That was the first word that came to my mind, too.

I'm not sure how you guys came up with "hilarious'. I don't find something being ruined by a third party very funny. I feel bad for the OP. I'm sure he spent a lot for that and it's an uncommon item that has been devalued due to PSA's stupidity.

If it was something you sent in and they did that, would it still be "hilarious"? It just seems kind of like an inappropriate response.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just don't understand why you would think it was
hilarious. I don't see the humour in it.

He can speak better than most on this forum, and for himself, but I don't think he meant it as Hilarious like it's funny, more like it's hilarious because of their ignorance. I said something about that comment above but then thought about it. There is no way in heck any smart, vintage collector would think that is funny. If the do they are an idiot.

If that's the case, I apologize. Hilarious was the description that was probably the farthest thing from my mind when I saw this.

No comment, except to say that I find much (most? all?) involving the opinion sellers hilarious.

I would assume that part of why this thread exists in the first place is due to the negligence of the OP who MUST have forgotten to check the "do not randomly fold my item" box on the opinion seller website when initiating his opinion purchase.

That is truly terrible, OP. I hope they compensate you fairly.

I am surprised to see how many people are surprised, though. It's been clear to me for years that PSA doesn't care. How many times have we seen tobacco cards put in holders where they just bounce around inside (sometimes hugely expensive cards)....

In addition to the OP and his check, I also believe Adam should be fully reimbursed by PSA for ruining that Joe Louis signed item.

It is completely unbelievable, and unacceptable, that PSA, or any grading company, would do that to an item entrusted to them.

Steve

Thanks, Steve, but I bought it that way. I was not aware that the card unfolded until I got it, then I was faced with the dilemma of cracking it or not. I chose to keep it in the holder (and annoying) until a second example of the card surfaced years later and I was able to buy it and sell the slabbed (annoying) one. Still pending is removing that (annoying) GAI sticker...

Yea, I saw that sticker; I honestly don't know which is worse in my view.....the card being folded; or that stupid "in your face" sticker.

Steve

Not to mention that the autograph appears to be secretarial.

Yeah, there's that too. Honestly, though, the card is so rare that I bought it for the card regardless of authenticity of the signature. How someone got a secretarial at an appearance is an interesting question.

We've certainly seen other instances of promotional premiums that were pre-(ghost) signed and given out in the presence of the athlete.

Louis was notorious for having many different hands signing for him. There are so many secretarial versions. He was the Ted Williams of the ring in that regard.

Sue.

To the OP:
It's crazy that someone folded your check and I hate that it happened. As a couple of other have mentioned, your fastest and best recourse would be to reach out to Nat Turner on Instagram. He runs PSA and is very receptive/responsive to messages on that platform. If you try to go through PSA's customer service you could be waiting a week or more for an initial response.

I hope they make it right for you.

I was horrified first reading this thread. This morning, I was horrified again when the YouTube algorithm suggested your video:

https://youtu.be/NuCQY7D-Sag?si=gwbdYkypbniXiGht

I’m very sorry this happened to you, and I hope you are made whole.

That was like watching a horror film

Also, back your original post, I do not think it is up to you to know all their slab sizes.

The folding is extraordinarily bad in itself, but the choosing to fold through the signature is a special kind of stupid. As a business owner, that person would be immediately let go for such horrible judgment. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

This is one of the most egregious hobby-related things I've ever seen.

Question to the OP. It's been 3 days since your original post. Have you actually tried contacting PSA about this? If so, any response from them or attempt by them to make things right?

I will say that the wheels are in motion, I will be sure to update when I have a firm and complete understanding of what will be happening.

I would think a paper conservatory service could fix that. PSA should pay for the repairs. It was folded before, bad on whoever at PSA did it, but it was previously creased. The damage is done, try to make it better. I would be mortified, I would expect better, but hey, some workman started Notre Dame on fire. At least this can be salvaged.

Has OP said it was previously creased? If so, I missed it.

Based on the crease lines already visible, I’d wager it was.

Not to excuse the hack job of a slab job they did on the piece.

I’d guess whoever slabbed it, spied the crease in the check, and took the lazy way out, and folded it over instead of looking for another properly sized casket, to lay the check into its final resting place.

This has been a hotly contested point about this item. Yes it is not in mint condition, and yes it did already have creases in it but they created a new one. The new crease goes in between he two Ls in "Ball". I'm of the mind that even if they had folded over an old crease it still would have been a big deal. This is a fragile item and you can only fold a paper so many times in the same spot before a tear starts. Bottom line it should have happened especially when they have a check slab that is 3 inches longer to accommodate this style of old check.
That being said here is a photo of it raw when it was sent in and you guys can all see for yourselves

https://i.imgur.com/5gfY5NV.jpeg

So what do you believe is a proper remedy for this PSA screw-up?

“So what do you believe is a proper remedy for this PSA screw-up?”

Unfortunately there isn’t one.

It was a unique piece and will never be the same. Would hope to see the idiot who graded it get terminated. Nobody with judgement that poor should be working in the field of authentication… even for a company as corrupt as PSA.

PSA should ask the victim to name a cash price he feels is fair… and NOT a PSA credit towards future business (as there shouldn’t be any). If they can’t meet at a cash number that’s satisfactory to the victim, then sue.

As has been mentioned but also danced around, the value of this piece, even if pristine, is not very high. It's not even worth an hour of what a lawyer charges. Depending on the lawyer in question, it's not even worth a few minutes of their going rate! Therefore, a lawsuit would be ridiculous. The value of the item is immaterial. PSA really lucked out in that regard, but that doesn't make the customer happy, does it? I wouldn't want to see this happen with a 1989 Fleer Rick Schu, either. Someone was paying for a service and basically received the complete opposite of what they were paying for. Imagine the uproar if someone took their car to a mechanic and were handed back a crushed cube.

The OP particularly appreciated this item due to it being signed "Lawrence Doyle". If you're a fan of Doyle, then that is assuredly to be appreciated, as there exists a sea of Larry Doyle autographs, but "Lawrence Doyle" is a different story. Rarity doesn't always equate to a huge bump in value, but finding a replacement may pose a challenge, as the OP is well aware. I am glad for his sake that the piece isn't entirely destroyed, but again, that's not the issue.

I'm sure the person responsible for folding the check is a lowly worker on the slabbing assembly line rather than an authenticactor, but yes, they need to be terminated. If they can't grasp the most basic of things you don't do...

Maybe we should all send an email to PSA telling them what we thought of their fine work here. Shame them into a compromise. If enough of us do it, they'll take notice and maybe settle up with the op.

Contact PSA ASAP, they will try to come up with a solution, possibly some compensation, and properly slab for free. They have for me in the past. It wasn't your job to put your check in the correct slab. We all could have lawsuits for one thing or the other, see what PSA will do to ease the pain, the check has already been folded, but it can be restored--good luck!

Do we know what the purchase price of this check was?

It’s not just the market price that matters. There was clearly a high sentimental value to the owner/submitter in addition to its rather pedestrian market value.

And yes, BillyCox is right. I was writing from hospital bed (groggy, restless, late at night). It would not be the authenticator, but rather an assembly-line guy in slabbing that should be updating his resume.

Looks like there is a very similar check about a week apart on eBay for 250.

The one your speaking of is signed L. Doyle. Big difference.

It also has another person's signature overlapping Doyle's.

Steve

How big? I think Jeff was trying to take stock of the financial impact here. Does a Larry Doyle check bring in 10x a L Doyle check?

It isn’t Larry. That’s how you’ll find most Doyle autos. In this example, his proper first name is fully spelled out.

.

I guess let’s try the question a different way. How much do you think this check was worth before psa folded it?

I don't know what the OP paid for it. If I'm not mistaken, that was the most recent sale. So, whatever Max paid for it would be what it's currently "worth" in a broad sense. As for PSA, they would likely use the declared value from the submission, no?