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 Friday, February 15, 2008
SCD and Tuff Stuff staffers make it to the bigtime!
Posted by Chris
 Well, not exactly movie stars, but I wanted to get your attention. Today marks the debut of our online Sports Collecting online radio show. Every Wednesday at noon CST collectors will have a chance to listen to new content and will have round-the-clock access to archived shows. Tuff Stuff editor Scott Kelhofer is the host of the show and I'm very excited about this. They did a great job on making this happen and yours truly will make special guest appearances, on occasion. You can all listen in order to make fun of my horrible Canadian-like accent. But seriously, there are going to be some very interesting guests on the show, so make sure you check it out. Have a good weekend everybody. I will be trying to survive the snow and will be watching Div. I women’s basketball at my alma mater, UW-Green Bay, at our new gym. If anybody has anything sports-related to share from their weekend, don’t hesitate to comment!
2/15/2008 3:41:46 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) 
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Vice President of SGC weighs in on Mantle rookie card controversy
Posted by Chris
 In case you missed it, yesterday’s Gavel Chat blog was about a New York Post article that focused on James Haas, who according to the article is a majority shareholder of Global Authentication, and his issues with SGC and his Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps rookie card. According to the article, Haas visited the president of SGC, David Forman to determine whether flaws on his card “could be fixed without hurting its authentication.” Haas left the card at SGC and up until now, still he has not gotten his card back. The article states that Haas filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in Morris County. The article doesn’t say whether the lawsuit was filed so Haas could get his card back, or because he filed because Forman didn’t repair flaws on the card. This is such a crazy story and the New York post did a very poor job covering this topic. Nowhere in the article does it even specify whether Haas left the card with SGC, tell what his actual lawsuit was, and the photo caption called Forman an “appraiser.” He is not an appraiser, to my knowledge. Anyway, I called Sean Skeffington, the vice president of operations for Sportscard Guaranty (SGC) and got his side of the story. I am working on contacting Haas. If anyone has his contact information, please let me know. Here’s what Skeffington had to say: Basically, in a nutshell, what happened, Haas had a ‘52 Mantle that was graded a 10 by GAI, and for whatever reason he wanted us to review the card. We did that and decided it wouldn’t be an SGC 10, it was a 9. It had two imperfections that kept it from being a 10.
He was obviously convinced that it was a 10, which it wasn’t. He wanted us to keep reviewing it, and we didn’t change our mind. We also wanted him to sign something stating that we are giving him the card back the way we got it. That we understand that you thought it was a 10, it is not. There was inherent damage to the card. We got it that way.
A lot of time transpired. We didn’t want to be put into the position that someone would accuse us of damaging the card.
I don’t know if he thought since Global made it a 10, that we should make it a 10. He came here demanding his card but he hadn’t signed the paperwork he needed to.
The thing that bothered us the most about the entire episode is that in his complaint he said that SGC is “a rating and restoration company.” According to Skeffington, that’s what made this a story, when Haas stated that SGC said they would fix the imperfections on the card. I don’t know that he did this in order to damage our reputation or to damage Dave’s reputation. He obviously wanted the card back, but he threw in some things about SGC that would either damage our reputation, that would make us look like we were taking advantage of this guy.
Nobody ever promised him, or discussed that we would fix or restore his card to make it an SGC 10. We have never done this to his card or any card. We don’t do those types of things. It’s absolutely ludicrous. According to Skeffington, there’s no question that the article has been damaging to his company and he said that they are discussing taking legal action because of this story. Right now the card is being held by a third party’s bank safe deposit box and it’s in an SGC 96 holder. He said that we contracted with him to improve the card so it would get a 10. That gets the attention of everybody. If he didn’t make this stuff up, it would be a non-story.
The fact of the matter is, he did say this stuff and I am working on chatting with Haas. There are always two sides to every story, so I would really love to hear what he has to say. Hopefully I will have an update on this story by Friday. -chris
2/14/2008 3:20:33 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Hillary the Kissing Bandit
Posted by Chris
 If you haven't seen it yet, here is a picture of Upper Deck's latest artistic card that has been pulled off shelves. It seems like after the card company released this in a new product they decided it would be better to yank it. That, of course, didn't stop some from slipping through the cracks. A couple thousand dollars can get you a very nice game-used bat or jersey, heck of a nice vintage baseball card or this awesome Hillary Clinton card from 2008. You make the call on what one you will spend your money on.
2/14/2008 9:50:02 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Lots of stuff brewing on sports memorabilia message boards and in the news lately
Posted by Chris
 There’s been plenty of chatter about controversial hobby topics in the past week or so on different industry message boards and in the news. For instance, in Monday's issue of Trade Fax, it reported that due to eBay's recent changes in its selling fee structure many users are plotting to strike against the popular Internet auction giant:
Several thousand eBay sellers are threatening to boycott offering items on the site from Feb. 18-25 as a way to protest the company's new policies. At issue are higher commissions
paid by sellers and the fact sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for their buyers. There is also a 21-day hold for accessing some PayPal payments. The new fees and policies go into effect Feb. 20. eBay has lowered listing fees
upfront, but the company has increased the percentage of commission it takes on an item's final listing value. For many sellers, the end result is an increase in what they will pay to sell an item. Sellers have threatened similar boycotts in
the past when eBay has raised its listing fees. *************
Some very odd stuff has been going on with a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card and the story involves the grading companies SGC and GAI. I just left a voice mail with the Vice President of Operations for Sportscard Guaranty, Sean Skeffington, and will report anything I find out. National media has been giving it some attention and SGC and vintage card collectors are concerned. Check out this thread from the Network 54 Message Board.If anyone has any comments on these topics, feel free to share them with us. To be honest, the New York Post article on the Mantle card made my head hurt and the story was way too vague for me to chime in with my thoughts on what was actually going on here. Hopefully I can talk to someone who knows the exact details. A lot of times when National media attempts to take a crack at a memorabilia hobby story, a topic they know so little about, they screw up the facts and make it more confusing than it actually is. I've seen HBO's "Real Sports" do this and this Post article may be another case of some vague reporting. UPDATE: I just talk to Sean Skeffington and I will post what he said tomorrow on Gavel Chat. I also am going to try to get a hold of the owner of the Mantle card, as I would like to get his side of the story as well.
2/13/2008 5:11:08 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Mantle photo ended with baffling price
Posted by Chris
 On a seperate note for this Tuesday, Henry Yee had a bunch of killer original photos that ended last night on eBay. The biggest suprise out of the whole bunch was this Mickey Mantle batting cage photo: CLICK HERE. I honestly didn't think this piece would go for more than a few hundred bucks. What am I missing here? 6K++??? What the heck!??
2/12/2008 5:21:03 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Gavel Chat reader responds
Posted by Chris
Today I received this well-thought-out e-mail in my Inbox from a guy named Jeff who read yesterday’s blog. I wanted to share it with everybody else. The one thing that I would like to point out is the part where Jeff has this comment: “I wonder if your sources might be a little biased due to the profit motive. While signing autographs for true fans is one thing, signing autographs for dealers to buy and sell is quite another.” While I agree with many of Jeff’s points, I must say that I don’t really understand this one. If Paul Hornung, or any other athlete is charging for their signature, doesn’t that give a dealer or anyone else the right to profit from buying one of these autos as well? Here is Jeff’s entire email: Thanks to Jeff for the note and keepem coming!
Chris,
Let me start by saying that Paul Hornung is a friend of mine. And he ain't perfect (who among us is?). But I think your sources might be giving you a bit of an unfair view of him.
I've observed many times how he treats the autograph-seeking public (and, how the public treats him, too, which, frankly, is not always courteously). From what I've seen, I think he is usually more patient and more gracious than most people (including me) would be under the circumstances. It is hard to understand what it is like to go out for dinner with family and friends and to be interrupted continuously by persons wanting something autographed, each of whom "hates to interrupt you" and will "only take a minute." Well, each piles on the other until the food gets cold. No joke. And, yes, sometimes that gets old and sometimes he has to cut them off. Otherwise, he would get nothing else done. I've seen him ask people to wait until he's done eating, and watched them react with offense that he wasn't willing to drop what he was doing right then to accommodate them.
There is something else to realize, and I hope I can explain it properly, without sounding defensive for him. Basically, a certain aloofness is necessary. Otherwise, some people would mistake friendliness as an invitation to engage in more conversation, thus increasing the duration of the interruption. Look how pro golfers do it, how they sometimes sign but always keep moving. To stop moving is to invite a crowd to form around them, and then they're stuck. I've seen Paul do the same thing. And I've seen him cut off all autographs when the crowd gets to be too big or disruptive to others.
Please note that anything negative I've said about fans doesn't really apply to Green Bay. From my very limited experience in Green Bay, those people seem to me to be by far the most polite and respectful toward their former stars. They're always excited, but still say "Please" and "Thank you," and still are polite and pleasant even if their request has to be turned down for some reason. I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of autograph seekers go after Paul, but I've never seen any as civilized as the people around Green Bay. They are true, respectful fans.
I wonder if your sources might be a little biased due to the profit motive. While signing autographs for true fans is one thing, signing autographs for dealers to buy and sell is quite another. It is true that Paul does not have much patience for those who are trying to make a profit off him, especially the ones who pretend to be fans but are just in it for the money. Don't get me wrong - Paul sells his own autograph at organized book signings; but that is his to sell - not somebody else's. And he can be pretty brusque as he's trying to keep those lines moving at organized events. But, otherwise, somebody will want to talk about some old game they saw and how they ran into him at a bar after the game and on and on and things can really bog down.
Paul Hornung doesn't need a defense from me. All you need to know about what kind of person he is, you can get from the dozens of charities he's supported with his time and money over the years. Contact the Sister Visitor Center in Louisville, Kentucky, (a Catholic charities organization) to see what the sisters think of him and of the work he puts into the fund raising event he holds for them every year.
At any rate, there are always two sides to every story. Thank you for taking the time to consider the other side.
Sincerely,
Jeff
2/12/2008 4:14:29 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Is your hero a jerk?
Posted by Chris
 Let me start by stating, I've never spent more than one minute with Paul Hornung. I don’t know him as a person, but know he was one of the greatest football players of all time. I recently attended a card show in my area and was chatting to a few different dealers, and somehow Hornung’s name came up. Not one, two, but three dealers pitched in with stories of how much of an "arrogant jerk "Hornung was to them when they met him at autograph signings. They gave me detailed stories and these guys seemed very credible. I've also heard this from a few other Packers collectors who have met Hornung. Mainly, they use terms like “arrogant” and “pompous.” Like I said, I never really spent much time with the man … Just shook his hand at a game once or twice. And that brings me to my question. Do stories that you hear from other people effect your opinion on your hero? Anybody who has been in the hobby for a few years has heard great stories and horrible ones about how their favorite players act to the fans. Every time I see a piece of Hornung now, in the back of my mind I remember those bad stories. Is it right to base an opinion on someone who you don’t even know? Has anyone else asked themselves these questions? I am curious to hear others opinions and experiences. Feel free to drop me an email and we can share them with our SCD readers. chris.nerat@fwpubs.com
2/11/2008 4:44:52 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, February 08, 2008
Non-Sports stuff can be cool too
Posted by Chris
 I usually don’t touch on non-sports memorabilia too much, but on eBay lately I have seen some awesome non-sports pieces, particularly ticket stubs from historic events. Check out these two eBay listings that just sold. HERE and HERE. I love tickets because it puts the collector at the event. Imagine attending the 1939 premier of “The Wizard of Oz” in Hollywood or being read to by one of the greatest authors in history. I wish I would’ve seen these pieces before they sold, because I would actually love to own these ticket stubs, and I don’t usually go after non-sports pieces. I think one of the coolest stubs to have would be from the Beatles first appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show." I've never seen one, but I bet it would get $10,000-$20,000.
2/8/2008 12:31:11 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, February 04, 2008
I can admit when I'm wrong
Posted by Chris
 Well, so much for Friday's blog. The exact opposite of how I thought the Super Bowl would turn out happened last night. I thought Super Bowl XLII would be one of the most boring in history and I really think it may have been the most entertaining, at least in my lifetime. Right after I saw Tom Brady shrug off a friendly pat on the back by Eli Manning before the game started I had no choice but to root for the Giants. I know Brady had his game face on, but it was a little classless. The New York Giants have one of the most prolific histories in the National Football League and it's cool to see the Mara family get another ring. I bet Steiner collectibles is pretty pumped about the game, since they have cornered the market on Giants signed memorabilia. Sometimes it pays to take a gamble. I even gained some respect for Eli this year and I never thought that was possible after his NFL Draft debacle.
2/4/2008 5:46:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, February 01, 2008
Super Bowl Sunday two days away
Posted by Chris
 Maybe I’m just bitter, but I can’t think of a Super Bowl in my lifetime that I was less excited to watch than the one that will take place two days from now. When my Packers aren’t in the game, the one thing that I can only hope for is that the Big Game is an exciting one. Well, I really find it hard to get pumped for a game that involves a team that is basically indestructible versus a team that barely made it into the playoffs and is nearly a two-touchdown underdog. I guess the only hope that I have that the Super Bowl will be an awesome game will be if the commercials exceed expectations and the half-time show features another infamous Janet Jacksonesque wardrobe malfunction … Ah. Never mind. The half-time show is Tom  Petty. Gross! Enjoy!
2/1/2008 3:51:41 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, January 28, 2008
Wire photos are wild
Posted by Chris
 I may have mentioned one, two or ten times that I love wire photos. Well, here may be my 11th display of admiration for these sports treasures in today’s blog. On Friday, I was lucky enough to visit hobby pioneer Bob Lemke, who happens to still live in Iola, Wis., right down the road from the Krause offices. Bob let me borrow an absolutely huge collection of photos that spanned from the early 1900s, through the 80s. The reason I wanted to take a look at his photos was for an article I have been preparing about wire photos, but as a little teaser I figured I’d put some in today’s blog to let Gavel Chat readers get a little sampling of these unique masterpieces. Check out the photo of Casey Stengel! Who said there was no HGH use in the 1960s? Classic. By the way, do you think that there’s any possibility that the Mays photo is Willie showing godson Barry Bonds how to bat at a very early age? I am thinking no, but wouldn’t that be a cool one? Enjoy. I know I did. More to come as well.    
1/28/2008 3:52:04 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, January 25, 2008
And the award for wackiest eBay auction goes to
Posted by Chris
 Just when I thought I've seen it all in the wonderful world of eBay I came across this gem of an auction. CLICK HERE. Former Cleveland Indians great Rocky Colavito decided to sell his bedroom. What?!! This is definitely a new one, and I apologize if this blog is a little shaky because I can’t stop laughing while I look at the off-the-wall images of Rocky posing in front of his beautiful white furniture in, yes, his bedroom. Apparently Colavito may have opted for a more rustic, wooden-finished bedroom set. Maybe an oak headboard and wooden set of drawers. Not sure. All I know is if you're in need of some flashy white bedroom furniture, not to mention a heck of a nice fully-lit vanity mirror, Rocky is your guy!
1/25/2008 11:11:49 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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