When will card companies comment about GU fraud?

[Eric]

In the last couple of weeks numerous dealers have received federal prison sentences for among other things selling fake game used jerseys to the trading card companies.

For months my questions to various people at Panini have been ignored.
I just posted this on twitter. Let's see if it gets anything

https://twitter.com/EricStangel/status/393890791564660736

Eric

[Texans]

I think they will never reply. If they were ever to say anything they will just get them into more trouble. I feel like the like the league should of help them acquire legit jersey and not have them look by cutting corners

[Phil316]

They will not comment and why would they ? They are still making money. Less publicity for them is better. I often wondered how you could even tell if it was a legit game used card piece as apposed to a fake anyways.

[jake33]

A class action lawsuit would most likely be the best way to get resolve.

[gingi79]

I'd be just as interested in hearing from people who collect those game used cards. Seems to me UDA's autograph and game used cards having issues and now 5 dealers who sold to them being indited, how can you believe anything is real?

As a full jersey collector, at least we can point to photomatches, style matches, known exemplars. Those swatches provide none of these things. Personally, it makes those cards even less desirable and casts permanent logical doubt whether they aren't just worthless retail garbage material.

That's not to say I blame Panini or any other card company, just that I've lost faith that their items are real. They got swindled too. I just wish all of this would force people to lose faith so historically important items won't be cut up and sold as worthless stamp size pieces.

[jeffaary]

I collect game-used jersey cards and I've had my doubts about their authenticity for some time. I have several Press Pass James Laurinaitis college jersey patch cards that have a section of the name or number. They are screen printed. Ohio State hasn't used screen printed names or numbers since the end of the 1995 season, when they dumped Champion and went with Nike.

I noticed a few years ago that the descriptions of what the jerseys were on the back of the card became more vague. They used to specifically say if they were game worn or event worn. Now they tend to say something like "part of an authentic uniform worn by..." I think the card companies saw this coming.

[CPuente57]

I know when it was brought up on blowout's basketball card board most didn't seem to care really. The attitude that came across was "we kinda know but as long as the cards look cool it's ok".

[Jags Fan Dan]

I have quite a few cards, as there is no way to tell which are real, which aren't, why worry about it?

[earlywynnfan]

I have quite a few cards, as there is no way to tell which are real, which aren't, why worry about it?

I find this statement astounding! If you don't care if what you have is real, why have it???? Or, if you don't care if things are real or not, why not just buy all fake? It'll be a lot cheaper!

Ken

[3arod13]

I have quite a few cards, as there is no way to tell which are real, which aren't, why worry about it?

I think If you pay more than $100 for any game used card, you should worry. The cost you're paying for is in the game used piece in the card, not the card itself.

Personally, I wouldn't trust any of them. But if you enjoy it and really don't care, then it shouldn't matter, I guess.

[jake33]

I havea fair number of game used cards. i will take them to get signed at Rays team hoels when I am waiting around to get a full game used helmet/bat/lockerpalte/base signed. Since I am at the hotel needing usually only 4-7 things signed, I will just have the cards to get signed, becuase i am already there and accessibility is really easy to get autographs.

I will say this on the game used cards.
I do tend to trust the modern day baseball cards, as I know most of the card compies will specifically look for authenticated MLB items to purchase. With that, I also tend to trust the event worn NFL rookie cards from the premeire photo shoot, as they unifroms and equipment is staged to get it to the card companies, but then again it is not really great memorabilia as it is "event worth."

I also tend to trust the futures game, and all star game used jersey cards as Topps will directly get their set of BP jersey and the game jerseys from the Futures game, so those too should not be too hard to screw up if they are tagged and stored correctly by Topps.

But as for the vintage game used cards, I really have a hard time trusting those. You know those are not authenticated by MLB and were likely purchased at an auction and it just goes into that grey area...