Two hour interview with.... Bill Mastro

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by Fred

What do you mean by "card smashing"? Are you referring to all the discussion about how the very first card graded by PSA was subjectively given a NUMERICAL grade?



If so, then the observation is that you've somehow missed out on MANY threads that regurgitate the disgust at PSA for not doing what they were set out to do in the first place. TPGs are supposed to provide an honest unbiased opinion about the condition of a card that's to be slabbed.



The very first card that PSA encapsulated is a fraud. PSA has rejected MANY cards as being altered and has not provided numerical grades to what they determine is a trimmed card.



TPGs are supposed to protect the collecting public from these shams by not encapsulating trimmed cards with NUMERICAL grades. For example, look at the price of a PSA8 T206 common and then look at the price of a trimmed (nice looking) PSA-A graded T206 common. Not to mention a T206 Wagner.



This "hobby" has boiled down to being driven by $$$ based on these grades. Soooooo... go back to the beginning of this semi-rant and you should begin to understand this not a recent phenomenon. The topic of so many trimmed encapsulated cards is also not a new phenomenon.

I believe he was referring to the discussion in the video about pressing cards to make them oversized so they can be trimmed without measuring small.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

I believe he was referring to the discussion in the video about pressing cards to make them oversized so they can be trimmed without measuring small.

Got it! It was about literal card smashing and not a metaphorical reference to incident bashing.

Yes, card smashing/pressing has been around for a long time. So many ways to "improve" the appearance of a card without actually cutting it for sharp corners.

[MK]

I just got through the entire interview. It was very interesting to hear about the condition of the Wagner when he bought it, the other cards involved and of course the cutting with the paper cutter. Since I am about the same age as Mastro, his talking about his early years buying packs brought back great memories. I feel very fortunate to have lived during that time period.

[lumberjack]

Three years ago, in September of 2021, Rick Probstein did an long interview with Mastro that is still available on utube. I forget the details, but it might be interesting to see the extent to which Mastro has stuck to his stories.

[Peter_Spaeth]

You wonder what might have happened if Mastro had decided to take other major players in the hobby down with him, rather than keeping mum.

[robertsmithnocure]

Contrary to my expectations, I actually really enjoyed listening to Mastro. I would love to grab a beer with him some day and listen to his stories.

I do not know who Brian Gray is, but he was hard for me to listen to. He consitently talked over Mastro. It seemed as though he was interviewing himself half of the time. His name dropping and bragging really spoiled what could have been an epic interview.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by robertsmithnocure

Contrary to my expectations, I actually really enjoyed listening to Mastro. I would love to grab a beer with him some day and listen to his stories.

I do not know who Brian Gray is, but he was hard for me to listen to. He consitently talked over Mastro. It seemed as though he was interviewing himself half of the time. His name dropping and bragging really spoiled what could have been an epic interview.

+1

Every time Mastro started to elaborate or say something interesting, he was abruptly cut off and/or redirected. A good interviewer lets the interviewee do 80% of the talking. This was the exact opposite. Difficult to sit through it and I would have loved to hear more from Bill about how he grew Mastro Auctions into the "empire" it once was.

[brunswickreeves]

I watched from beginning to end and really enjoyed the back and forth dialogue. It was less an interview and more a lively conversation between two old hobby friends-felt like I was a fly on the wall for a really epic conversation between two industry titans, unique in their own way and experiences.

[GaryPassamonte]

Originally Posted by perezfan

+1

Every time Mastro started to elaborate or say something interesting, he was abruptly cut off and/or redirected. A good interviewer lets the interviewee do 80% of the talking. This was the exact opposite. Difficult to sit through it and I would have loved to hear more from Bill about how he grew Mastro Auctions into the "empire" it once was.

+1

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by perezfan

+1

Every time Mastro started to elaborate or say something interesting, he was abruptly cut off and/or redirected. A good interviewer lets the interviewee do 80% of the talking. This was the exact opposite. Difficult to sit through it and I would have loved to hear more from Bill about how he grew Mastro Auctions into the "empire" it once was.

I used to be a reporter. It's closer to 95%, unless the interviewee won't say anything or gives you one word answers, which is not a problem you have with Bill Mastro. I understand that Brian is not a reporter, but he was way too much of an "agree-er" and explainer (and almost an outright apologist), for Mastro, rather then just letting him talk. That whole fawning part about wanting Mastro in the Hall of Fame was painful to listen to. Mastro didn't need that. He did fine on his own, and I came away with more respect for him. I do think the landscape was very different back then before grading companies came into play, and there emerged such a focus on pristine unaltered cards. I think back then there was more of a focus on present appearance than on provenance and original condition. And he's right that most of the legendary paintings in museums have been restored and touched-up in some way. I actually believe that Mastro may not have had devious intent from the beginning. But he should probably have spoken up at some earlier point. I am also very curious whether the guy who bought it from Mastro for $100,000 asked him if it had been altered in any way, and if so, how did Mastro respond. That is a question Brian should have asked. Because that goes to the heart of his culpability, perhaps more than the actual act of cutting the card. But I did find myself liking Mastro. We are all imperfect.