insert cards made of these people.  Do something different.

Redemption Security

If I could change one thing within the hobby right now, I would add more security to certain redemption cards.  Redemptions are a pain.  Sometimes it can take forever to receive the card, and many times you never get the actual card you were suppose to get.  Lately, I’ve seen a lot of slacking when it comes to the design of redemption cards.  Its true that most collectors throw away their redemptions once they get filled, but more security features have to be added.  Just take a look at the 2011 Topps Platinum Football redemption pictured above.  Anyone with a blank filler and a sheet of Avery labels could make a counterfeit one.  I know by saying that people will get ideas, but something has to be done about it.  Perhaps it will influence certain manufacturers to take more time in designing their redemptions.  Redemptions aren’t fun in the first place, don’t make them any worse than they have to be.

Blogs Need Cards Too

I think its safe to say that blogs have taken over print media, especially within the sports card industry.  No longer do collectors have to wait a month to see a preview of their favorite product or get the latest information about a manufacturer.  This is why I think it would be great if someone made a card(s) celebrating the blogs.  In an age where its possible to pull cards of the Invisible Man, its not that far of a stretch to create cards for blogs.  I’d like to see a few cards made just for some specific blogs that are more important to the blogosphere like Wax Heaven, Sports Cards Uncensored, The Cardboard Connection and various others.  As for the other blogs, I’d like to see a few cards featuring screenshots on the front and then perhaps a checklist on the back listing the names.  Blogging has revolutionized the way information gets delivered to collectors and having the name of your blog appear on a card would be really cool.

If they made a card of this guy, I think its time for blogs to have their own cards too.