FAKE packs and an FBI Fraud Investigation: What would YOU do?

[HRBAKER]

Corruption is a fact of life, but IMO this hobby seems to attract a disproportionate amount of people who are allergic to an honest day's work.

[CharleyBrown]

Corruption has been a part of this hobby for a very long time... in different forms, no doubt, but it has always been here - just as it’s been a part of sports.

It seems as if its a disproportionate because the hobby is a strong focus of our lives. Many of has have a lot vested in it in terms of $, time, and passion, so naturally everything seems greater than it is.

As a teacher, I can tell you that the education system is equally corrupt..

I’m sure other hobbies deal with the same.

If corruption is driving u out, maybe u were in too deep with the hobby to begin with...

Spend time with family, and do other things that don’t involve the hobby.

Matt, to be honest - I think this hobby still means something to you, as you’re still here posting after having sold off much of your collection.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Corruption is a fact of life, but IMO this hobby seems to attract a disproportionate amount of people who are allergic to an honest day's work.

+1...well met, Jeff.

[deadballfreaK]

Wow. As a pretty new member to this board I had never read any of this. First thing that comes to my mind is I always considered unopened packs the easiest thing in the world to fake. Especially wax packs. A little heat and you could open and close em at will. Don't know much about cellos, beyond my time as a collector, but I expect they could be opened and closed and easily faked as well.

[MBMiller25]

FBI investigation concluded
The FBI investigation is over after going through my data on how some stars
shouldn't be on top of certain packs and taking a close look and examining packs that i passed by PSA, the agents agreed that they were pretty bad jobs
in my part and they were surprised they got authenticated and in fact graded
one of the agents went on to say that i proved that Steve Hart
is bad at his job and being bad at his job is not a crime.

The downfall of this world will be the lack of morality in men!

It's amazing to me how this goes from you creating FAKE cello packs, to a "Steve Hart" doesn't know how to do his job. Steve is probably the most honest individual in a hobby that's littered with filth and fraud, and you come on here and frankly go out of your way to make a statement like you have above about Steve not be good at his job. The fact that your trying to play this out like you're some sort of crusader makes me want to puke.

[WhenItWasAHobby]

"So - you invested our life savings in PSA-graded cello packs? WELL HERE'S ANOTHER FINE MESS YOU'VE GOTTEN US INTO!"

[the 'stache]

After reading this whole thread, I feel the urge to take a second shower.

[CW]

I find it utterly and almost comically bizarre that rather than set up a website or mail-in guidebook in order to educate collectors about what to look for in manufacture patterns and pack sequencing, Jose would instead choose to create fake packs to slip by PSA in order to prove Steve Hart's inability to spot fakes, then allegedly sell them to unsuspecting customers for profit. ??? As if THAT will help the hobby and allow collectors to make educated decisions when buying these packs? ???? It simply does not compute. At least not to a sane person....