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Feds: Mastro Sentence Will Deter Others from Shill Bidding

DOJ-U-S-ATTORNEYS-OFFICE

A new court memo filed by government attorneys claims it’s too hard to determine how much shill bidding Bill Mastro’s auction company actually did.

VIDEO: New Book Reveals Hall’s Buried Treasures

Book Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame

A new book shows off some seldom seen Cooperstown artifacts. Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame features stories behind some cool memorabilia.

Babe Ruth Signed 700th HR Ticket Stub Highlights Huggins and Scott Auction

Signed ticket stub Babe Ruth 700th homer

A signed ticket stub from Babe Ruth’s 700th home run is the headline item in Huggins & Scott’s upcoming auction.  The stub is from the game in Detroit July 13, 1934  when Ruth belted a 480-foot blast off   Tommy Bridges in Tiger Stadium. The buyer got quite a bargain for his $1.40, watching baseball history [...]

No Licensed Competition: MLB, Topps Extend Exclusive Deal Through 2020

MLB-Topps

Topps will remain the exclusive baseball card partner of Major League Baseball for at least the next seven years.

Author Kevin Nelson to Take Your Questions About Operation Bullpen

Some of the bats and balls donated by the FBI to youth leagues.

Send in your questions on the Operation Bullpen investigation, the personalities involved, the FBI’s work, the industry at the time or something you have always wanted to ask about the case.

Collecting in the New Digital Frontier: Fantasy vs Reality

computer

As the world shifts more toward digital storage, card companies other hobby entities look to come up with a product that appeals to all.

The Forgers’ Credo: Give ‘Em What They Want

home plate with combo forgeries

Forgers and counterfeit memorabilia dealers always try to give collectors what they want even as they try to fool them.

NSCC Releases Admission Ticket, VIP Info

Chicago 2011 National Sports Collectors Convention

Planning a trip to the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention? Here’s some early information on tickets and how to get free parking throughout the show.

The Beautiful Forgeries That Most Collectors Will Never Buy

Field of Dreams forgeries

The beautiful Operation Bullpen forgeries that most collectors regard as commercially toxic.

Report: Upper Deck Co-Founder Richard McWilliam’s Death Caused by Alcohol Poisoning

Richard McWilliam

The San Diego County medical examiner says Richard McWilliam, co-founder of the Upper Deck Company, died from alcohol poisoning. That’s according to an autopsy report obtained by the city’s NBC affiliate, KNSD, which indicates McWilliam had a blood-alcohol level of 0.27—more than three times the legal limit– when his body was found inside his Rancho [...]

Pete Rose Chats Bans, Needles Fans on NPR

Topps Pete Rose

He hasn’t had his own card since 1989 and even his name has been wiped away from Topps’ backs. Pete Rose discusses that and more in Las Vegas with NPR.

Preview: Never Before Seen Images from Operation Bullpen Forgery Ring

More stuff confiscated by the FBI and shown to the press in 2005

Starting Friday, author Kevin Nelson, who went inside the Marino family’s forgery ring after the huge 1999 FBI bust known as Operation Bullpen, will offer some never before seen photos in a five-part series.

Motley Fool: Graded Cards Are Exception to ‘Worthless’ 80s,90s Card Stereotype

1984 Donruss Mattingly BGS 9.5

A financial website offers a long overdue fresh take on the impact of grading on those ‘worthless’ 1980s and 90s cards.

Busiest in Spring? MLB Authenticators

Chris Ianetta signing

Tens of thousands of newly autographed baseball items are entering the public domain, each OK’d by MLB Authenticators during a five week stretch of spring training.

Cheap Hall of Fame Autographs? Try Panini Cooperstown Secondary Market

Jim Rice autographed Panini Cooperstown card

Secondary market sales of the recently released Panini Cooperstown Baseball reveal numerous cards of all-time greats that can be had for as little as $4 or $5.

Best NBA Player of All-Time? Don’t Forget Who Really Put the ‘O’ in Offense

Oscar Robertson

by Eamonn Donlyn So, the NBA All-Star Game is behind us. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are 50 years old. And as we’ve heard repeatedly in the media, Jordan supposedly said he would choose Kobe Bryant over LeBron James, so Kobe did his best to show up LeBron down the stretch in the All-Star extravaganza. [...]

Pete Rose: Baseball Card Ban ‘Isn’t Fair’

Topps Pete Rose

A lifetime ban has kept Pete Rose off MLB-licensed products including baseball cards and that, Pete Rose says, just ain’t right.

Basketball Memorabilia Market Still Dominated By You Know Who

1997 Jordan SPx auto

Some youngsters have no memory of his Chicago Bulls career, but the rest of the world hasn’t forgotten and Michael Jordan at 50 is still the highest flyer in the basketball market. In fact, the numbers are eye-popping.

No Plea Deal for Mastro…Yet

Bill Mastro

A federal judge has rejected a plea deal for former Mastro Auctions’ boss Bill Mastro.

Leaf Suing Panini Over Prizm

Leaf

Leaf Trading Cards says Panini’s Prizm brand and the marketing phrases it’s using are violating its trademarks.