The tech boom has created a lot of new wealth over the past 10-15 years and some of that money is being spent on iconic baseball cards. That’s according to Ken Kendrick, who owns one of the top collections of high-end baseball cards. The owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks is an avid collector who has been watching more money come into the market in recent years than … [Read more...]
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Ex-Staffer: Hockey Team Doctored Jerseys to Appear Game-Worn
Three more collectors, including one who was a former employee of the club, are accusing a junior hockey team of fraud in connection with the sale of jerseys advertised as “game worn.” According to a newspaper report, the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights already settled a civil lawsuit over the sale of a jersey worn by top draft pick Mitch Marner. Now, the … [Read more...]
Lawsuit Claims Giants Swapped Strahan’s Final Jersey
The fight between a sports memorabilia collector/dealer and the New York Giants has taken another twist. An attorney for Eric Inselberg has filed an amended complaint in New Jersey Superior Court alleging the team sold Michael Strahan’s Super Bowl XLII jersey to him—and sent its retiring star defensive lineman a fake—complete with celebratory Gatorade stains. The New York … [Read more...]
Dealer Sentenced in Bogus Jerseys Case
One of several sports memorabilia dealers charged with mail fraud for selling fake game worn jerseys, will spend a year in prison. Mitchell Schumacher, who operated MS Sports out of the Milwaukee area, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to one year and one day in the federal prison system. He had pleaded guilty in November of 2011 to altering ordinary jerseys to … [Read more...]
Four Guilty in Fake Jersey Cases Now Serving Time in Federal Prison
Four sports memorabilia dealers who pleaded guilty to fraud charges last year over the sale of jerseys they falsely represented as game worn are now serving their time in the federal prison system while another is on court-ordered probation. Jarrod Oldridge, 39, the owner of JO Sports Co, is one of 2,290 inmates at a facility in Taft,CA. Sentenced to six months, he’s … [Read more...]
3 More Dealers Sentenced in Fake Jersey Cases
Three men were sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard on separate fraud schemes involving the sports memorabilia business and the purchase and sale of equipment and uniforms used by professional and collegiate athletes. Bernie Gernay, 39, a resident of Howell, N.J., involved in the business operations of Pro Sports Investments, Inc., a New … [Read more...]
Two Sentenced in Jersey Fraud Case
Two of the five men who have pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with the sale of non-genuine game jerseys sold to well known card companies and collectors were sentenced in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, Brad Wells, one of the principals in Florida-based Authentic Sports, Inc., and Historic Auctions, was … [Read more...]
Court Papers: Fake Jerseys Ran Rampant at Card Companies
Two of the defendants who have pleaded guilty to fraud charges for selling bogus game-used jerseys are expected to be sentenced Wednesday while more information about the cases has been released in federal court. Documents indicate that sports trading card companies created large quantities of what were believed to be game-worn memorabilia cards that were instead made … [Read more...]
Fending Off Fakes: Auction Company Round Table
It's the elephant in the room. Doctored cards. Phony autographs. Items made to look old or game worn that simply aren't. There are plenty of con men who try to take advantage of collectors. Others know they've been had and attempt to pass them on to someone else. Our Q&A with auction company officials continues with Question No. 9: With the big money attached to … [Read more...]
Dealer Charged in Jersey Scheme Paints Ugly Picture
In an industry battling a nagging notion that some sort of fraud exists around the next corner, court documents emerging from the case against one of the five men who've pleaded guilty in a fake jersey scheme will not be a comfort. Brad Wells, a Florida dealer who admitted to fraud charges last week in U.S. District Court, alleged to FBI agents and postal inspectors during … [Read more...]
