The Final Blow To NSA

It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I talk about NSA cards, people still send me messages asking if this stuff is real.  Once again I will say NO!  I was recently directed towards this card by one of my readers.

Do you notice anything funny about this “authentic” Kirby Puckett relic?  Take a good look at the patch.  Those patches were worn in 2009 to commemorate the closing of the Metrodome.  Puckett played his last game in 1995 and passed away in 2006.  I highly doubt its possible that he wore a patch from 2009.

This is the final blow to those people that think NSA cards are legit.  All of the posts I’ve written about NSA have become quite popular, but this is the last time I will mention their name……. I think.  There isn’t much more to say after this.

Cut Signature Inc.

Little is known about Cut Signature Inc, but I would classify their cards to be in the same category as those NSA pieces of garbage.  For those people that think they’re getting an authentic Cy Young cut signature for $25.00, I’m sorry to say its not real.  The problem I have is that nowhere on the card does it state the signature is a reprint.  They make it sound like its a real autograph, but its not.  Luckily most of the sellers I’ve found trying to move these things state in the description its a reprint, but you can see how easily someone could try and pass it off as the real deal.

These things are bad reprints too.  Take a look at Young’s birthday and debut date.  The having him debuting 7 years before he was born.  It wouldn’t surprise me if these cards were made by NSA too.

Pick A COA, Any COA

This has to be one of the most disturbing trends I’ve found.  Individuals are now selling COA’s that are from or look like they are from reputable companies.  All a forger would have to do is purchase a few of these COA’s that look like they are from Steiner and then forge the autograph.  Each of these COA’s comes with a hologram containing the Steiner logo.  I’m wondering what happened to the actual items these COA’s belong to – if they existed at all.  Forgers could do this for all reputable authenticators within The Hobby.  A good portion of the time COA’s from companies like Steiner will contain serial numbers that match a hologram placed on the item.  All it would take is for some uneducated collector not to realize the serial numbers don’t match.  For many, they just see the Steiner name and that would be enough.  COA’s for autographed items is just one area forgers will use these things.  They could also be used for rare cards that could be purchased directly from the manufacturer such as blank backs, proofs, etc.

I don’t think eBay should allow sellers just to sell COA’s in an auction.  Why in the hell would someone want to purchase one if there isn’t an item to go with it.  The whole situation is setup to cater towards a counterfeiter.   Of coarse eBay won’t stop them because they want their fees.  Collectors have to be so careful when purchasing an autographed piece of memorabilia.  My personal favorite authenticator in The Hobby is Mounted Memories.  I have a Dan Marino autographed photo that contains a COA from them.  If you visit Marino’s official website, everything he has autographed comes with a COA from Mounted Memories.  At one time, Marino was on the Board of Mounted Memories too.

Nothing can ever be as good as meeting the athlete in person.  Sure it may cost a bit more, but you can be 100% sure the autograph you received is real.  Remember, if its too good to be true, it probably is.

Score Board’s COA Is No Better Than NSA’s

Its 2:00 in the morning.  You just got home from a long night of bad decision making.  Whats the next thing you should do?  Thats right, turn on Shop at Home and see what crap the people at The Score Board, Inc are selling.

Take a look at this piece of junk made by The Score Board, Inc back in the 90’s.  This Mark McGwire Diamond Kings “autograph” is numbered one-of-one and the seller is looking to get around $100.00 for it.  Too bad this thing is fake.  It would make one heck of an authentic card.  McGwire’s rookie may have gone down to nothing, but his relics and autographs are very collectible.  I wouldn’t trust Score Board’s COAs anymore than NSA’s.  Reading the COA they plastered on the back doesn’t state McGwire’s name anywhere.  Yeah, its certified alright.  Its a certified autograph of who is the real question.  Stay far away from Score Board’s stuff!!!  Its a good thing this company went out of business.

Chrome Proofs Are Garbage

Last night I received a question about these so called “Chrome Proofs” you see up for sale.  They wanted to know if these are authentic 1/1 proofs from the manufacturer.  The answer to that question in no.  These were once base cards from a Bowman Chrome set, and then someone dissolved away the cardboard and what was left is the chrome front.  When cleaned up it looks like a proof that came from a manufacturer, but in reality its nothing more than an altered base card made to fool collectors.

These cards fit nicely into the same category as those 1/1 proofs containing the multi-colored bars.  Those cards come from an uncut sheet that should have been discarded by the manufacturer but somehow found their way into the hands of a scammer who thought it would be a good idea to cut them up and try to pass them off as proofs.  Manufacturers really need to find a better way of discarding the leftovers of past products so they stay out of the hands of scammers.

While doing a little research for this post, one of the biggest sellers of these counterfeit proofs is none other than ljbiggestfan2, who also is a huge seller of NSA “game-used” cards.  For those people who defend NSA because you can’t admit you got scammed, just look at what else this person is selling.  It sure doesn’t add to the credibility of NSA.  Be sure to check out my other posts about NSA which have attracted a lot of attention from the collecting community.

Newly Discovered Allen & Ginter Set?

I THINK NOT!!!  Every now and then I search to see if there are any scams up for sale or have been up for sale.  This afternoon I came upon this little beauty which I unfortunately didn’t find in time to report.  Looks to me like someone took a regular Jose Reyes A&G mini and gave it a haircut.  I think it looks like a postage stamp.  Somebody thought this was a real die cut insert and paid $10.51 for a card that normally would sell for only $0.99.

Yet Another Brown Fake Die Cut

What is it with people cutting into Ronnie Brown rookie cards this year?  Take a look at this Brown 2005 Bowman rookie.  The individual who did this die cut job didn’t want it easily spotted.  As you can see they slightly cut off a piece of cardboard on each side and then took a stamper and conveniently numbered it 1/1.  ’05 Bowman Ronnie Brown rookies barely sell for much, but this one made it all the way up to $5.50.  I know its not a lot, but its the principle of the whole thing.  People need to know what they are bidding on.  This is the second Brown rookie I’ve spotted someone cutting up.  I know I sound like a broken record because I’ve talked about this on here before, but I think its important to let people know about these scams.

Fancy Die-Cut Or Scam?

A few years ago I saw a Mickey Mantle card like this Cobb from 2004 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts.  I guess because the word “cuts” is in the product title that gives people the right to take a common base card and create their own die-cut inserts, which of coarse are always numbered 1/1.  This is just another example of a scam.  Maybe the seller did it, maybe not.  They could be trying to pass off their bad purchase to someone else.  I don’t see how someone could do this to a baseball card.  Was it the most valuable card in the world, heck no, but its still wrong.  If card manufacturers can cut up cards, I guess individuals can do the same.

WHAT A TOTAL SCAM!!!!!

PSA Look Alikes

There are a ton of low-end grading companies within the industry.  Rarely do they ever give a card less than a 10 grade.  This evening I came across this seller who has a bunch of these Gem Mint 10 rookie cards up for sale.  At first glance I thought they were graded by PSA, but looking closer the holders don’t mention PSA at all.  Most of the time cards graded by these low-end companies don’t sell well, but thats not the case with these holders.  The strip at the top looks very close to what PSA would use and collectors aren’t seeing this.  Take a look:

PSA look alike

Authentic PSA holder

I have a feeling you can report this seller all you want, but eBay won’t be closing them down.  They don’t mention PSA, but people think it is PSA because of the colors and layout of the holder.  This person has found a huge loophole and is try to make as much money as they can.

I Didn’t Know Rookie Premiere Has Die-Cuts

THATS BECAUSE IT DOESN’T!!!!!!!!!! Take a good look at what someone did to this Ronnie Brown 2005 Upper Deck Rookie Premiere card.  They took a simple base rookie and turned it into their own die-cut one-of-one insert.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could ever cut into a trading card like that.  Some people will stop at nothing just to try and make a quick dollar.