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 Thursday, November 29, 2007
GAI still M.I.A.?
Posted by Chris
 I just went to GAI's website and other than one link, nothing on its site works. What ever happened to Global being back up for business and what is up with its poor customer service. I would call and ask them, but I can't find a working phone number for them anywhere. The whole thing is just so strange. I posted a message on the Network 54 message board and someone on there said they heard GAI would be up and running on Monday. I guess we will wait and see. ****************** Tonight marks the most-hyped NFC match up of the year, when the Packers take on the Cowboys. I haven't been this excited for a football game in a long time. Thankfully I decided to go with DirectTV in order to get the NFL Network, but not everyone is fortunate enough to receive this programming. I will say, however, I am sick and tired of all the people who whine about not getting this game because of the NFL and its new network. If you want the game, get satellite. If you don't want satellite, don't cry about it. DirectTV is not much more expensive than cable and it offers quite a few more HD channels than any cable company, so why not make the change anyway. What the NFL is doing is not much different than what ESPN has done over the years. ESPN took over one NFL game per week and the only way you can get that game is to have cable. NFL Network took over one game a week (for only part of the year) and you can only get it with Dish or select cable companies. Same thing. Deal with it.
11/29/2007 12:25:40 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) 
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Local card show in 2007 – Mission impossible?
Posted by Chris
 I love the Internet. I spend more time on eBay than I ever did on my high school homework. I’ve bought things from Amazon.com more than 100 times and I’m not even a big book reader. That said, nothing can compare to one-on-one communication. And for a card and memorabilia collector, there is still nothing that even comes close to a good, old card show. So, if hobbyists love going to shows so much, why do we have a better chance of finding a $500 dollar pack of cards from 2007 than a quality card show in our hometown? Now, I’m not talking about one of those rinky-dink mall shows that have more Princess Diana Beanie Babies than 1957 Topps Hank Aarons, nor am I thinking about one of those flea markets featuring more memorabilia of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sr. than pieces headlining Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. I am talking about a solid, honest-to-goodness card show, with dealers selling autographs, commons, star cards and memorabilia from all the major sports. My frustration has come to an end and I am going to do something about it. On Dec. 29, in Green Bay, Wis., my friend Scott Harpt and I are going to try and do the unimaginable … put on a darn good local card and memorabilia show in 2007. I guess what we are trying to do isn’t totally a fair experiment. We will be holding the show at The Sideline Bar and Grill, right across the street from Lambeau Field and will have the benefit of possibly attracting some of the thousands of football fans that will be in town for the Packers/Lions game, which will take place the day after the show. But still, it is a card show in our small town and there hasn’t been a good one in Green Bay since the early '90s. I want to make it perfectly clear that we aren’t doing this to make lots of money. We may actually end up taking a loss. I’m sure that I am not alone when I say that some of my fondest childhood memories come from the time spent with my father and I searching through 50-cent packs of cards, or looking for that tough Bo Jackson card at a show. I remember getting an autograph from special guests Warren Spahn and Eddie Mathew about 20 years ago for less than $10 per signature at a small show in Wisconsin. Those days of affordable signatures from Hall of Famers will never come back, but hopefully some of the face-to-face bargaining with local dealers will. After the show takes place, I will write a follow-up story about our experience. This show may totally bomb, but hopefully there are still some nostalgic collectors out there in search of the same type of buying and selling experience that I am. If anyone has any suggestions that may help make our show a success, please e-mail me at Chris.Nerat@fwpubs.com. Note: Spahn image courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries
11/27/2007 4:39:37 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
IS THERE SUCH THING AS A THIRD-PARTY AUTHENTICATOR?
Posted by Chris
 People seem to bash authenticators all the time. It almost seems unfair sometimes that these “experts” are constantly targets of controversy, criticism and negativity. Why is this? -Jealousy: Some collectors simply may be jealous or think they could do a better job that the actual “authenticator.” They think that they have as much knowledge as these guys, and in some cases that is true. -Trapped: Some dealers and authenticators feel trapped by the whole idea of authenticators, because if an item doesn’t have one of those precious little COAs, you probably aren’t going to be able to sell it for what it’s worth. Even of you don’t believe in authenticators, you are basically forced into using one because you want to maximize your item’s realized value. -Frustration: One of my personal frustrations with authenticators is that I don’t think that everyone who is labeled as an “authenticator,” is totally qualified for that position. Some of these guys pawn themselves off as authenticators of everything. I am sorry, but I don’t think an expert can have the breadth of knowledge to properly authenticate everything. I am in favor of “niche” authenticators … Guys who are experts in a particular field. Frank Ciazzo is a great example of a niche authenticator. He is the world’s most notable Beatles signature expert and really knows what he is doing. Throw a Joe Montana in front of Frank and he probaby has no clue, but he doesn't claim. -Delivery on certificates: “CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY” If you see that title on the top of a piece of paper, what are you going to think it means? I think that that particular title suggests the piece being examined was deemed 100 percent authentic. In my opinion, there is no third-party expert in the world that can deem a piece (game-used memorabilia and autographs) 100 percent authentic. I also don’t think it is totally fair that an authenticator would use this title. Upper Deck Authenticated, Steiner and Mounted Memories should be able to issue certs with that particular label because they actually have a system in place that makes sure the signature is authentic, plus a representative from their company is on hand at a signing. Even if a third-party authenticator is as knowledgeable as they come, they are still giving you an educated “opinion.” Hence, they should be issuing “Certificate’s of Opinions,” or something to that nature. Does anybody want to chime in on this? Beatles image courtesy of Heritage Galleries
11/21/2007 11:20:58 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, November 19, 2007
NOW IS THE TIME TO START BUYING 1960S TEAM-SIGNED MEMORABILIA
Posted by Chris
With the recent passings of Max McGee and HOFer Jim Ringo, I started thinking that now really is the time to buy team-signed pieces from the 60s. These guys are all in their 70s and 80s and won’t be around forever. 1961 Yankees, all the 60s championship teams from the Packers Glory Years and even the undefeated 1972 Dolphins are all still fairly affordable, but won’t be too much longer. ***********************
Is anyone else getting scared of the Patriots and their 2007 dominance… That game last night was something else. The Pack is back, 9-1 and it looks like they may be only playing for second. Are there any Cowboys, Steelers or Colts fans out there that would like to share my pain?
11/19/2007 6:18:51 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
GLOBAL BACK IN THE MIX
Posted by Chris
 Check out this copy of the first Baseball Cards Magazine that I found on eBay. $17,500?? For a Wagner??! Wow... Wish I would have bought a couple of those back in '81. Oooo! And a Mantle rookie for $1,100? Those were the days. *********************** Well, it was an odd way to deal with the entire situation the Global Authentication was having, but today on Beckett.com there was an article stating that Global Authentication is once again operational and its phones will work tomorrow.
Here are quotes from Global’s head man Steve Rocchi from Beckett.com:
"I expected some reaction when this happened, but I never expected the firestorm of emotion that I saw," on Internet message boards, blogs and Websites, said Rocchi.
He also said that he had a lot to say, but didn't have any time to communicate it. He said he didn't want to make a comment until he had some solutions as to where the company would be.
What an odd thing to say … People trusted GAI with thousands of dollars in cards and memorabilia and they were left looking for answers for nearly an entire week when its website, phones and office were all not operational. He was surprised with the reaction? I wasn’t surprised at all… Nobody knew what was going on and I think those people had every right to be worried.
His other comment that he didn’t have any time to communicate what he had to say is also puzzling. All he would have had to do is call Sports Collectors Digest, or make a couple postings on hobby message boards and he would have been able to communicate whatever he had to in minutes.
11/14/2007 4:40:36 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, November 12, 2007
NOT MUCH NEW WITH GLOBAL
Posted by Chris
From what I can tell, there isn’t too much new to report on the Global Authentication front. I just checked its website and it still doesn’t work … Last thing I heard, they still are supposedly going to be fine and up and running soon, but the clock is ticking. The California-based card, pack and autograph authentication company better show some signs of life this week, or else its credibility might dwindle away to nothing. *****************
Kind of off-topic, but I thought I would mention it – I was at the Packers/Vikings game yesterday at Lambeau and I had the misfortune of sitting behind a couple of intoxicated Vikings fans. Now, I am all for having a couple beverages at professional sporting events, but I also like to remember the game. I usually save the heavy partying for after the game. Anyway, these guys were so out of control that I told my friend that I didn’t think they would make it until the end of the second quarter. Well, one of the beligerant Viking fans proved me right and got thrown out in the middle of the first quarter for fighting. I just can’t understand how fighting and watching a professional sporting event mixes for some people. Turns out that this guy was on a bus trip from Minnesota and probably spent a few hundred bucks on the trip. Well, his trip probably got a lot more pricey after the fine and he didn’t even get to see his team get clobbered by the Pack… He got what he deserved though. There is no place for that crap.
11/12/2007 5:30:42 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, November 08, 2007
WHAT'S UP WITH GLOBAL?
Posted by Chris
 If you haven’t heard the rumbling going around about Global Authentication, read this story Click here. Also, check out these links to the Vintage Baseball Card Forum: Here and HereObviously, people are wondering if GAI is going under, moving or just in limbo for some other reason. Now,
I don’t know if the company is in trouble, but I will say that they
might want to communicate what is going on to its customers a little
better. I know if I had a batch of cards in for grading and all
of a sudden I saw that its website and phones are not working, I would
start to wonder what was going on. If the only thing going on is a
simple move down the block, you would think that the higher ups of the
company would have tried to prevent any misconstrued thoughts of what
may be going on in Globalland. This whole thing doesn’t make
sense to me, but hopefully it is just a move and nothing more. That
said, if that is all that’s going on, you would think that they would
have a little explaining to do. Grading companies are built on trust
and credibility. These latest issues surrounding GAI add nothing to
either of these attributes.
11/8/2007 4:52:50 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, November 05, 2007
AUCTION HOUSE, EBAY OR AD?
Posted by Chris
Where is the best place to sell a piece of sports memorabilia? It’s a question faced by anyone who has ever found a nice sports relic. Let me break down where I would go to sell and I want to hear your thoughts too, so don’t be afraid to chime in the “comment” section. Major Auction House: If you’re not in a big hurry for the cash, a major auction house is not a bad option. You’re probably going to want to make sure that the piece is valued at least at a few hundred bucks before calling an auction company to see your piece, however. You are going to usually reach a wide audience of memorabilia collectors and a majority of those collectors may have quite a bit of money. You never know when you are going to get two eager bidders going at a particular item, and as a result, really could drive the price up. A major disadvantage with auction houses is you have to usually wait a long time to get your money once your item has sold. I personally have waited for more than a half a year for my money. Most of the time I am happy with the results, but that wait can be brutal. Also, when they tell you it will take 45 business days before they send payment, remember that is more than two months. eBay:EBay is usually know recognized as a wholesale market and not a sellers’ market, however, eBay has a much wider audience than any auction house (in the millions actually) and the price to list an item and consignment fee is much cheaper than a seller’s premium that an auction house will charge you. Also, on occasion, if you have a really killer item you may do better on eBay than in a major auction. I am not exactly sure why this is, but I saw a Super Bowl II ticket sell this year for nearly $20K and I doubt it would have sold that high in a major auction. Also, probably the best thing about eBay is you will get your money very quickly. If you list an item as a three-day auction and accept Paypal, you could get your cash the night of day three. That’s a lot better than waiting the 45 business days. Local Newspaper: For those who are still afraid of the cyber world and want to deal with someone on a face-to-face basis, a classified ad is still a decent option. The cost usually isn’t all that much and you can get paid in cash and usually pretty quickly. You won’t reach a huge audience, but this isn’t an auction and you name the price. Sometimes all it takes is one person to see a classified ad. That said, I am not into a lot of self promotion, but I have placed a number of classified in Sport Collectors Digest and have had success. You are reaching some of the world's biggest collectors and a lot of times these guys are not Internet guys... That is a major benefit that SCD has over some of its online competition.
11/5/2007 5:25:37 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, November 02, 2007
HOW ORIGINAL IS YOUR COLLECTION?
Posted by Chris
 In the next week or two I will have an article published in SCD about memorabilia restoration. The fact that you can take a baseball signed by Babe Ruth an four other common players and make it into a single-signed Ruth ball is rather intriguing. I won’t only be covering signature removal. The article will analyze vintage nodder, bats, jerseys and card restoration. I talked to a handful of the industry experts for this piece, so it should be an interesting read. Either before or after you read the piece I would like to hear your views on memorabilia restoration. Personally, I am not a big fan of owning any piece of memorabilia that isn’t original. Once in a while, in special instances it is ok, I guess. But, I am a big fan of keeping it in the same physical state as it  was originally presented. That opinion isn’t shared by everyone. I talked to a bat expert who has no problem with restoration. Rob Lifson told me he knows people who only collects trimmed cards! One of the best signature removers in the industry, Alan Berman of Signed Baseball Magic, is a big collector of single-signed balls with removals. Stay tuned. ********************* Also, this Sunday the highly-anticipated Pats vs. Colts game will take place. In my lifetime, I can't think of a more hyped regular season game in any sport. Everybody seems to think the Pats will win and win big, but the game is in Indy and the Colts are the defending Super Bowl champs. Also, their QB ain't no slouch. Should be a heck of a game. I wish it was Sunday already.
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Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the awesome football this Sunday.
11/2/2007 5:08:26 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
IS THE TAX MAN COMING?
Posted by Chris
So, every week you go through your baseball card or memorabilia collection and see what you can part with in order to place a couple items on eBay. Every week you make a couple hundred bucks on everybody’s favorite online site and it is really nice because it gives you a little more cash that you can put toward your hobby and the wife can’t find out about it:) Then, one day you get a letter from the IRS stating that you owe three years in taxes that you never reported from your eBay sales. According to everything I have read, and also what I have been told from my accountant, is pretty much if you take in money at a rummage sale, sell something on eBay or take in money for babysitting your nephew, everything is taxable as income. Now, I don’t think that this means eBay will be sending you a tax form any time in the near future, but it does mean that the IRS expects you to report all income you take in on the Bay. This can be kind of scary if you think about it. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Click here to read an article on this topic
10/31/2007 5:26:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Thursday, October 25, 2007
FOOTBALL IS A MAN'S GAME
Posted by Chris
 From time to time, I come across an eBay listing that makes me chuckle. This one made me roar. CLICK HEREMy colleague, T.S. O’Connell swears that these posters are doctored or something, but I really think that they are actual images of the usually manly-looking Herschel Walker and Dwight Clark (at least the seller describes the poster as being Clark, but he kinda looks like Bruce Jenner). The person selling these items seems to specialize in vintage football posters, so I have no reason to think these are manipulated images. Anyway, I came up with a few questions after seeing these images: No. 1: Did superstar athletes of the 80s wear sports bras on a regular basis? No. 2: Where is Walker’s neck in that photo? No. 3: Those shorts have to hurt, don’t they?? No. 4: If that is Clark in the poster, if he was still playing in the NFL, Shawn Merriman would eat him alive, girly, little arms and all. No. 5: Did Adidas really think these posters would help sell shoes?
10/25/2007 12:30:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
HERITAGE, MASTRO AND GAME USED UNIVERSE END THIS WEEK
Posted by Chris
 The first day of Mastro’s Classic Collector auction ends tomorrow. The standard assortment of cards and memorabilia are offered in this 1500 plus-lot sale. I haven’t really gone through it too much yet, but plan to tonight when I get home from work. *******************
Game Used Universe’s premier sale also ends this week, as does Heritage’s big sale. It will be interesting to see the results in both. I know Heritage is going to have a new bidding format for the trading card portion to its sale, different because it is usually only a live sale. Heritage will present a new bidding format for the trading card portion
of the auction, which will end on Oct. 26 in an extended bidding
format. Each lot will close individually after 30 minutes of bidding
inactivity following the 11 p.m. CST cut-off. Featured within this
first session of the auction is an offering of high-grade single cards,
complete sets and sheets. GUU has some really nice game-used equipment featured, including a nice Ty Cobb bat, heck of a nice Elway gamer that is already over 10k and a sweet Ozzie Smith jersey. Good luck to Chris Cavalier for his first sale. *******************
If you haven’t heard yet, the modern card portion of SCD’s Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards is being offered on disc. For only $14.95 collectors will be able to search more than 1,000 pages from the Bible of card collecting, all at the finger tips of their computer keyboard.
10/24/2007 5:13:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
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