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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read about this, even though it still feels a little weird to have to start this kind of thread knowing the kind of impact it might have on a company. Having said that, I have absolutely zero sympathy in this particular case. Not because I'm the one they're getting over on, but because this was so easy to prevent. If there had been an ounce of integrity involved in their decision they would have made this right, whether it cost them a few thousand dollars as an adjustment or the full $10,000 to buy it back. Either way, they would have gotten a bunch of that money back right away from the stuff I would have been bidding on in their current auction. But even with zero integrity, all it would require is a shred of business sense to see that it would have just been good business to make it right, especially when not doing so could have such easily predictable negative consequences. Think about some of the larger auction house whose business practices have come into question lately. Do you think any of them would have allowed this situation to get to the point where I posted on the board about it? No way. They’re smarter than that. When Dan Imler said he talked to the powers that be and told me there was nothing they could do for me, all I said to him was “Well, you’re making a big mistake.” and “You’ll regret it.”

Not only was it an incredibly short-sighted decision, but they could have ended this a few weeks ago when I first brought it up. Had they offered me a full refund two weeks ago, I doubt I would have taken it. And that would be that. They would have done the right thing by offering a refund, even if I didn’t take them up on their offer. I bid on this photo because I want to keep it. I never asked for a refund. In fact, I never asked for a partial refund or any kind of adjustment. In the conversations I had with Dan Imler all I said I wanted was something that was fair. Whatever he and I decided that would be. Later, when he asked what I had in mind, that’s when I said I was thinking something in the $3,000 to $4,000 range and let him know that I would have accepted it in auction credit if they didn’t want to give me any money. Never once was I offered any kind of refund or compensation at all. I simply asked that Dan Imler look at the pictures I e-mailed him and then tell me if he thought the item I got was in the same condition as the item in the catalog. After seeing the pictures, he agreed with me that there is, without question, damage that simply was not there, or was made to look like it was not there on the catalog image.

In case it was hidden in my original post, all of the pictures of this item can be seen here: http://cubanbaseballcards.com/SCP-SothebysBastards.html

I appreciate all the suggestions for ways that I can pursue them to get a refund, but you’re all forgetting the fact that I WANT THIS PHOTO! The way this all happened was absolutely not fair and I equate it to being stolen from, but this is a special piece and I want to keep it. It turns out that I wound up paying closer to $5,000 more than I should have, in my opinion, which I only realized once I took the photo out of the frame. Had they offered to give me $3,000 as an adjustment it would not have been enough, but I didn’t know that at the time and would have taken it.

I collect Martin Dihigo cards and photos. This photo pictures him in 1927 as a member of the Cuban Stars just entering the absolute prime of his long and illustrious career. He was only 21 years old!!! HOFer Alejandro Pompez is also there in his nice clean suit, in charge of a team that also had Alejandro Oms, Champion Mesa, Bernardo Baro and other Cuban greats alongside Dihigo. Their opponents were the great Nip Winters and the rest of the Hilldale team, standing there ready battle the foreigners. Here are the boxscores from the two games they played, plus a little blurb about Dihigo's home runs, courtesy of the Baltimore Afro-American:







That's what Dihigo did on that day, probably a few hours, or maybe a few minutes, after posing for this amazing panoramic photo.

The truth is, if this photo arrived cut in half, I still would have wanted to keep it. I just wouldn't want to have paid for a nice, uncut photo, only to receive a poor condition photo in two pieces. But I would gladly have paid the poor condition, cut in two pieces price.

I think the only way I would consider returning it would be with the assurance that it would be auctioned off again, so I could bid on and hopefully win it again. But that doesn't work, either, because there is no way in hell I'm bidding on an auction run by those thieves.

So there you have it. I don't want to return it and get my money refunded, but at least they haven't offered that. It would only complicate things and make me have to spend more time thinking about this ugly mess.

-Ryan