Now I know where Coach's Corners crap goes

[travrosty]

everytime i see an expose on the autograph hobby, i am glad the fraudsters and forgers are caught and exposed, and if it is an authentication company, great! they already know that what they are doing is incredibly flawed, but they take no reforms or actions themselves, they are very comfortable in their warm bath water. They think they can do it forever.

the hobbys swimming pool needs to be drained, cleaned, scrubbed, disinfected and filled back up with clean, fresh water.

I don't think we will lose collectors, but i hope what happens is that collectors wont just rely on an authentication company totally out of publicity or perceived reputation, but instead do some homework, slow down and take a little time to buy an autograph instead of an impulse buy because it has an abc or xyz sticker.

If the collector base shrinks a bit, maybe prices will come down, thats okay, but i dont think there will ever be a mass exodus of collectors, especially baseball, its too popular a sport.

What is happening now is not working, its a flawed, closed circuit system that benefits some at the expense of others. look at haulsofshame. 99.99 percent of the collectors out there dont know about the christy mathewson signed 'won in the ninth' controversy, the babe ruth signed ball controversy, they need to know. when 10,000 dollar, 50,000 dollar, 100,000 dollar and up pieces get sold with an authentication sticker from abc and xyz and these companies don't acknowledge anything, don't say anything and ignore, something needs to be done. good old competition would solve it but the people making the money on the current system don't want any.

[RichardSimon]

True there probably won't be a mass exodus of collectors from the baseball hobby.
But the influx we would actually like to see (if they make the prices go up, then our collections go up in value) is not taking place.
I still do nicely in my business of buying and selling autographs but find it harder to find new collectors who want to start collecting HOF autographs. The more common HOFers in my inventory now sit for a long time before they get sold.
Years ago, I would get multiple orders of HOF autographs in the $20-$50 range, it was obvious these were from newer collectors starting their HOF autograph collections. I rarely see that type of order now. Though Speaker, Young, Lajoie, Alexander, etc. still fly away quickly when I do get them in inventory.
The bottom line is new collectors are not coming into the hobby the way they used to.
Though the economy is probably a factor in that also.

[thetruthisoutthere]

We need not forget the impulse buyers who buy crap that originates from Coach's Corner with COAs from a self-proclaimed "Forensic Investigator" named Christopher Morales.

The impulse buyers make that purchase based on the fact that the COA reads "Forensic." They equate the word forensic with shows like CSI. Those same impulse buyers are equally impressed with the words court-approved.

[GrayGhost]

Originally Posted by thetruthisoutthere

We need not forget the impulse buyers who buy crap that originates from Coach's Corner with COAs from a self-proclaimed "Forensic Investigator" named Christopher Morales.

The impulse buyers make that purchase based on the fact that the COA reads "Forensic." They equate the word forensic with shows like CSI. Those same impulse buyers are equally impressed with the words court-approved.

+1

[GrayGhost]

Heres a few.

first, a nice blurry, Abe Lincoln HANDWRITTEN letter from the Executive mansion. ONLY w the Coaches

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/228/abraha...from-1862.aspx

CHRIS Priddy and Ace...hmmm.

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/228/christ...tage-book.aspx

And . um. he learned to sign his name later in his playing days? Huh? And the ink dried about three months ago. COME ON

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot.aspx?LotID=305209

And just on page one. THREE Marilyn's, incl a ball w JFK, and a piece signed Norma Jean.

Honestly, its disguisting, disgraceful and hopefully some day the hammer will come down on these crooks and their crooked crap fake authenticators. It really p***** me off.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Yes, Scott, another piece of garbage authenticated by Chris "I Never Saw An Autograph I Didn't like" Morales. Think about the dozens of Abe Lincoln signed letters that Morales has "authenticated" over the years for Coach's Corner.

Has Morales as a "Forensic Investigator," ever asked Lee Trythall and Scott Malack where all of the vintage items he's "authenticated" originate from? Literally thousands of vintage autograph items that no one else could even dream of!!!! And that's only from Coach's Corner!!!!

And someone is going tell me that isn't a problem for the hobby!!!!! Seriously!!!!

Abe-CC-Morales.jpg

[scooter729]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

CHRIS Priddy and Ace...hmmm.

http://www.myccsa.com/Lot/228/christ...tage-book.aspx

From the portion of the link which is visible, all I saw was "Christ..." in the description. I was guessing Scott and Lee really did it this time, and turned up a nice vintage ink 2,000 year-old signature from Jesus himself!

Alas, just another Christy Mathewson instead - what a disappointment.

[Mr. Zipper]

I think there is probably some merit to the argument that few, if any, go to Coaches Corner and unknowingly get fleeced. You'd have to be brain dead to look at that array of items and not be highly suspicious.

BUT, the issue is that the people who do buy at CC then flip these items in a less suspicious setting. Whether it's the quaint Mom & Pop second hand shop or Billy Bob's Good Ol' Boy Local Auction, eventually these items find their way to someone who is truly duped by the presumably honest seller and the "paperwork" that certifies it.

Coaches Corner is an example of hiding in plain sight. The middlemen distributors in Operation Bullpen were running around speaking in code and concerned their phones may be tapped. Coaches Corner just sits there for all to see and sells it month after month.