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Old 07-16-2017, 08:07 PM
hcv123 hcv123 is offline
Howard Chasser
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 3,422
Default When do you have to question the autheticity of a gold glove award?!

Well apparently the prudent answer would be always!

In the recent Hunt auction of the "personal collection of Roberto Clemente" there were 9 gold gloves listed starting with lot #711 Clemente's 1st from 1961. At first glance you could have asked which one of these is not like the others and noticed that the award from 1961 did not have Clemente's name inscribed. If you were me and you knew the guy who owned the original from 1961 (which was purchased privately more than 10 years ago) and were lucky enough to find the photos you took of it and recall part of a sad story surrounding it, you would know that lot 711 was not the real thing. To their credit, Hunt pulled the lot at some point and it was neither discussed or auctioned. It begs the question however, what was the trophy in lot 711, when was it made, how, much would it take to make it look much more like the original (It doesn't look far off) and could this be done for other players?!!
It got me, thinking further regarding, "Clemente's, personal baseball card, collection" and things like the magazines, other cards, press pins, black bats - all things available in the marketplace and nothing but a letter to "guarantee" it is what the letter says. No doubt their were many unique one of a kind and almost unquestionably authentic items sold.......for me caveat emptor still applies.
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