Tuesday, April 6, 2010

We Know PSA Is Bad, But This Bad?


I have commented numerous times on the epic fails that are PSA graded cards. I first showed a number of fake rookie premiere autos slabbed by PSA as real. Now, over on FCB, a user has found this Tim Lincecum rookie chrome auto that is obviously fake, yet it has been graded as authentic by PSA. Wonderful.

Just for further proof, Here is another one that is ungraded and has a worse auto.

The first time I posted about their tendencies for grading fake cards, I emailed PSA about their QC. They responded that they dont authenticate the auto on card unless it is paid for that way. This explains why the fake rookie premieres were graded the way they were. This is a little different. The card itself is a backdoored unsigned version of the Lincecum, very much like the blank Bowman Sterling cards we have seen pop up on eBay every once in a while. The scammer (not necessarily the seller) forged the auto in true faker glory, sent it into PSA, where they didnt even think twice about slabbing it. This is all despite the fact that the card IS NOT numbered like every other refractor auto in existence.

This is further proof as to why no one should trust the graders in any sort of way. It is a completely subjective and arbitrary process that people put way too much stock into.

Search up at the top for more posts I have done on this hobby wide scam.

9 comments:

  1. I know nothing about this grading process, but wouldn't the autograph be a big part of that? If it's not a real autograph, then it's just pen marks on a card. And I'd have to think that pen marks on a card would lower the grade.

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  2. Naive question: How are we determing that these two lincecums are fake? The autographs?

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  3. The autographs and lack of numbering on the back. All refractors were numbered to 500, the ones that werent autoed werent numbered.

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  4. Well, I guess the fact that the refractors ARE numbered to 500 would be a tip off too ... crazy.

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  5. Lets put aside for a moment the fake issue but Topps has some serious problems in security matters, hundreds of cards have been leaking in front of their noses and they haven't done anything about it.....!!!!

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  6. I completely despise grading that's done in an assembly line like environment.

    Auto authentication has me on the fence, though. Not sure how else we'd get them authenticated... If these guys are making mistakes though, sheesh.

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  7. Where are these unsigned backdoored cards coming from? If these are smuggled out internally, shouldn't Topps be worried about this issue of stealing cards and selling them for a big profit? Also is it not numbered only because that info is not mentioned in the auction? I've seen a lot of his autos and while I know those aren't representative, I do know that he did have huge variation in that set.

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  8. These are backdoored, very similar to the blank bowman sterling cards I also linked in this post. They are shipping mistakes or other issues, and they end up in the hands of people who shouldnt have them. Its how the fake rookie premieres happen, its how the renee tosoni thing happens, and it sucks balls.

    People often cite that players' signatures fluctuate, but not THAT much card to card. Its just that people who forge the sigs arent that good at it.

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