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kingjammy24
04-16-2008, 06:32 PM
I was perusing the April 25, 2008 SCD issue and noticed on the full page “Auction Circuit” news page that covers auction news, usually covering Coach’s Corner’s auction previews and/or past results. In miniscule letters at the top of the page it reads “Paid Advertisement”. You’d practically need a magnifying glass to see. Otherwise, the page looks identical to the Auction Circuit news reporting pages which have been a regular SCD feature for years, reporting on the great auctions and the items included – mostly autographed items - coming up, or having been sold in recently conducted auctions, usually by Coach’s Corner, and always in the past presented as editorial.

Is this to be interpreted as a declaration by SCD that all the many years of promoting current/future Coach’s Corner auctions and covering past Coach’s Corner’s auction results in an identical manner (appearing to be editorial news coverage, and naturally giving Coach’s Corner and their offerings great credibility in the eyes of SCD readers) were all paid advertisements presented as editorial? clearly, the current "Auction Circuit" ad was written by an advertiser. How many other "editorials" were written by advertisers and nothing more than ads in disguise?

The headline and text of the April 25 SCD paid Auction Circuit advertisement article about the recent March Coach’s Corner auction reports that “a baseball signed by John F. Kennedy and his wife Jaqueline sold for $3,701” and that “a Beatles ‘Butcher Cover’ LP, signed by all four members and custom framed” sold for $3,518. While those items were sold in the recently closed March auction, along with 4,836 additional lots (as noted in the article, the March auction was “the largest auction ever by the Souderton, Pa, auction house”), the second SCD article at the top of the Auction Circuit page previews current Coach’s Corner auction offerings, including “An original Pablo Picasso India ink prepatory drawing that comes fully certified and appraised at $300,000”. This is Lot #1 in the Coach’s Corner auction closing April 25, which appears on twenty-two pages in the same April 25 cover date issue of SCD. (Checking the auction description, we learn that it is accompanied by a report stating that the piece has “a wholesale value of $300,000 with a retail value of $750,000.” The minimum bid is $700. Other auction lots include items such as Lot #2, a single-signed Joe Jackson baseball, reserve $225, “fully certified by forensic expert Christopher Morales” and Lot #13, a Josh Gibson Autographed baseball, reserve $175, that “comes with a COA from STAT Authentic”. These are just three of 4,848 lots, including many other extremely rare signed items authenticated by STAT and Christopher Morales. The advertisers’ index table of contents on page 74 of the April 25, 2008 SCD lists Coach’s Corner’s advertising pages in the issue as pages 26-49. The Auction Circuit page is page 50.

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2091/sillyzc1.jpg

rudy.

TFig27
04-16-2008, 07:27 PM
The Game Used Universe article was also a paid advertisement.

mvandor
04-16-2008, 07:55 PM
SCD has clearly become the "house organ" for Coach's Corner. Their revenue is all that props that dying dog up.

Fnazxc0114
04-16-2008, 07:57 PM
i recently subscribed to scd. since i was just getting into g/u collecting i figured it would be a good way to find dealers. it is through them that i have gone on to buy several bats from ball park heroes. bph doesnt list all there bats on there website. it was through one of these ads i was able to buy a rusty greer bat that i had been looking for. i dont realy like the magezine but the subscription wasn't too much.

thedegu
04-17-2008, 02:56 PM
Anyone know if the 'Paid Advertisement' caption is a new addition? Can't recall from my old (thankfully expired) subscription whether they had that or not.

In any event, this does little to separate SCD from CCSA, as they're using their own logo and header fonts so as to make it look as much like an article as possible. I never noticed that almost-invisible blurb, so I'm sure plenty of others won't either.

CCSA must really be rolling out some good money to get this kind of treatment; you don't see monthly Bill Corcoran or Kevin Keating adver-articles like this in their pages.

Then again, their wimpified editorial stance makes almost every 'article' dealing with an advertiser sound like an ad. PSA, Mastro, UD, Stiener, you name it....

What will happen when the FBI gets involved and all the poor folks were suckered realize the 'Voice for the Hobby' itself has been giving shelter to this shady bunch?