Beckett Can’t Tell The Difference Between Harry Houdini and Martin Luther King Jr.

A recently deleted Facebook post from Beckett has collectors scratching their heads.

Within this ad for their autograph authentication service (posted on 12/24/22) Beckett is supposedly showing off a slabbed autograph of Harry Houdini.

Unfortunately the item inside the slab is an American Express receipt that looks to be signed by civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.

The label on the slab states “Cut Signature” “Harry Houdini” “Authentic Autograph”.

When looking up it’s serial number 9623169, Beckett’s website has it listed as a Harry Houdini Cut Signature authenticated on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.

Is this incorrectly labeled item still floating around? Possibly. Did the individual who submitted it for authentication have Beckett fix it? Maybe. Will we ever know the truth? Most likely not.

The line on Beckett’s now deleted post read “Have you ever seen a Harry Houdini autograph? Neither have we, until now.” What did they mean “Neither have we, until now.”? They apparently thought they saw one six years ago.

Q&A – How Can I Tell If A Topps Tiffany Baseball Set Has Been Searched?

Question: Could you please tell me which Topps Tiffany Baseball sets arrived from the factory sealed in cellophane?  Looking on eBay I see some that are and some that aren’t.  I don’t want to buy a set that’s been searched.

Answer: Between 1984 and 1991 Topps issued Tiffany sets to various dealers, hobby shops, and mail-in publications.  These cards look just like the normal flagship sets except they’re printed on high-quality stock.  For those same years Topps also issued Tiffany cards for their Traded sets.  Each set has a limited print run.

The sets issued between 1984 and 1988 did not come packaged in cellophane.  Just the seal on the lid.  Its the years 1989-1991 where things can get a little confusing.

• 1989 Topps Tiffany – Clear cellophane & seal
• 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany – No cellophane, just seal
• 1990 Topps Tiffany – Just seal
• 1990 Topps Traded Tiffany – Clear cellophane & seal
• 1991 Topps Tiffany – Topps branded cellophane & seal
• 1991 Topps Traded Tiffany – Topps branded cellophane & seal

If purchasing a set, there are some factors to consider.  Does the box show any signs of prior opening?  You want everything to be flat and flush.  Bent-up flaps are not a good signal.  The top part of the box where the lid tucks in should be completely straight and tight against the cards.  Cracking can easily take place on the lid’s hinge after it has been opened.  Inspect the hinge looking for any cracking, bending, and/or change in color.

How does the box feel from the outside?  If its truly never been opened before the box should feel full.  The cards are packed tightly inside.  You shouldn’t feel any movement.  Movement could indicate that cards might be missing.

Finally, inspect the label.  Resealed boxes can have double labeling.  Upon breaking the set’s original seal to remove the good cards, people have been known to print-up fake labels to place over the older broken ones.  Stay far away from them if you see any signs of two labels.  Others have figured out ways to remove the original label without damaging it.  Once they’ve searched the set they simply reapply the label.

Just because a set may have been shipped sealed in cellophane from the factory doesn’t mean it hasn’t been searched over the years.  Resealed Topps Tiffany sets have been making the rounds for a long time.  Its a major problem you have to watch out for.

This 1985 Topps Tiffany set did not originally come shipped in cellophane from Topps.  It was added later by a scammer once the Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Kirby Puckett cards were removed.

Q&A – What Can You Tell Me About This Danny DeVito Autograph?

Question:  I know this isn’t a sports card, but what can you tell me about this Danny DeVito autograph?

Answer:  Cool card!  In 1992, Danny DeVito portrayed the Penguin in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.  As a child, this was one of the movies I watched all the time.  For a film that was marketed towards kids, its quite dark.  That scene near the end where Penguin slowly walks out of the water bleeding to death sparked the attention of many parents.  I thought it was awesome.  Things like that are one of the reasons why the studio decided to go in a different direction for the next two films.  Batman Forever and Batman & Robin were fun to watch as a kid, but I can’t watch them today.  In my opinion, Batman and Batman Returns still hold up for me now.

Topps created a few different sets to go along with Batman Returns.  One of them being a Stadium Club set.  The unsigned version of this card originated from the Stadium Club set, but not the card containing Danny DeVito’s signature.

In 1993, Topps issued two sets based on Batman: The Animated Series.  They were split up between Series 1 and Series 2.  Despite not having anything to do with the cartoon, Topps randomly inserted these Danny DeVito autographs into Series 2 packs.  2,000 copies of his Batman Returns base card were signed.

I wish this card had some type of notation, foil stamp, or serial number printed on it.  Even though Danny DeVito has a complex signature, an unsigned base card and silver pen are all a scammer would need to attempt at making a counterfeit.  I think they’re a hard sell because of that fact.  An asking price for an example deemed authentic can be up to $250.  Its a great example of an early buyback autograph.

Oswald Cobblepot!

Q & A – How do I tell if a card is a reproduction?

Since a lot of my posts and eBay guides show up first in search engine results I get some questions from time to time.  I like getting questions about cards, so I thought I would post the reader’s questions and my answers for you to read.  Here is the first question I have received since starting the Sports Card Info blog.  Enjoy!!!

Question: My son has a lot of cards that he is wanting to try and sell. My question is, how can one tell if the card is a reproduction? Thanks.

Answer: A good way to tell if a card is a reproduction is to look for any logos or images that aren’t on the originals.  If you are talking about vintage cards, a reproduction will probably be in better condition, have darker/richer colors, and the copyright date on the back of the card in real fine print should be newer.  If you can, check to see whether that specific set contains reprints of older cards.  I hope that helps.  Thanks for the question.