MeiGray has rescinded its recent authentication for a 1995-96 Michael Jordan jersey because of “counterfeit documentation and “doctored media” that were submitted by a customer. The company says it’s contacting law enforcement over the matter and is also exploring legal action.
Last month, the New Jersey based company announced it had authenticated the red Bulls jersey after matching it to photographs of Jordan wearing it. However, those photographs are now believed to have been manipulated to make it appear as if Jordan was wearing the jersey in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic.
The jersey was submitted by the customer at MeiGray’s Branchburg, NJ offices last month. It was reported that the request for authentication included customer provided photos that were purchased from “The Tony Ranze Foundation,” named for a Florida photographer who worked NBA games for an Orlando area newspaper in the 1990s. Ranze was a real person, but passed away in 1996 and his son Nic told Darren Rovell of The Action Network the family knew nothing about such a foundation. The foundation’s website went offline late last week and MeiGray then announced it had put a hold on the authentication.
The user of a popular social media account who used the handle “Cardporn,” had shown images of the Jordan jersey on Instagram before the authenticity of the photos used by MeiGray came into question. “Cardporn” took down his Twitter profile about the same time the Ranze Foundation website disappeared on Friday. That user, identified in an unrelated sports collectible legal case as an Australian collector named Juan Garcia, later deleted both his Instagram and YouTube accounts.
“We are exploring legal options and reaching out to law enforcement,” MeiGray stated Tuesday afternoon after announcing it had voided its previous authentication. “A full and detailed report from MeiGray Authenticated is forthcoming.”
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The largest sports card show held in Southern California since the 2006 National drew thousands of collectors to the Anaheim Convention Center over the Labor Day weekend.
The Burbank Card Show had over 700 tables and several auction houses and service providers also held booths at the event, which was spread over two floors at the facility located across the street from Disneyland.
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Now, there’s another SoCal event on the docket for the middle of the month, this time at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
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Bidding for the T206 Honus Wagner card at Mile High Card Company has pushed past the $1 million mark with the buyer’s premium as the auction heads into its final days.
Graded ‘Authentic/Restored’ by PSA, the card has attracted 35 bids so far.
“The AUTHENTIC determination originates from the hand-cut perimeter, and since that alteration precluded the card from receiving a numerical grade, a previous owner decided to improve the aesthetics of the card by having the surface restored,” the auction description states.
The card last sold through SCP Auctions two years ago for a little over $1.1 million.
The record auction price for a PSA Authentic copy is just over $1.5 million for a trimmed copy sold in April of 2022.
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