Under intense scrutiny from a group of collectors, one of the hobby’s largest volume auction companies says it is working with law enforcement and PSA to address a growing number of cards sold on its platform that show evidence of trimming, re-coloring and other issues.
PWCC Marketplace, based in Lake Oswego, OR, released a statement on the Net54 message board Sunday afternoon, stating it would no longer sell cards submitted by dealer Gary Moser, who has been connected to most of the cards brought to light through the forum over the last few weeks. Users have found dozens of graded cards purchased by Moser through PWCC Auctions that were later regraded and resold through PWCC after undergoing a variety of physical changes in an effort to attain higher grades. Often times, those changes included trimming of edges to remove flawed borders, re-coloring to cover up spots or scuffed areas and other “card doctoring” that is not supposed to be acceptable under PSA guidelines.
It’s unclear as of now which law enforcement agency was contacted by PWCC.
“We are obviously very aware of the issues surrounding the cards submitted to us by Gary Moser,” PWCC stated. “First, we want to apologize to all those who have been affected by the purchasing of trimmed or altered cards. We are not disappearing or burying our heads in the sand about this. Next, we are presently working with both PSA and law enforcement to ensure that all affected cards are brought to light and this information makes its way to our customers.
“We understand that we are responsible for our part in this mess and will do all that we can to make it right in connection with Moser-submitted cards as well as other submitters who may have altered cards of which we auctioned. We understand how difficult it is to be patient through this process but we are working through this as quickly as we can at the direction of counsel and the appropriate authorities. Finally, in response to these recent findings, we are no longer selling any Moser-submitted cards.
We are very sorry for the trouble that has occurred and will work to regain your trust.”
While most of the doctored cards uncovered by forum users in recent days have been vintage issues, earlier threads showcased numerous current era altered cards that appeared to have been connected to other consignors.
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