American Greed-CNBC

[hshrimps]

Thx Rob.

By any chance, anyone has pics of that rebacked Plank? That card seems to disappear from the hobby since it last sold from Mastro. Just wonder how good was the reback job.

[Robert_Lifson]

I'm on my phone sitting in a shoe store in Soho in NY right now while my wife is trying on every single pair of shoes in the store (anyone married, you know how it is) so I can't post it now, but pictures can be found in the catalog and also on pricerealized.com. If no one else posts the images I'll post (or send to someone that knows how to post photos!) when I get home to my computer in a few days.

[oldjudge]

Rob-You better not let her see you posting about her. She's a lot tougher than you are.😀

[Robert_Lifson]

She's still trying on shoes and talking with the owner! She has no idea. Mums the word.

[Robert_Lifson]

I may start having my mail forwarded here.

[oldjudge]

Rob-This isn't the place you are at, is it?

[Robert_Lifson]

Can't afford that place! She's done so I'm off to next store now...

[Sean]

Originally Posted by hshrimps

Thx Rob.

By any chance, anyone has pics of that rebacked Plank? That card seems to disappear from the hobby since it last sold from Mastro. Just wonder how good was the reback job.

It's listed in the Plank gallery on T206resource.com. It is Plank number 17.

[Pat R]

Here's the Plank that Rob is referring to. I couldn't find any large scans
and they get distorted when you enlarge them so this is the best I could
do.
Plank SC350.jpgPlank SC350 Back.jpg
Plank SC350 Copy.jpgPlank SC350 Back Copy.jpg

[hshrimps]

It has curved edges... well... it could just be the scans.

[hshrimps]

Anyways, given it was sold at $51k. Even if it gets consign to auction now and listed as re-backed it would still sold for higher than $51k in today's market.

[Misunderestimated]

Given the demands/constraints of television I thought it a good show. Would I have liked a more thorough version -- of course. I suspect everyone on who reads this post would have liked a longer, polished, "30-for-30" style version with more names and details and less cliches.

That said I want to thank the people who "made this possible" on the hobby-end.* The most obvious people to thank are Ryan and Jeff and they deserve major kudos. But I'm sure that there are many whose names did not make it into the "final cut" and/or may have no any interest in being publicly known as part of this. They deserve my (our) thanks too. Doing the right thing is its own reward and -- all too often -- its only reward.





___
* Good people with the FBI,US Attorney's Office and the media are also to be commended for their work.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Robert_Lifson

I was very surprised to find extra Mastro Auction episode video clips on the American Greed website. These were listed as "web exclusive" videos on the official CNBC American Greed website and obviously represent footage that could have easily made it onto the show but just couldn't make the final cut due to editing and time constraints. There is great commentary and very interesting stories presented by FBI SA Brian Brusokas and former federal prosecutor Steven Grimes in these clips and I thought anyone not aware of them (which I assume is most as I just happened to trip over them by chance and don't recall anyone mentioning) might really like to see them too.

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/08/2...ke-a-buck.html

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/08/2...nce-faked.html

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/08/2...ally-stop.html

Reads these vids are not available in your area. My area is Canada and that is likely the reason?
Any other CDN's have this issue, and if so, were you able to view them via a different avenue?

[Robert_Lifson]

I don't know if this solves the problem but I see the extra footage is also posted on YouTube now. I hope this helps! Here are the links:


https://youtu.be/2QeAzcdNRLc

https://youtu.be/niopU2C43ys

https://youtu.be/5XbgTccK_6o

Many may find very interesting to read a copy of Mastro Auctions' mass email first announcing the "Mastro Auctions Code of Professional Conduct."

A cut-and-paste appears below!
*

From: email@mastroauctions.com
To:
Sent: 9/13/2007 8:33:59 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Mastro Auctions Code of Professional Conduct

Dear Valued Customer:

When it comes to business ethics and integrity, Mastro Auctions has operated ever since its inception under the premise that actions speak louder than words. We thought, perhaps naively, that that was enough. I have talked to a lot of customers over the last few months, both at the National Convention and through my travels, and have come to the conclusion that our customers, in fact, expect more.

As the hobby continues to evolve and new concerns plague our industry, the time to assume a proactive stance has arrived. To that end, Mastro Auctions is taking our unwritten code of professional conduct to the next level by enhancing the code and memorializing it in writing (see below). This act of leadership is not required by law or by the industry, but it represents the high standards of commitment and responsibility that Mastro Auctions has always embodied.


Since we just missed our deadline for the October Classic sale to make this announcement, this code will appear in and be in full effect for our December Premium Catalog sale. As always, we greatly value your support and assistance. By working proactively as a team, we can make a difference in the hobby we all enjoy today -- and ensure that it is headed in the right direction for future enthusiasts.

Sincerely yours,


Doug Allen


President & COO

Mastro Auctions

Mastro Auctions Code of Professional Conduct

1. Disclosure of Ownership
Mastro Auctions allows employees, authenticators, the Mastro Auctions corporate entity and other third party affiliates to own and consign items in Mastro Auctions’ sales. Mastro Auctions will disclose in its catalogs which items are owned by any of the aforementioned parties. PLEASE NOTE: The definition of ownership extends to spouses and immediate family members associated with the aforementioned groups.

2. Mastro Auctions Employee Bidding Rules
Certain Mastro Auctions employees are also collectors, and, similar to the practices followed by other major auction houses (e.g. Sotheby’s, Christies, etc.) are permitted to bid in Mastro Auctions sales. The following restrictions have been placed on the bidding practices of employee(s) to ensure fairness for all auction participants:

*Mastro Auctions employees do not have access to ceiling or “top-all” bids. One designated administrative employee will have access to this information for the sole purpose of responding to bidding questions or for correcting bid errors. That designated individual will not be allowed to bid in the auction.*

Mastro Auctions employees, the Mastro Auctions corporate entity, and all third party affiliates (authenticators, service providers, etc.) are considered related parties. These related parties are prohibited from bidding on each other’s consigned items. PLEASE NOTE: The definition of the Mastro Auctions “related parties” extends to family members. 



3. Disclosure of Restoration
If Mastro Auctions believes or has knowledge that an item has been altered in any way, this information will be fully disclosed in the auction catalog. Occasionally, we will have items restored in order to improve their presentation quality. In these cases, the extent and nature of any restoration will be fully disclosed. Under no circumstances will we have restoration work done on trading cards.

4. Trading Card Guidelines
Mastro Auctions prohibits its employees from altering trading cards. Our policy on altering trading cards is in strict compliance with standards set by all major grading companies.

5. Use of Third Party Authenticators
Mastro Auctions is a company of experts. In almost all of the collecting genres handled by the company, there is an employee on staff who specializes in that area. As a result, before an item ever reaches a third party authenticator, it must first pass our scrutiny. Once an item that requires third party authentication has been accepted by Mastro Auctions, the following process will be employed: for each auction, the catalog will identify approved third party authenticating sources by category. We will not sell an item unless it has been authenticated by one of the listed third party authenticators. **

6. Bidding Records
Effective for auctions held in 2007, all Mastro Auctions bidding records are maintained into perpetuity. These records are considered private and confidential. In order to maintain the privacy of our customers’ information, these records will not be voluntarily shared with any third parties.

This e-mail was sent from an information only e-mail address and cannot receive incoming messages. Please send e-mail to CustomerService@mastroauctions.com.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Indeed.

If Mastro Auctions believes or has knowledge that an item has been altered in any way, this information will be fully disclosed in the auction catalog. Occasionally, we will have items restored in order to improve their presentation quality. In these cases, the extent and nature of any restoration will be fully disclosed. Under no circumstances will we have restoration work done on trading cards.