Baseball Card Scams And Fraud During The Holiday Season

Hi Folks,


   Hello Everyone,

   I hope your Holiday season has been great, thus far! 

   If you've been buying baseball cards and coins for either yourself or that special collector in your life, you know that there are a lot of deals out there, both online and in-person/in-store, but some deals might just be too good to be true! There is always an element of fraud in the market, but during the Holiday season, fraudsters seem to flourish.

   We're going to take a look at some different types of fraud that can occur in the sports cards market, and we'll define a few of the more common deceptive practices that may occur when buying or selling sports cards. Again, these scams are more prevalent during the Holiday season, when there is often an increase in transactions.

   Some of the most common, yet, obvious types of scams have to do with the physical card, itself. For example, with the sophisticated manner in which items can be duplicated, many cards can be made to look genuine, even down to what appears to be "aging" on a card. Counterfeit cards are a widespread type of scam, especially with the more expensive cards on the market. Another type of scam is when a seller will trim the edges of a card to alter it so that it looks as if the card has perfect edges on it, or to remove some markings or damage. 

   Combating counterfeit cards as a buyer can be difficult, so it is often advisable to purchase the more expensive cards that are on the market from a reputable seller. In terms of protecting yourself from sellers who alter cards, you have to do your homework, and by this, I mean that you have to know the true dimensions of a card (exact size), as well as know how to tell if a magic marker or a Sharpie was used to cover up some chipping along the edges or corners of a card. 

   One of the more devious scams is fake autographs that are passed off to the buyer as authentic. A good rule of thumb is to know what the autograph looks like and compare it to the signed card that you are looking to purchase. As with counterfeit and altered cards, the same rule applies here; try to make purchases of higher-end autographed items from a seller that you have purchased from before and/or a reputable seller with a long-track record and positive reviews for other signed merchandise that they have sold. Another layer of security on top of this is to ask for certificates of authentication, to prove that the signature was witnessed by a respected authority in the hobby, such as JSA, among others.

   One additional way to protect yourself from these types of fraud that we've been discussing is to purchase cards that have been professionally graded by one of the more popular grading companies, such as PSA or Beckett Grading. Once the card is graded (and if there is an autograph, once they authenticate it), the card will be put in a "slab", which is a heavy plastic protective and display holder, along with the grades that the card received, and along with a bar code or a serial number. You can check the serial number online with the specific grading company, which will allow you to verify that the slabbed item is truly from the grading company.

   Along with these physical types of scams, there are some others that you may come across online.

   As you search around online, there are sites out there that exist solely to steal your payment information. For example, you might receive unsolicited e-mails that are telling you about a great card that became available at an amazing price. However, when you click the link and go to check out, you are giving your information and payment details to a fraudster. This is a form of what is called "Phishing". How can you protect against this? Again, always know the seller from whom you are purchasing, never click any e-mail links from someone who you do not know and be careful with obscure websites that you may come across when searching online.

   One last thing to watch out for is when you are making a payment. It may be obvious to some, but always remember; never send cash through the mail, and be wary of sellers asking you to pay via wire transfers and other "non-traceable" forms of payment. When you are making a payment, the payment page should always be secure and should have an "https" (the secure form of "http") in the website address on the browser web address line. This will ensure that you are entering your payment details on a page that is encrypted for your protection.

   The Holiday season is an incredible time of year, but along with the holiday parties and the holiday shopping, you truly have to stay informed and do your research! Find and use only reputable sellers, and watch out for deals that seem too good to be true. If a deal looks too good to be true, then there is a very good chance that it just might be too good to be true! 

   I hope this has been helpful! 

   Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and get out there and buy some great cards!


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The Sports Card Hobby Just Keeps On Rolling!


Hi Friends,

   I hope this weekend finds you doing well!

   A typical weekend for me always involves some kind of baseball card purchase, mixed in with everything else that's thrown at me, and this weekend has been no different!

   I have noticed that everything is getting more crowded by the day, and our great hobby is no exception! 

   During the pandemic, there was a huge boom in the sports card market, not just limited to baseball cards, rather, all sports cards. 

   This certainly made a lot of sense, because people were home, and looking for things to occupy their time. Additionally, there was a lot of extra money that was thrown into the hobby from the stimulus checks that some people had received, and as always, people with extra money will certainly find ways to spend that money!

   However, now that the pandemic is "over", that market boom is certainly continuing, with no signs of slowing down.

   Recently, I went to the National Card Show in Long Island, and in all my years of attending this show, I have never seen it more crowded than it was. The line to get in was out the door, and once inside, there was barely room to move.

   Keep in mind that there were some top names signing autographs at the show, but there were always top names signing at these shows. In speaking with some of the vendors that I know at the show, they said they could not keep up with the people at their tables. They said that they had a rough time juggling between people asking questions about their cards, people forking over cash to pay for cards, and, of course, keeping an eye on the rest of their tables to make sure some of their cards didn't get up and "walk away".

   One vendor who I purchase unopened boxes from told me that he regretted not bringing someone with him to help out after he saw how chaotic and crowded it was on that Saturday, because on Sunday, it was just as crowded and maybe even more than the day before.

   It's not just in one location or part of the country.

   A recent article titled, "Three years after pandemic boom, trading card industry still going strong", John Russo talks about a collector who got his start in the hobby during the pandemic, and attributes the influx of new collectors in the hobby as follows; "...when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, many old hobbies experienced a renaissance, including...." sports cards and trading cards.


REASONS FOR THE CONTINUED BOOM IN THE HOBBY: 

   The continued interest in the hobby can be attributed to a couple of factors.

   The first is obvious, which is that new collectors that came into the hobby during the pandemic have stayed. They have caught "the bug", as I call it, or the desire to keep adding to their collection. 

   As Russo said in his article; collectors are now "fully immersed in the hobby", which sums it up! 

   There is something for everyone in card collecting, whether it is unopened packs and boxes, rookie cards, serial numbered cards, short prints, refractors, sets, autographs...there is more than enough to keep everyone hooked and having fun!

   On that notion of "fun", there is also something behind that, which is that collecting cards, as a hobby, is therapeutic, and is great for mental well-being. It helps you focus on something positive (an "escape"), brings you a little more excitement, something to work towards, and helps you be a part of something greater than yourself...to be part of a community of others just like you, who love collecting cards!

   After all, what’s more exciting than opening a pack of cards and seeing that gorgeous Mojo Refractor "1st Bowman" Rookie card staring right at you! It is a feeling of excitement that only a true collector can appreciate, and the fact that more and more people are experiencing that great feeling is definitely a good thing!


Thank you for joining me today!

Rob


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Collecting Baseball Cards In The 1980s...3 Fond Memories, Part 2 Of 2

Hi Folks,

   I'm glad to have you back with me, and I am excited about telling you a little more about collecting baseball cards during the primitive 1980s, along with 3 fond memories, for me, from that period of time.

    In part 1 of this story, "Collecting Baseball Cards In The 1980s...A Whole New World, Part 1 Of 2" (You can read Part 1 here: http://blog.cardboardandcoins.com/2021/12/collecting-baseball-cards-in-1980s.html), we left off with me looking like a deer in headlights when I read about the most incredible thing ever...that there were such events called "Baseball Card Shows", which were like a convention of baseball card sellers in one huge open space, such as a hotel conference center, or a convention center. In my case, it was the Adria 2 Conference Center and Motel in Bayside, Queens, as well as the Golden Gate Inn in Brooklyn (as well as another show in Hempstead, Long Island). These were all places nearby, where people would gather to buy and sell their cards!

   I questioned myself..."Do such events truly exist??"

   There was one card show coming up the following weekend, just a few short miles from my home, and I begged and pleaded with my parents to take me, which they did, luckily!

   The crowds were dense, and it was like walking on air! Cards everywhere. As far as the eye could see.

   There were many tables with rows and rows of cards that folks were thumbing through with little pieces of paper. I asked someone what was on their paper, and they said it was a list of cards they needed to complete their 1975 Topps set! That thought stuck with me, and I planned on making the same type of lists for my sets when I got home, before the next card show.

   I met some great folks at these shows, "vendors", and over time, I began to know them by name, and vice versa. One really nice older gentleman had a gumball-machine type of baseball card dispenser, and for 25 cents a turn on the machine, I was pulling out cards from the 1950s! Remember, this was 1980s, before the prices really spiked! Each time I got another card, he asked me if I wanted a "Gosinta"? He found it quite funny! He said it to everyone. Why? Because they would ask what a “Gosinta” is, and he would reply, "it holds the card...your card ‘GOES INTA’ the holder!". I guess that was part of his joy in the game! He was there every week, and I got so many incredible cards from him, and a stack of “Gosintas”!

   Being a newbie to card shows, I did make some "Silly Rookie Mistakes". One specific time stands out for me, and a vendor had a really good laugh. I had asked him how much his 1963 Topps Pete Rose rookie was, and he said “Two Fifty”. I took out two dollars and two quarters and went to give him $2.50 for the card, and he said, no, so, $250! Yikes! I turned beet red!

   Amidst the chaos of these shows (and aside from my confusion with the multiple Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, and George Brett versions in that pesky 1981 Fleer Set), I had a blast. After going to several shows, I figured I would try and bring some cards with me to sell, but when the vendors looked them over, I learned a valuable lesson in this era before grading companies existed; condition matters, and the price of the card depends on the condition of the card! How could I find out the prices for cards across different conditions? The Beckett Baseball Card price guide, of course!

   With that said, this now brings me to my first memory of those times:

 

#1 "BECKETT WAS BIG!":

   The Beckett Baseball Card price guide was better known as the "Bible" of baseball card collecting in the 1980s. This incredibly comprehensive book had almost every card ever produced listed within its covers, along with conditions and pricing.

   What is my take-away...my memory here? Well, this huge book was only produced once a year, so I remember waiting, waiting, waiting for the next issue to be released to see if the prices of my cards had gone up in value. It was absolute torture! In between issues, it was all a big guess! It was a very primitive time! Have I mentioned that yet?

   Fortunately, with the price guide, I was able to price my cards a little better, and my first venture into selling cards came by placing an Ad in Baseball Card Magazine as "Bob's Cards". This yielded another true "sign of the times"; people would send me $1 and a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) to receive my list of cards that I was selling! I made a few sales, but the process was really tough, unless you were selling at card shows.

   The lesson here; you should really appreciate the fact that with a few simple keystrokes, you can check card prices and sell your cards vs. the ancient way of waiting, waiting, waiting, and then doing some more waiting!

 

#2 "LUCITE TOPLOADERS WERE LIKE WEAPONS!":





   Keeping your cards safe from damage was a new concept in the 1980s, and the sleeves were these rigid pieces of plastic with sharp edges on them. Top Loaders? Well, that is my second very fond memory:

   The Toploaders (or "Top Loaders") that you know from the present day, got their start in the 80s. These huge, thick, Lucite plastic card holders were thick, heavy, and could protect a baseball card from an atomic bomb!

   If you were walking along with that gorgeous red and yellow bordered 1975 Topps Pete Rose that you bought at a show, and someone tried to take it from you..."CLUNK"...it also served as a weapon (Not that I clunked anyone with one of these prehistoric toploaders...however, in Brooklyn & Queens in 1980s NYC, you never know!!).

   The point is, these were mammoth-sized holders, which really make you appreciate the slimmed-down, yet, just as durable toploaders of today.

   I even included a few photos in my post to give you an idea of just how big these toploaders were from back then at the dawn of time!

 

#3 "BLUE BOXES, BLUE BOXES EVERYWHERE!":

   Aside from purchasing complete card sets, I found out later on in my collecting ventures (in the 1990s) that there were such things as "Vending Boxes", which are basically a small carton of about 500 random Topps Baseball Cards from the current year, direct from the factory. These boxes were loaded with mint condition cards, and a boatload of rookies from the set from the particular year that was printed on the box.

   With that, comes my third memory from those times (a memory that is more of like “the one that got away”); I saw these blue boxes all over the place at baseball card shows, but I never thought to ask what they were. Why did I never even look INTO vending boxes? I never heard of them. So, the true take-away here is...don't be a fool! Open your eyes to what's out there, and never take anything for granted!

   Growing up in the 80s was amazing, but collecting baseball cards in the 80s was epic, especially during the earlier part of the decade, before over-production began, and when finding names like Cal Ripken Jr, Wade Boggs ("Wade"..that name still makes me giggle, lol!), Tony Gwynn, Ryne Sandberg, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Kirby Puckett in your Wax Pack gave you that feeling of excitement, and that feeling that you struck some type of gold...but at the time, you didn't realize just what type of gold it was...not yet, at least!

   Thank you for taking this journey with me, and I hope that it brought back some great memories for you, as it certainly has for me.

.


Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all!

Thanks, be safe, be healthy, and be well!
   
Many thanks and Regards,

Your friends at CardboardandCoins.com


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Collecting Baseball Cards In The 1980s ...A Whole New World, Part 1 Of 2

Hi Folks, 
   
   I hope everyone has been keeping safe during the pandemic. Our best thoughts and prayers are with everyone that have been affected and impacted by this difficult time. 

   Today, I hope to put a little bit of levity and perhaps a bit of laughter into your day, even if some of that laughter is directed at me, during my journey back into time to give you a glimpse of what it was like when the Earth was just dinosaurs...and Baseball Cards! 



Collecting Baseball Cards In The 1980s Part 1 of 2



   Yes, the 1980s. For those of us in the 40ish range, we remember that decade as a magical time, for the most part, but looking back, there was pain, waiting, confusion, and all that stuff, but wow, there were deals! In the days before professional grading existed, it was a Wild-West out there, but if you were at the right card shows, you were golden! 

   For the purpose of this article, I will tell you that when I started collecting in the early 1980s, I was in my pre-teens, so it gives you an idea of the mindset that I approached the hobby with at that time. Prior to taking an interest in collecting, my previous memories of baseball cards was a 1976 Topps Glenn Abbott baseball card that reminded me of the Wicked Witch in the "Wizard of Oz", which is why I probably put Elmer’s Glue on the card, somewhere around the time I was 5 or 6. Also, I was quite puzzled by the 1976 Topps Ty Cobb card, which said, "Ty Cobb OF" on the front, and I was always confused..."OF" what? What did "OF" mean? ("OF" meant Outfield, I found out a few years later, of course!). I still have these cards, because these are what sparked it all. 

   Fast-forward to around 1982, when "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, was blasting from every Camaro in Queens, New York (NYC), and after seeing my hapless New York Mets in person at Shea Stadium for the first time, something put me into a complete baseball card trance! I found a lot of the old cards I had, and they looked like they took a tumble in the wash, which they actually might have, and then I decided I needed to go to the candy store and get some cards. 

   Wax Packs and Rack-Packs were the flavors of the day, and I opened pack after pack, putting the cards in team order, and still not realizing the importance of condition. 

   Fast-forward to around 1983 (when "Karma Chameleon" was now the tune blasting throughout my borough in NYC)! After ripping open some 1983 Topps Wax packs, a friend and I had a good laugh about the name of one of the players..."Wade"...how could a great player be named, "Wade"? Well, it was Wade Boggs, and boy, were we ever wrong! 

   At the same candy store where we bought cards, they also sold magazines, and they had a magazine specifically called, "Baseball Cards". I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming, but I wasn't. I bought this magazine, and read it cover to cover on my walk back home. What I found out and read about made my head tilt side-ways in the same way that a dog does when you ask them if they want to go for a walk! 

   What was it that left me with a completely dumbfounded look on my face? What made time stand still for me?

   Let's talk about that in Part 2, "Collecting Baseball Cards In The 1980s...3 Fond Memories, Part 2 Of 2", which you can read here: http://blog.cardboardandcoins.com/2021/12/collecting-baseball-cards-in-1980s-part-2-of-2.html



Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all!

Thanks, be safe, be healthy, and be well!
   
Many thanks and Regards,

Your friends at CardboardandCoins.com


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BLACK FRIDAY SALE! 25% Off & FREE SHIPPING on Cards, Coins, and More!

Hi Friends,

   We have some great news! Our Black Friday Sale starts NOW! 

   We are offering you 25% off your order and FREE SHIPPING...on all orders, regardless of size...using code BLKFRI25OFF at CardboardandCoins.com

   If you have a Collector in your life, nothing makes a better gift for them than what they actually collect, whether it's Baseball Cards, Football Cards, Basketball Cards, Hockey Cards, U.S. Coins, Pokemon Cards, Comic Books, or all of these! 

   Not sure what to get them? A Gift Card makes a great choice, so they can buy anything they want! Our Gift Cards can be found HERE.

   If you are the Collector, then you have definitely come to the right place to pick up some incredible gifts for yourself, at some very low prices! 


May you have a Very Safe and a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Baseball Card Scams And Fraud During The Holiday Season

Hi Folks,    Hello Everyone,    I hope your Holiday season has been great, thus far!     If you've been buying baseball cards and coins ...