Oh, for the simplicity of 1995. The home computer wasn't yet mainstream. eBay was just a gleam in a west coast entrepreneur's eye. Cards were cards. Some cards were shinier than others. Most were still pretty plain. You bought a pack of cards and you got...cardboard. Then came 1996 and the revolution that swept the modern trading card industry into something much … [Read more...]
Seedy Autograph Element Talks Tough Online
One would think that with an FBI investigation apparently still going on, anyone dealing in fake autographs, doctored trading cards or other shenanigans would be nowhere near a computer. But one would be wrong. There are still plenty of fast buck artists working their way to wealth by passing off junk. The phony autograph trade is an easy one to get into and apparently … [Read more...]
Strasburg Strikeout Ball: $20,010
He might be the first rookie pitcher in big league history for whom everything he touches is recorded in an authenticator's computer and saved for posterity. Stephen Strasburg's first start produced a mountain of memorabilia, some of it rushed onto Major League Baseball's auction platform. Bidding closed Tuesday night with several items sold. Tops on the list? The … [Read more...]
Faking Jake? Athletes Say Autos Often Forged
A North Carolina reporter sizes up online autograph offerings with Jake Delhomme. … [Read more...]
CardPricer.com launching new era?
Ted Golden doesn't sleep much these days. "Once every two or three days," he says. He's about to become the father of a bouncing baby web site aimed at revolutionizing how collections are built and kept. … [Read more...]