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View Full Version : Ebayer "Flipsyr" Ripping Off Collectors Again....



aeneas01
07-12-2010, 04:11 AM
ebayer flipsyr fixes up helmets and then sells them on ebay as original authentic vintage gems that come from his personal collection - he also usually claims that he picked up his helmets at a local sporting goods store or a sports show in the early '70s.

at the moment he's listed a vintage baltimore colt's helmet "from his personal collection" with a buy it now price of $1,000 - in his ad he states: I DO NOT KNOW OF THE PLAYER WHO WORE THIS HELMET BUT BY THE LINEMAN NUMBER OF 73 HE MUST OF BEEN A VERY BIG MAN.

problem is flipsyr recently picked up this very helmet on ebay a couple of months ago, on may 4th, for a steal of a price ($328). however when he purchased it, it was not fitted with colts decals and the facemask was different.

left photo: when it sold in may, right photo: as currently listed:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z05-2.jpg

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-VINTAGE-RIDDELL-1960S-BALTIMORE-COLTS-RK2-HUSKY-/170511732437?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b34a8ed5

left photo: when it sold in may, right photo: current listing:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z01-4.jpg

left photo: when it sold in may, right photo: current listing:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z02-4.jpg

top photo: when it sold in may, right photo: current listing:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z03-3.jpg


fwiw the decals flipsyr typically uses are do-it-yourself jobs and are not correct; also flipsyr has the ability to remove and replace helmet rivets. he recently sold an "original 1973 chargers helmet" that was a fake although for the selling price of $132, the buyer actually got a pretty nice helmet even though it's not a bolts' helmet. the "vintage 49ers helmet" he currently has listed is noting more than a helmet lamp fitted with a reproduction suspension unit despite his untruthful claims...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-1973-SAN-DIEGO-CHARGERS-GAME-HELMET-UNUSED-/170507684948?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b30ccc54

http://cgi.ebay.com/AUTHENTIC-ORIGINAL-S-F-49ERS-RIDDELL-TK2-GAME-HELMET-/170511655695?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b349630f

...

NEFAN
07-12-2010, 04:41 AM
Is this the guy out of the Pittsburgh area? I know that guy has several ebay identities. He's been a problem for a while.

Larry Pelliccioni
07-12-2010, 06:40 AM
Robert has my vote for the "Collector of the Decade!"
Nice work here, thanks.
Larry Pelliccioni

spartakid
07-12-2010, 07:26 AM
Wow, nice work Robert

justinbittner220
07-12-2010, 02:27 PM
This guy is another reason we should start a "People not to deal with" or "Skeptical people to deal with" thread. Good work!

HawaiiSportsNut
07-12-2010, 07:14 PM
This guy is another reason we should start a "People not to deal with" or "Skeptical people to deal with" thread. Good work!

I agree with Justin. We need a thread just like it to help each other from scam artist. This way we will better able to protect this very special hobby of ours.

-Rick-

cohibasmoker
07-12-2010, 07:28 PM
Robert has my vote for the "Collector of the Decade!"
Nice work here, thanks.
Larry Pelliccioni

I'll 2nd it

NEFAN
07-15-2010, 11:15 AM
http://cgi.ebay.com/1965-68-WASHINGTON-REDSKINS-RK4-RIDDELL-GAME-HELMET-/170513265117?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b361f1dd

Another one he has up.

aeneas01
07-21-2010, 01:55 AM
http://cgi.ebay.com/1965-68-WASHINGTON-REDSKINS-RK4-RIDDELL-GAME-HELMET-/170513265117?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b361f1dd

Another one he has up.

the funny thing about this listing is that ebayer flipsyr apparently uses it to call me out:

(ATTENTION) CERTAIN ACCUSATIONS HAS BEEN MADE BY A SO CALLED EXPERT ON SOME OF MY HELMETS, EVERYTHING HE HAS SAID ABOUT MY HELMETS IS FALSE. THIS CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL CAN SAY ALL HE WANTS DOES NOT MAKE HIM AN EXPERT.

pretty comical statement given that the redskins helmet in this listing is just like his colts helmet, it's another one of his homemade reproductions. and just like the colts helmet, flipsyr lies through his teeth about it:

UP FOR SALE IS A (VERY RARE) ORIGINAL AUTHENTIC RIDDELL RK4 SUSPENSION GAME HELMET OF THE 1965-1968 WASHINGTON REDSKINS. THIS HELMET HAS SEEN ALLOT OF GAME USE. IT SHOWS NORMAL GAME MARKS AND SCRATCHES, THE ORIGINAL PAINT IS THE DARK BURGUNDY AND GREY INSIDE. THE RIDDELL AND KRA-LITE MARKINGS WERE PAINTED OVER AT ONE POINT (PROBABLY DURING A RECONDITIONING PROCESS IN WHICH WAS COMMON BACK IN THAT ERA... THE ORIGINAL SPEAR DECAL APPEARS TO BE THE 9 PIECE AND NOT THE MODERN ONE PIECE DECALS THAT ARE MADE TODAY. THE DECALS ALSO SHOWS GAME WEAR AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURES....

heres' the real scoop: flipsyr won this helmet on ebay for $172 shipped, in april of this year - i was also in on the bidding. of course when it was originally listed on ebay it wasn't covered in "original" dark burgundy paint nor was it fitted with "original" spear decals. it was just a nice, game used, white, vintage rk4 helmet (left):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z01-5.jpg

here's a closeup look at the front of the helmets - identically rusted rivets (do i see the letter "p" there?) and same hit marks:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z02-5.jpg

same stain on the nape webbing strap:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z04-4.jpg

this shot is particularly entertaining - after flipsyr painted the helmet burgundy, he scraped along the already present deep gouges (including the large "y" shaped scar) on the back of the shell. in fact he "keyed" a lot of the helmet in an effort to make it look game used after he painted it which resulted in a silly, unconvincing and contrived stab at wear:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z03-4.jpg

the list goes on and on - the same oxidized (blue) jaw pad snaps, same webbing stains, same hit marks, etc. leave zero doubt that these are the same lids. fwiw flipsyr has a big soft spot for redskins helmets - both the "spear" style and the "lombardi r" style - and he's unloaded many as "original" on ebay. here's a look at a few of his "spear" reproduction helmets that he's sold as original - gotta love those 40+ year old spear decals in mint condition, no?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z05-3.jpg

anyway, as i've mentioned before, imo flipsyr is a crook who is only interested in robbing unsuspecting collectors - hopefully ebay will shut him down some day.

.....

nycpropain
07-21-2010, 06:40 AM
I love people who protect bidders ids cause that really works. Well thats until they leave feedback, just contact them and let them know. Point them to this site by bypassing the spam filter like www (dot)gameuseduniverse(dot)com. They will get a refund and taaa daaaa

zooat2
07-21-2010, 10:03 AM
- Its amazing that he is getting away w/ this! I mean the bidding is up to $400 dollars!...he is STEALING money!

marknmd
07-21-2010, 10:17 AM
Wow! Good work aeneas01!

princip
07-21-2010, 11:22 AM
Ebay really needs to stop this guy, I agree. However, even if they do, he'll come up with a new profile and start up again. This guy is persistent, and unfortunately he'll probably only get better at it with Robert's analysis. Because let's face it, he'll simply go back and cover his tracks a little better next time. It's very frustrating and sad that people like Flipsyr choose to make money this way.

Thank you Robert. I was fooled by this Redskins helmet. Partly because someone did inform me that this seller actually sold some legit gamers, however, I am really doubting that now.

jwall23
07-21-2010, 01:58 PM
Ebay really needs to stop this guy, I agree. However, even if they do, he'll come up with a new profile and start up again. This guy is persistent, and unfortunately he'll probably only get better at it with Robert's analysis. Because let's face it, he'll simply go back and cover his tracks a little better next time. It's very frustrating and sad that people like Flipsyr choose to make money this way.

Thank you Robert. I was fooled by this Redskins helmet. Partly because someone did inform me that this seller actually sold some legit gamers, however, I am really doubting that now.

This is the sad truth about eBay scammers. He will most certainly open up a new account with a different alias and continue to sell fake helmets.

I remember a guy on eBay (he's on his third or fourth alias) who was selling badged up soccer shirts that were listed as match used. The guy made a killing and nothing was ever done. eBay could care less, so long as they're making something off the top. It's a damn shame crooks like this exist on eBay.

aeneas01
07-21-2010, 03:24 PM
This guy is persistent, and unfortunately he'll probably only get better at it with Robert's analysis. Because let's face it, he'll simply go back and cover his tracks a little better next time.

i doubt flipsyr will become more adept at ripping folks off because a) he's not a particularly bright guy and b) he's allowed to go about his business without fear of reprisal - so why go the extra yard or why try to be careful? fortunately i think most collectors are on to him by now given his helmets typically sell for the value of the helmet as opposed to the value of an authentic gamer. for example he recently listed a nice suspension helmet that he claimed was a vintage, authentic chargers lid - it sold for the value of the suspension helmet, not the value of a vintage chargers' gamer. same goes for the colts helmet - it ended at what a vintage husky with original concussion padding tends to go for these days as opposed to what an authentic colts' gamer from that era would typically fetch. his redskins helmet is currently at $400 but who knows how many of those bids are his - several i would suspect.

...

Vikingshelmetguy
07-21-2010, 06:42 PM
i doubt flipsyr will become more adept at ripping folks off because a) he's not a particularly bright guy and b) he's allowed to go about his business without fear of reprisal - so why go the extra yard or why try to be careful? fortunately i think most collectors are on to him by now given his helmets typically sell for the value of the helmet as opposed to the value of an authentic gamer. for example he recently listed a nice suspension helmet that he claimed was a vintage, authentic chargers lid - it sold for the value of the suspension helmet, not the value of a vintage chargers' gamer. same goes for the colts helmet - it ended at what a vintage husky with original concussion padding tends to go for these days as opposed to what an authentic colts' gamer from that era would typically fetch. his redskins helmet is currently at $400 but who knows how many of those bids are his - several i would suspect.

...

Robert, you do have a point that likely a lot of the serious helmet collectors now know to be cautious of the helmets Flipsyr sells on Ebay. Helmet collecting guys like you, Cohibasmoker, Helmets, Gridman80, Larry Pelliccioni, Dr. J, Bari-Debi (49ers helmet guy), Princip (Seahawks helmet guy), Jake51 (Broncos helmet guy), and me (Vikings helmet guy) have likely now become aware, thanks to you Robert, that Flipsyr’s helmets are likely mocked up helmets that are not actually authentic/original game worn NFL helmets. All of the helmet collectors I have mentioned participate a lot in helmet discussion here on GUU, and I believe most of us have spent a lot of time and hours doing research and studying pictures to help educate ourselves so that we can know what is real/authentic and what is fake. The thing I worry about, however, are the newer and/or more novice or casual collectors who do not know as much, but have a good faith desire to spend a good amount of money to obtain an old, vintage game used suspension helmet (when I first started collecting, I did not know nearly as much as I know now). Or, maybe one of these mock-up helmets be will end up being acquired and circulated via a sports memorabilia dealer who will sell it at some sports memorabilia show at a shopping Mall somewhere for twice the price, and a novice collector will pay for it thinking in good faith that it is a rare and real gamer... Admittedly, even I thought that Flipsyr’s latest Redskins helmet may have been authentic until, Robert, you presented photographic evidence to show that it is not. So I worry about other collectors who may not figure it out. Already the price for that Redskins helmet is up to $400 which is a good deal of money to spend on any helmet (especially considering that it originally sold for only $172, which is more the true value of a vintage helmet that is not NFL game-used)….

aeneas01
07-21-2010, 08:17 PM
The thing I worry about, however, are the newer and/or more novice or casual collectors who do not know as much, but have a good faith desire to spend a good amount of money to obtain an old, vintage game used suspension helmet (when I first started collecting, I did not know nearly as much as I know now). Or, maybe one of these mock-up helmets be will end up being acquired and circulated via a sports memorabilia dealer who will sell it at some sports memorabilia show at a shopping Mall somewhere for twice the price, and a novice collector will pay for it thinking in good faith that it is a rare and real gamer...nature of the beast i'm afraid - novice collectors and novice dealers will continue to mistake and continue to buy, sell and trade reproduction and misidentified helmets with or without the flipsyr's of the world. heck, many folks mistake helmet hut's great reproductions as authentic gamers. eventually, and sadly, someone is often left holding the bag when it comes to reproduction and mistaken identity helmets, even if no deceit was involved. again, nature of the beast.

the good news about flipsyr is that his helmets usually don't fetch much more than what the vintage helmet he used to make the reproduction is worth. the rk4 helmet he has used to make his redskins helmet, complete with authentic vintage mask, is easily worth $250-$300 imo (even tho he got a steal at $175). if it were an authentic rk4 redskins "spear" helmet offered at a major auction house, it would easily fetch between $2,500-$3,500 imo.


Admittedly, even I thought that Flipsyr’s latest Redskins helmet may have been authentic until, Robert, you presented photographic evidence to show that it is not. So I worry about other collectors who may not figure it out. Already the price for that Redskins helmet is up to $400 which is a good deal of money to spend on any helmet (especially considering that it originally sold for only $172, which is more the true value of a vintage helmet that is not NFL game-used)….

i received several emails from collectors, pointing to the redskins helmet, saying that it shows that flipsyr also lists authentic helmets as well. i told them it was a fake but probably wouldn't have posted here about it if he hadn't called me out with it. fwiw i think your dollar estimates are wrong - $172 is not the "true" value of a vintage helmet that is not nfl game-used. further, although $400 may be a "good deal of money", it doesn't approach what an authentic redskins "spear" helmet would be worth (or fetch) given their extreme rarity. in fact a redskins rk "spear" helmet is even more rare than that beauty of an rk vikings helmet that recently sold on ebay.

hopefully no one will spend too much on flipsyr's redskins helmet - but i don't think we will ever really know given that flipsyr most likely bids on (and even wins) many of his own items... such is the safe haven ebay is for a guy like flipsyr to operate.

......

Vikingshelmetguy
07-21-2010, 10:49 PM
i received several emails from collectors, pointing to the redskins helmet, saying that it shows that flipsyr also lists authentic helmets as well. i told them it was a fake but probably wouldn't have posted here about it if he hadn't called me out with it. fwiw i think your dollar estimates are wrong - $172 is not the "true" value of a vintage helmet that is not nfl game-used. further, although $400 may be a "good deal of money", it doesn't approach what an authentic redskins "spear" helmet would be worth (or fetch) given their extreme rarity. in fact a redskins rk "spear" helmet is even more rare than that beauty of an rk vikings helmet that recently sold on ebay.

hopefully no one will spend too much on flipsyr's redskins helmet - but i don't think we will ever really know given that flipsyr most likely bids on (and even wins) many of his own items... such is the safe haven ebay is for a guy like flipsyr to operate.

......

Thanks, Robert, for correcting my assumption on the value of a non-NFL game used helmet. I usually only study/purchase/look for NFL game used/worn helmets and I am familiar with the value of those, but I don't have the astute level of knowledge and awareness of the value of regular vintage suspension helmets (such as a basic old suspension helmet with a plain white shell, or something similar). I appreciate your comments and information.

Quick question: What is more valuable, an authentic vintage Redskins RK suspension spear logo helmet or an authentic Redskins RK suspension feather logo helmet?

Cobbycobb
07-22-2010, 11:58 AM
Just keep reporting the listings until he is gone. :cool: