Open letter to STAT and Christopher Morales

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>700!!!

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Posted By: <b>Richard Simon</b><p>As Shelly said above in reference to STAT:<br />"Let me ask the two of you this question.<br />When did you become expert witness? What state are qualified in and when did you last testify."<br />They are throwing around the term expert witness like its a baseball. <br />I would be very surprised to find out that a judge declared them an expert witness in autographs and I and probably Shelly would apologize to them for questioning this part of their BS, if they only would come on the forum and prove to everyone that they have the qualifications to be declared expert witnesses.<br />--<br /><br /><br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>Just another example of padding a resume with something that would be difficult to disprove. They are experts at deceiving people; nothing more. Taylor has worked for Fleer and Scoreboard. Is it a coincidence that both are now out of business? C'mon Ted, that's an insulting remark. Take the bait and get on here.

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Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>I understand that all authenticators say "its their opinion". The difference between a legit authenticator and STAT is percentages. If you look at the CC auction I would be willing to bet that they are 90 percent wrong and that is being nice. If you look at a Mastro auction the authenticators are 90 percent correct and that is the low side. Let Lee at CC do the authenticating, he can see a good item from 14 miles away. Morales and STAT can stop authenticating and count how much money they have cost people. That should keep them busy for many, many months.<br />Barry if you where sent an item that you might see once in your lifetime but now you see it every month as an auction house or an authenticator. Would you not be a wee bit suspicious. This goes on month after month with CC. Josh Gibson autograph pants,balls, and jersey, Chesbro ball, Gehrig jersey,bat,balls, I would think if you had a half a brain you would know something is wrong. So yes it is there opinion but if you have no knowledge of what you are doing and opinion means nothing.<br />Here is the statement from CC in regards to legit authenticators.This is from a question asked in SCD<br /><br />In a not too long ago issue of SCD, (about two weeks ago), an article written about a Coaches Corner Auctions ofSouderton, PA boasted about a $3400 Perez Steel Lloyd Waner sig selling. While reading about Coach's Corner current auction (ended 11/9/7), I noticed that they were auctioning off several more Perez Steele Post Cards. As separate pieces, they offered some of the toughest pieces that collectors could hope to get their hands on, all in one auction. The list includes Ruffing, Coveleski, Greenberg, Alston, Ashburn, Puckett, and 2, count them 2 Waners. I was excited to say the least when I registered on line and posted high bids for each piece. After looking a little more carefully at the pieces, and after the excitement died down a bit, I noticed that none of these elite pieces came with a COA. After contacting Coach's Corner, and asking them about their return policy in the event I had these graded and they came back fake, Kristen informed me of the following:<br /><br /><br />John, we take any returns for authenticity on un-certified items if they are returnd within 21 days after the auction date. Regarding PSA and Jimmy Spence, we are personally not supportive of them as authenticators. We find that they continually reject items that are deemed authentic by other more highly qualified authenticators and they seem to always pass items from other auction companies that they work for, but reject similar items from other auction companies that don't hire them to authenticate their auctions(like Coach's Corner!). That being said, you can use them and return the items within the return period if you like if they fail, but it may be a waste of your time(and money) and ours. Thank you. Kristin Whitten<br />Senior Operations Consultant<br />Coach's Corner Sports Auctions, LLC<br />215-721-9162

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Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>A point I would like to make about Mr. Morales web page.<br />He says on his web page that - On January 17, 2006 HBO Real Sports aired a story on forgeries in the memorabilia business. Prior to the show I was asked if I would provide opinion based on photos of alleged forgeries. In accord with good business practices and the fact that absent examination of actual items no one can give an informed opinion that can be presented in Court, I declined that invitation. <br />My understanding was that everybody was sent five items and nobody was offered pictures of items. The authenticators were tested with real items. I don't believe they ever were going to use pictures. Yet Morales says they did. The producer of the show, Andrew Bennett, would be happy to back up my statement here and any other statements I make about the HBO show.<br />The main truth is Morales was sent five forged items and he said they were all authentic. Morales was one of two authenticators who could not get one item correctly.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>I think this whole thing with CC is shameful and a stain on our hobby, but I think SCD is hanging on by a hair. If they stopped taking advertising revenue from them, that would officially close them down.

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Posted By: <b>PhilNap</b><p>In one of their recent SCD ads, STAT focused on the liquidation side of their business, boasting 'WE DO LIQUIDATIONS'. Then on Coach's website you can find a testimonial from STAT's own Ted Taylor wherein he states:<br /><br />'They are my number one choice for buying and consigning.'<br /><br />Ok now, a show of hands . . . . Who wants Ted to liquidate their collection through his NUMBER ONE choice for consigning? C'mon now don't be shy. Where else can you hope to realize pennies on the dollar for some of your most prized possessions. I'm sure some of you have a cache of Jack Chesbro and Josh Gibson signatures you are ready to part with.<br /><br />And, if for no other reason, I would love for Ted to come on this forum to show us some of the items in his collection which were purchased from his NUMBER ONE choice for buying. C'mon Ted, show us if you put your money where your mouth is and actually buy any of this garbage that you seem to have such favorable 'opinions' of.

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>I challenge CC/Morales/STAT to put any of their forged items on eBay and to not mention it is authenticated by anyone. Within hours, they will have at least 5-10 people either e-mailing them or eBay that it is a fake.<br /><br />If they do not want to rely on other authenticators, fine. Let them rely on the people they peddle their garbage to to tell them they are fakes.<br /><br />As long as they have their mailing list, they will always sell fakes. Even if SCD went out of business, they would probably be <br />OK as their overhead is next to nothing. We need to continue this assault on them from all angles until they are out for good.<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p><br />OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTOPHER L. MORALES:<br /><br />Mr. Morales, <br /><br />I have now assembled a forum of no less than eight of your peers in the autograph authentication trade, as well as two certified Questioned Document Examiners to meet with you in a public discussion as set forth below:<br /><br />FIFTH REQUEST:<br /><br />Mr. Morales: Your website states, verbatim:<br /><br />QUOTE<br /><br />"An Open Challenge<br /><br />As noted herein, I will meet anyone in a public forum to review and assess my work efforts. Since private communications are often cherry picked to bolster a point of view, at times misdirecting the facts, it is my position that any meetings and communications be conduct in the open. If anyone desires to contact me concerning an open forum, please do not hesitate to call, email or otherwise contact me at anytime".<br /><br />UNQUOTE<br /><br /><br />Mr. Morales, I hereby challenge you to appear, before a group of your peers in the autograph authentication trade and certified Questioned Document Examiners, before the international press, to:<br /><br />a.) Discuss your "forensic" methods of authentication, and your education and qualifications, using exemplars or otherwise;<br /><br />b.) Describe in detail other criteria you used to authenticate the thousands of various autographs for which you have issued certificates;<br /><br />c.) explain your relationships, if any, with the various consignors, auction houses, galleries, etc. for whom you authenticate, and;<br /><br />d.) assess your work efforts, ie: how have your authentications been received in the autograph market, as a whole.<br /><br />If you wish to limit the discussion to your "work efforts" alone, I would expect your peers would still meet with you, depending on the agenda. <br /><br />I will pay your airfare and hotel room expenses for your attendance at such a forum in the New York area, for a meeting within the next 60 days. As stated above, I expect you would be asked to respond to inquiries from your peers, that is, knowledgeable, recognized dealers of the same material which you have authenticated. Should the location not be convenient for you, I'm sure we can arrange a meeting in Falls Church. Mr. Shelly Jaffe has already graciously agreed to attend, as has Mr. Frank Caiazzo.<br /><br />Will you or will you not accept? If not, under what parameters will you accept (your) challenge?<br /><br />B. Panagopulos<br />Alexander Autographs, Inc.<br />860 Canal St.<br />Stamford, CT 06902<br />info@alexautographscom<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>How about a bonfire to burn all our old SCD copies?<br />SCD was the enabler for a long time, I doubt if they are even needed much any more. <br />An e mail was sent to a poster on this thread, suggesting who some of the consignors might be to CC.<br />Since this was an anonymous e mail I will not post the names that were listed.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

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Posted By: <b>1880nonsports</b><p>as this is a REALLY REALLY interesting thread. Barry check post 699 <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br />

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Posted By: <b>Alan Elefson</b><p>Hi-<br /> First of all, I would like to thank the participants of this thread for posting such valuable information and for doing their best to clean up our hobby/business. This thread is incredible!<br /> Second, this weekend I wandered into a shop called Gallery of Legends found within the Miracle Mile shops attached to the Planet Hollywood Casino (formerly the Aladdin) on the Las Vegas strip (I am visiting my parents who live in Vegas). In this shop were two autographed bats supposedly containing the autographs of 1930s Yankees teams (including Ruth and Gehrig) with a prominent sign stating they were "authenticated" by none other than Christopher Morales. As soon as I saw the sign, my thoughts went right to this thread, and I began to get angry thinking someone will purchase these forgeries unknowingly. Beyond the fact that Morales "authenticated" these items, the Ruth on each looked quite bad to me (although I am not an expert). I realize regular hobbyists would never purchase autographs at a store like this (way overpriced in general), but I was concerned for the general public as well.<br /> I immediately spoke with a man behind the counter and told him about Morales and that the Ruths appeared to be fakes. He blew me off (he said I have been doing this since I was 5 years old and I know my autographs - he looked like he was in his late twenties at most). Fruitlessly, I tried explaining the issues with Morales, but again, he blew me off. <br /> I then went to the mall security (the mall and the casino are run by two seperate companies) where I spoke to a security supervisor and I wrote out a formal complaint leaving my name, telephone number and address. The security supervisor said that management will definitely contact me and he thanked me for bringing this possible fraud to their attention. <br /> The shop's website is www.galleryoflegends.net. I urge any one on this forum to report a store selling possibly fraudulent autographs to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately, I am not an autograph expert, but if I receive a response from security I will contact Richard Simon and/or Shelly Jaffe to see if they can help with their expert opinions. I do not know if the mall's management will act on this, but I hope they do. <br /> On a good note, I also visited Field of Dreams on the Strip and spoke with their manager. He uses only good authenticators (Spence, PSA, etc.) and will never touch an item "authenticated" by Morales. He also thanked me for making the complaint as bad autographs adversely affect his business as well. <br /> Please note that it is my opinion that the high dollar autographs found in Gallery of Legends are fakes. I base this on the "authenticator" as well as the look of the autographs. This is only my opinion. I encourage all Net 54 readers to "raise a stink" wherever you see these bad autographs.<br />Thanks,<br />Alan Elefson<br />aelefson@hotmail.com

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Posted By: <b>Mark Steinberg</b><p>Alan/All:<br /><br />This Gallery Of Legends is the very store (Field of Dreams-type) in the Miracle Mile that I was referring to in my above post on February 6 at 1:52 PM.<br /><br />I did not remember the name of the store when I posted, but that is it without question. ALL of their high-end items were bogus.... really bad fakes, as well. The prices were astronomical... high even by Las Vegas standards. And they must be selling quite a lot, in order to pay that high-priced rent. <br /><br />This Gallery of Legends should be drummed out of business ASAP. It just made me sick to actually see this stuff in person... much worse than seeing it on-line!<br /><br />The nearby Field of Dreams store near Smith & Wollensky was indeed legit, as you state. Thanks for your great post!

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Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>First off, it's good to catch up after a weekend away...like coming back from a vacation and having to read a stack of old newspapers.<br /><br />A few points above really should shed some light on the issue at hand and that is the refusal of some of the legitimate sellers to take a stand against the problem at hand. Why sellers I BUY from still advertise in this biased rag is beyond me. You could offer me a lifetime supply of free full page ads, a free subscription for my entire State and a bottomless supply of Vitamin Water and I would still wish not to associate with such a periodical. <br /><br />Just think about this fact. Auction companies want to advertise themselves and insure that a little old lady with an attic full of used sporting goods (who was related in someways to a posed sporting gent on an old photo) may in fact have some treasures. You think that little old lady reads Sports Collector's Digest? Who even carries that anymore? <br /><br />Auction houses have to set up at airport hotels and advertise their presence and do shows like the National to talk to the public. Do you think they want to do all this stuff? All this cuts into their bottom line, but they realize it is a necessary part of the business. <br /><br />How does Coach's get Roger Connor signed memorabilia where others don't? Will they be at the big Philly show right in there back yard this week? I'll see. How about a STAT booth? How about Morales and his microscope? They weren't at the National, but Mastro, Lelands, Clean Sweep, Hunt, PSA/DNA and Jimmy Spence were. <br /><br />I came up with a good acronym over the weekend for STAT. STop Authenticating Ted. <br /><br />Thank you,<br /><br />DJ<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>CS Bolay</b><p>Hmm, I checked out this Gallery of Legends of site. Didn't have a lot of stuff online, but I did notice one interesting item. Took a peek at the 'Authenticity' link (hotlinked term 'forensic examiners') <br /><br /><a href="http://www.galleryoflegends.net/Authenticity.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.galleryoflegends.net/Authenticity.html</a><br /><br />...and was instantly spirited away to the one and only <br /><br /><a href="http://www.frangipaniforensics.com/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.frangipaniforensics.com/</a><br /><br />~and on the matter of SCD, my subscription ran out last year, partially due to the Coaches Corner issue, but also because of their pathetic 'see no evil' jounalistic/editorial stance towards so many of their big advertisers, incl. PSA/DNA. It is an utterly worthless periodical.<br /><br />I wish I could see SCD in the dock with the Coaches boys someday, but I suppose it may not be legally workable (I'm no lawyer as so many other members seem to be). <br /><br />Back to lurk mode now, carry on...

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Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>If Gallery of History has all of this terrific material, why don't they picture any of it on their website? And Frangipani as an authenticator? They should at LEAST use Mr. Morales or STAT.

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Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>Bill - Gallery of Legends , not Gallery of History,,, big difference, though not in pricing.<br />-<br />Who is left advertising in SCD on a regular basis ?<br />--<br /><br />I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

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Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>I just hung up the phone with the gallery. I asked them if they had any idea where their items came from. The reply was no we don't. we depend on the authenticator to tell us if is authentic or not. No idea where a Babe Ruth bat came from!

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Posted By: <b>Richard S. Simon</b><p>An eye opening anonymous e mail is being sent to some posters on this thread. It alleges that certain people are suppliers of CC autographs.<br />Since the writer declines to offer any proof I will not print the people he names. If anybody else on this thread gets such an e mail, please forward it to me. I am curious to see how many people will be sent this e mail.<br /><br />--<br /><br />I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

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Posted By: <b>Mark Evans</b><p>I have an uneasy feeling that I own a bogus Mantle baseball. The ball is a 1981 WS ball and was purchased some years ago before public disclosure of Operation Bullpen from a company in Knoxville, Tennessee called Wall of Fame. This company was implicated in Operation Bullpen but avoided prosecution by cooperating with law enforcement authorities.<br /><br />I don't know how to post a scan. The autograph looks good to my untrained eye but I strongly suspect it is a Greg Marino special. Any thoughts from Board experts -- Richard, Shelly, Barry, others?<br /><br />Finally, assuming autograph is bogus, I would be interested in replacing the ball in my collection. Is there any way to ensure authenticity of a Mantle ball without paying UDA prices ($600+)? Is buying a Bobby Brown ball assurance of authenticity or are some of these Mantle balls forgeries as well? Thanks alot. Mark<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>J Levine</b><p>It disturbs me that Mr. Morales has not come back on to take the challenge. What disturbs me more is that the Secret Service or any other government agency has not stepped in to stop this. Plain and simple, this is fraud. Mr. Morales and STAT are helping companies sell forged or faked items. If I were to start selling fake rolex watches on my website or on ebay and I got some bloke to "authenticate" them, I would be in jail rather quickly as would the "authenticator." I see no difference. It pains me that Coach's Corner is allowed to stay in business. It pains me more that Mr. Morales who was supposed to be a trusted government official can actually justify ripping off the American Public. Isn't there more we can do to force these people to stop?<br /><br />Joshua Levine<br />

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Posted By: <b>Richard Simon</b><p>Mark Evans - Shelly would be the one to know about Wall of Fame and he knows Mantle/Marino signatures better than anyone.<br />I suggest you e mail him a digital pic of your ball if you cannot post it here. It is not difficult to post here, click Insert Object. Then click temp files, click upload, click browse, find the file on your hard drive, click on the file and open, click upload, then finally click insert link.<br />Bobby Brown baseballs are absolutely not any assurance of legit Mantle sigs.<br />You just have to find a trustworthy dealer and pay the going rate, which I do think is $500-600. Don't look for bargains in autographs, that is how all this crap still thrives.<br />--<br><br>I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.<br />Unknown author <br />--<br />We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.<br />No retreat baby, no surrender.<br />The Boss

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Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Josh - <br /><br />The reasons "nothing is being done" are multiple:<br /><br />a.) After setting forth their extensive "qualifications, all of these authenticators qualify their qualifications (!)by stating in some form or another, that their statements are "opinions", not guarantees. So, you simply cannot jail someone for being incredibly stupid or inept. But, if the trend shows utter incompetence, those who have purchased bad material do have recourse in civil court. Sellers of bad material oftem get around that by offering full or partial refunds to particulalry noisy customers, knowing that lawsuits are very expensive for customers to commence.<br /><br />b.) Many auction houses rely on the authenticator's certification, and will not offer refunds on goods so-authenticated. In those cases, bidders must be wary and make sure that the authenticators used by the house are competent and reputable.<br /><br />c.) Federal action is difficult to invoke, and slow in operation. That does not mean that they will not jump on a case if it shows widespread, interstate fraud on a say, $250,000+ scale. Experience proves that the more press covering a scandal, the more likely the Feds will jump in to investigate. <br /><br />So...as I stated above - contact the press, anyone you know, who might cover the story. Feel free to ask for experts here. There are plenty of assets available to provide statements and testimony. Also, feel free to complain to Attorneys General of various states, such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, your own state, and wherever bad material is sold. <br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>J. McMurry</b><p>Shelly shed some light on the "wall of fame" company.<br /><br /> This is what I remember, there were TWO companies, one called Wall of Fame in Knoxville, and one called WALLS of Fame(not sure on location) I believe the 2nd co. WALLS was named in OP Bullpen. Wall of fame in knoxville was bought out by Schwartz sports(around 2001?),which I believe to be a legit company, Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.<br /><br />That being said, thats still no proof your MM ball is real.

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Posted By: <b>CS Bolay</b><p>One thing I have thought about in regard to Morales/ Frangipani (and again, I must stress I am a complete legal ignoramus, so don't laugh at me <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> ) is their use as witnesses in court cases. <br /><br />Considering their shaky history in the autograph field, is it possible that defense lawyers could start using all their questionable 'forensic authentications' against them, or even to attempt to have convictions or testimony thrown out? I mean, if you mess up Babe Ruth a zillion times, how could render an opinion on Joe Schmo? <br /><br />Secondly, one thing that really drives me nuts is the increasing influence of the 'big acroynms' in the autograph world, PSA/GAI/STAT or whatever. Half of the guys there in said companies I've barely heard of, and some of the others certainly wouldn't be my first choice in their fields. <br /><br />But so many people act as if their opinions are oh-so-infallible, just because they have big advertising budgets or because Poodlydoop Auctions from SCD or Beckett uses them. <br /><br />I'd take the opinion of experienced, longtime dealers like Rich, Bill, Ron Gordon, James Lowe, Bill Ecker or Joyce Muns over Alphabet Soup anyday. But how many casual autograph collectors have ever heard of them? And how many would purchase from them before they would the same item with a fancy acronym stamped on it? <br /><br />Very few, I suspect, and that's unfortunate, one of the great tragedies in the current-day autograph hobby. The willingness of many collectors to blindly rely on forensic bigshots or big-money Alphabet Soup companies has lead to many of the same problems we are discussing in this thread.

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>I was tempted to post this in the thread started by Don Fluckinger, but didn't want to hijack it, even though his questioned has been answered.<br /><br />The SCD site, <a href="http://standardcatalog.wordpress.com" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://standardcatalog.wordpress.com</a>, has articles, blogs, links, and advertising. I clicked on the auction block blog and of course Coaches Corner advertises on that page. Just above that ad, are links for eBay, PSA, Mears, Spence, etc? Why is is that STAT and Morales links are not listed? The authenticators for their biggest advertiser, and they do not have a free link for their customers.<br /><br />Does SCD by effect, endorse those companies, but not STAT and Morales? Is it an oversight that will be corrected? Or is it common sense and subtle distancing on their part?<br /><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>The only Wall of Fame I knew about was on the East Coast.<br />Marino used to joke around and call them Wall of Shame.<br />They bought hundreds of Marino autographs but were never prosecuted.<br />They also bought from other forgers.<br />World Series baseballs are loved by the forgers. Anaconda is still producing them today. They are not selling old stock, they are still printing these balls. WS balls from 1972 and up, with the favorites being 1978,1979, 1981 and 1994. These baseballs appear to be old balls to the collector but they are not. Paige and Munston are the two favorite forgeries on these balls.<br />Bobby Brown baseballs are no asurance that the ball could be authentic. Wayne Bray used to pay $100 apiece for Brown balls when he had a hard time getting them.<br />Finally, Bill is absolutely right. Contact who you can, send this thread to who you can. Law enforcement, newspapers, any contacts you guys have.<br />Especially those of you out there who have been burnt by these people. If you have bought a crap piece, go pursue legal action. Contact local authorities. <br />

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Posted By: <b>Mike</b><p>Does anyone have any information "good or bad" concerning "Ashland Hills Gallery" ? I bought an autographed Beatles item a couple of years ago which came with their COA. I was wondering about the odds of this one being real. Thanks any input appreciated. Mike

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Posted By: <b>Mike</b><p>Does anyone have any information "good or bad" concerning "Ashland Hills Gallery" ? I bought an autographed Beatles item a couple of years ago which came with their COA. I was wondering about the odds of this one being real. Thanks any input appreciated. Mike

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Posted By: <b>Sean C</b><p>I keep thinking to myself "How do they live with themselves..."

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Posted By: <b>Mark</b><p>The same way any thief or criminal lives with themselves, I suppose. It really isn't much different than traditional shoplifting or stealing....<br /><br />The only fundamental difference is that they are being "enabled" by repeat customers who are either completely uneducated or too blind to know better.<br /><br />I equate it most closely to an auto mechanic who takes advantage of single women or a scam artist selling unnecessary products/services to the elderly. I think it is tougher to prosecute those slimeballs as well.

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Posted By: <b>Ken</b><p>The one question I've always wanted to ask Mr. Morales is, to me, the most obvious:<br /><br />What percentage of items you view for Coach's Corner do you FAIL?

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Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>Last chance to bid in Coach's Corner auction, closing TODAY! <br /><br />Amazing bargains, showing present bid and market value, include:<br /><br /> <br />DIMAGGIO/MONROE SIGNED BASEBALL $774 $10,000+<br />(MORALES CERT.)<br /><br />RUTH AND GEHRIG CUT SIGS. $882 $3000+<br />(STAT CERT.)<br /><br />BEATLES SIGNED "ABBEY ROAD" $767 $60,000+<br />(STAT CERT.)<br /><br />PICASSO ORIGINAL ARTWORK $767 $100,000 OR SO!<br /><br />GEORGE WASHINGTON SIGNATURE $356 $6000<br />(MORALES CERT)<br /><br />Get out your checkbooks, buy these gems and send'em to any legitimate auction house. You'll make a bundle...but don't forget those certificates!

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Posted By: <b>Ken</b><p>Wow!! Well over 700 posts, and I jump in and make a comment and the whole thing ends!!<br /><br />Kinda reminds me of my high school dating life.<br /><br />Ken

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Posted By: <b>Mark</b><p>Ken...<br /><br />Since that made me chuckle, I will add a post (as if this thread really needs it...) I did not want it to end with that hard luck story. <br /><br />Also just wanted to see if any board members won something in the recently concluded Coach's Corner Auction... Did we all get shut out on this one, or are we just saving our funds for REA? <br /><br />Bad joke, I know <img src="/images/sad.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Gene Palmer</b><p>I'll jump in here just to thank Leon for the "bottom of page" link. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>...and nice prices too! Some of my faves below. Have fun! March auction should be up shortly!<br /><br />Lot #8 Lou Gehrig Autographed/CERTIFIED Baseball. <br />"...The autograph grades a legible 6 overall and is ideal for display and fully certified "authentic" by expert examiner Christopher <br />Morales. Valued at over $25,000."<br />Sold for $3,611<br /><br />Lot #10 Mel Ott Autographed/Certified Baseball. <br />"...RARE signature grades a solid 6.5 overall. Perfect for display and valued at well over $15,000."<br />Sold for $2,315.<br /><br />Lot #12 Jimmie Foxx Autographed/Certified Baseball. <br />"...BEGS to be shown off proudly. Certified authentic by forensic expert Chris Morales and book value is well into the 5-figures."<br />Sold for $2,917.<br /><br />Lot #13 "The Beatles" band signed/custom framed "STAT" LP album!!! <br />"...all four "STAT" certified signatures rate clean 9's or better! This is a true collector's piece of history that will retail for as much as $10,000!!!"<br />Sold for $1,078.<br /><br />Lot #22 Babe Ruth Autographed/CERTIFIED Vintage H&B Baseball Bat!! <br />"...Super-rare gem and it shows off nicely and comes with a COA from former Secret Service forensic authenticator Christopher Morales. Scarcely-seen Ruth signature on a bat!"<br />Sold for $2,907.<br /><br />Lot #25 Jimmy Collins Autographed/Stat Authentic Certified Softball. <br />"...legible 5.5-6 overall and shows off nicely. Fully certified by STAT AUTHENTIC and valued into the 5 figures!!"<br />Sold for $1,079.<br /><br />#42 Josh Gibson hand signed/CERTIFIED vintage pair of baseball pants! <br />"...signed on the inside waistband by this seldom-seen HOFer in black ink. The signature is legible and grades a solid 6.5 overall! It comes with a COA from forensic expert Chris Morales and is a truly super item that's value is off the charts due to rarity!"<br />Sold for $390.<br /><br />Lot #155 Walter Johnson Autographed-Stat Authentic Certified Softball.<br />"...Great chance for a RARE & valuable ball at a discount & fully certified authentic by the experts at STAT."<br />Sold for $290.<br /><br />Lot #159 Lou Gehrig Yankees hand signed "Baseball". <br />"...rubberball...We'll start the bidding very low and let you decide how much it's worth."<br />Sold for $301.<br /><br />Lot #401 Cy Young hand signed vintage BB cap.<br />"...decent 5 or so. Neat display item from Cy Young and valued at ??"<br />Sold for $159.<br /><br />Lot #730 Candy Cummings Autographed Matted & Framed Stat Authentic Certified Photo-Display. <br />"...Fully certified "authentic' by the professionals at Stat Authentic and nice!"<br />Sold for $221.<br /><br />Lot #758 1934 TOUR OF JAPAN Autographed/Stat Authentic Certified Cut. <br />"...Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Connie Mack, J.Foxx, C.Gehringer, M.Berg,etc.!!!! The signatures grade legible 7's overall and this amazing piece of baseball memorabilia is ideal for matting/framing and comes with a COA from the hobby <br />experts at Stat Authentic for authenticity purposes. Valued at over $10,000 and NICE!"<br />Sold for $1,842.<br /><br />Lot #792 1894 Colts Baseball Club TEAM-SIGNED Cut with CAP ANSON-Certified <br />by Stat Authentic. <br />"...The Anson & Griffith signatures are authenticated & certified by STAT AUTHENTIC, while the others are so old there are no suitable exemplars out there! Valued into the thousands."<br />Sold for $610<br /><br />lot #795 George Wright Autographed Cut with Hall of Fame Exhibit Card! <br />"...LONG-DECEASED baseball hero. VERY RARE signature and it grades a 5.5 overall. Fully certified authentic by Stat Authentic and valued into the low thousands."<br />Sold for $300. <br /><br />Lot #827 Lou Gehrig Yankees hand signed "Stat Authentic" magazine photo-page. <br />".... It comes pre-certified as real by Stat Authentic and value is near $1800.00 I'll guess on the probable, one of a kind Yankee/Gehrig piece."<br />Sold for $250.<br /><br />Lot #893 "The Beatles" BAND-SIGNED/STAT AUTHENTIC CERTIFIED Album! <br />"...with Paul even including "all the best!" with his signature! Fully certified authentic by the pro's at STAT and valued into the thousands."<br />Sold for $735.<br /><br />lot #952 The "Beatles" hand signed/custom framed & CERTIFIED photo!! <br />"... certified as real by Jeff & Ted at Stat Authentic and is valued in the $3000.00 range as a solid rock n' roll investment and collectible."<br />Sold for $684.

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Posted By: <b>Bill Panagopulos</b><p>What a disgusting, insulting disgrace to our collecting fraternity. My friends who collect baseball, your stuff is now worthless. Why? These guys are flooding the market, day after day, with worthless frauds that sooner or later will dupe more and more innocents into buying them. As a result, the legitimate, authentic autographs, cards, relics, photos, pins, banners, etc, you've bought will be reduced to the same value as the worthless crap being peddled by crooked auctioneers and dealers - yes, just as worthless as the junk these guys are foisting on the public because the average guy simply won't know the difference. <br /><br />As long as everybody sits back and says: "Well..MY stuff is real, so I have nothing to worry about...", they WILL have something to worry about! Don't get too comfortable.<br /><br />Just today, some crook offered a good customer of mine several utterly worthless historic autographs that they swore would be passed by either Morales, STAT or some other so-called authenticator. They weren't baseball or rock autographs, but important historic Americana. And only NOW did this guy realize what a hazard his own collecting interest was facing. He told me: "I don't give a sh_t about rock, but when these guys start messing with historic autographs, we have a problem". I told him to "wake the f up". Get the picture?<br /><br />Baseball is ruined. Rock is well on its way, and only a slew of federal indictments can fix it (and they just might...). But the problem is swelling, it's a cancer and needs to be addressed immediately with every asset available, before it spreads wholesale to other fields of autographs, and...<br /><br />...cards...banners...pins...photos...relics...uni forms...coins...stamps...etc....etc...etc...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Sean C</b><p><img src="http://www.myccsa.com/pics/177/76664.jpg"><br /><br />I'd really love an explanation from Mr. Morales about this item.

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Posted By: <b>CS Bolay</b><p>A modest little auction house in Philly stumbles upon a mysterious otherwordly portal, out of which flows a seemingly unlimited supply of Beatles multi-signed albums, presidential cuts, 19th-Century Hall of Famers and GEM 10 graded rookies. All are featured within the pages of the 'Voice for the Hobby' itself at miraculously low starting bids. <br /><br />Meanwhile, the Big Man at SCD spends his time blogging about his fascinating experiences with cockfighting.<br /><br /><a href="http://infielddirt.sportscollectorsdigest.com/" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://infielddirt.sportscollectorsdigest.com/</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Can this hobby get any more insane?

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Posted By: <b>J. McMurry</b><p>Bottom line is, MONEY RUINS EVERYTHING.<br /><br /> There's always gonna be certain people out there whose brains are wired toward fraud and cheating whenever they see there's MONEY to be made.<br /><br /> I believe historical forgeries are already a problem.<br /> CC offers them. I wonder how many Cosey Lincoln fakes are circulating that have been authenticated due to their age?<br /><br /> I wonder how many Marino Mantle fakes will be in circulation 40 years from now?

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Posted By: <b>Bob</b><p>While I usually check the Forum usually on a weekly basis, I'm sad to see this thread die and it seems like motivation to do something on a public level has died down a little. I am disappointed. I will say I do love those pantaloons!<br /><br />Money does ruin everything, but that's partially why we collect. The ordinary and worthless is often just that. We could collect new bottle caps. <br />But there are things that have implied value that certainly isn't the case and of course I must bring up the fact that unscathed, Coach's returns with basically the same inventory as last month. Multiples of high grade single signed baseballs of any Hall Of Famers you can mention. Foxx, Young, Ott, Ruth, Gehrig, a Comiskey Softball, a Honus Wagner with provenance proving it was signed (lol), a 1948 type written and signed Babe Ruth letter just before he passed, a Gehrig signed softball and multiple complete Beatles signed albums. And for our history dealer, all the early Presidents and multiple Einstein items that will keep you frustrated. Looking back at this thread, was this even a speed bump? Was anything accomplished? <br /><br />RS<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Mike</b><p>Check out the Next Coach's Corner auction. Item # 1. A signed Beatles album, signed by all 4 . But get this, it's on the cover of the famous "Butcher Cover" and comes with a "STAT" certificate. How can these people sleep at night ?

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Posted By: <b>shelly jaffe</b><p>To answer Bob's post I think a lot has been accomplished.<br />This thread has gotten a lot of publicity, links to it have been posted on other forums and I think that this thread has alerted many people about what is going on.<br />The press has gotten interested, the law has gotten interested and things will be happening. <br />The crap has gone on for too long and this has been a step towards stopping it. More will happen.<br />

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>Once again, Rob Lifson shows why he is not only the premiere vintage baseball auction house, but he is a force in this hobby/business, and is willing to put his money where his mouth is.<br /><br />First, he is the only auction house to endorse the MEARS policy. Even though it is a little extreme, Rob knows he has nothing to worry about.<br /><br />Now, there is also a link to this thread on his web site, along with him mentioning authentication issues in an interview.<br /><br />Thanks Rob, for being a stand-up guy and helping this effort.

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Posted By: <b>don fluckinger</b><p>Fact-check: We have zero advertising on the standard catalog blog at <a href="http://standardcatalog.wordpress.com" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://standardcatalog.wordpress.com</a>. Oh wait, we have "buy the Standard Catalog" ads! <br /><br />Some of the links you can click in the blogroll do have advertising, but that's not an endorsement or lack of endorsement on the part of SCD, me, or the book publishing arm of F+W, who we all report to. I'm not a part of other blogs' advertising decisions, and I really don't want to be.<br /><br /><br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>Don,<br />Matter of fact - SCD had ads for Coach's Corner on their site, whether it was linked from your blog or not. <br /><br />Bottom line is they appear to have removed them. Of course, their auction ads in the print world still appear. Nice compromise by the powers of be at Krause. If you get the hard copy you can still be ripped off by their biggest advertiser. <br /><br />It seems like they are starting to cut the cord. Now they need to let the albatross around their necks go completely. Mr. Mint may be unscrupulous in his pursuit of material, but at least he buys and sells genuine items.<br /><br />Don, you are obviously innocent in these decision by Krause. However, it was nice of you to respond to that comment about CC advertising on the SCD site after their ads were removed, 5 weeks after the comment was posted.

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>xtremecollectibles.com. The latest? in Chris Morales supporters.<br /><br /><a href="http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/clt/642594539.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow"><a href="http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/clt/642594539.html</a" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/clt/642594539.html</a</a>><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/clt/642778657.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow"><a href="http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/clt/642778657.html</a" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/clt/642778657.html</a</a>><br /><br />And if, if you go to their auctions, it leads to the Coaches Corner web site.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.xtremecollectibles.com/christopher-l-morales.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.xtremecollectibles.com/christopher-l-morales.html</a>

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Posted By: <b>CS Bolay</b><p>Interesting find, David...is this guy formally associated with CCSA or could he be one of the mysterious consigners of their 'miraculous' finds? <br /><br />Compare<br /><br /><a href="http://www.xtremecollectibles.com/mimaromayaha.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.xtremecollectibles.com/mimaromayaha.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myccsa.com/Lot.aspx?LotID=89297" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.myccsa.com/Lot.aspx?LotID=89297</a><br /><br />Fascinating...<br /><br />His presidential balls are among the worst forgeries I have ever seen...check out the last two rows<br /><br /><a href="http://www.xtremecollectibles.com/presidential.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.xtremecollectibles.com/presidential.html</a><br />_________________________________<br /><br />~~Another forensic goofball for the record (apologize if he has been mentioned)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.aasportscollectibles.com/cobbball.htm" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.aasportscollectibles.com/cobbball.htm</a><br /><a href="http://www.aasportscollectibles.com/mathewsonjohnsonphoto.htm" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://www.aasportscollectibles.com/mathewsonjohnsonphoto.htm</a>

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Posted By: <b>Mark</b><p>David...<br /><br />Many thanks for uncovering yet another criminal outfit. Did you see on the Xtreme Collectibles Website, that the only "sold" item is that common 500 HR Hitters Lithograph (which was the only piece carrying a PSA Cert.)<br /><br />Everything else pictured on their site is so fake it's ridiculous. Check out that Clemente signed ball for a good laugh! <br /><br />Edited to say I took one more peek... The Cy Young and Mathewson Balls are even better.