The Brill Report

UPPER DECK IN HOSTILE TAKE OVER OF TOPPS

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 143

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(PARIS NO ZOMBIE ON LARRY KING!!)

** UPPER DECK BEGINS HOSTILE TAKE-OVER OF TOPPS

** HOBBY'S DESPERATE CRY FOR TOPPS

** SPORT KINGS ARE BACK WITH NEW CARDMAKER

** NY DAILY NEWS SAYS WAGNER CARD "ALTERED"

     (QUESTIONS PSA FOR GRADING IT A PSA 8)

** CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST RC2 CORPORATION?

** EBAY CEO CASHES IN $20 MILLION IN STOCK

** REAL DEAL OPENS RETAIL OUTLET

** SIMPLY AWESOME SIGNS DAWKINS, STEINER INKS KAREEM

DETAILS ON THESE AND OTHER STORIES BELOW IN TBR: THE BRILL REPORT.....

EDITORIAL COMMENT: UD VS. TOPPS VS. EISNER; STOP THE MADNESS

                                         ========================

(UPPER DECK BEGINS HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF TOPPS)

The move is on. Upper Deck has officially filed with the SEC and is now offering $10.75 per share for all the outstanding stock of The Topps Company. The move was expected after a Delaware judge ordered Topps to release Upper Deck from the "Standstill" part of the agreement in which Upper Deck had made an offer to buy Topps.

The offer is worth $425 million or $40 million dollars more than the original offer from a group led by former Disney CEO, Michael Eisner. The offer is $1 per share more than the Eisner offer. It was first thought UD was making the move to look into Topps contracts and books as well as all available financial information, but now some experts believe UD actually wants to purchase Topps.

"I think Richard (UD CEO McWilliam) is serious enough about this and he may really go full bore to buy Topps," said one insider speaking on condition of anonymity. "Eisner may not want to go into a bidding war and may be tapped out with his offer, while Richard is pretty determined once he puts his mind to something."

Topps had balked at UD's offer simply stating there were regulatory issues involved, which Judge Strine in Delaware questioned. He pointed out Topps had previously won a lawsuit over Fleer in the 1970's which ended up with Topps giving up what many considered a monopoly on making baseball cards. Fleer, Donruss, Score and eventually in 1989 Upper Deck entered the market.

The interesting note about the UD offer is that it comes as a complete "cash" offer according to the company's statement.

"The offer consists solely of cash and is not conditioned upon any financing arrangements," said the UD statement. "The obligation to purchase Topps shares under the offer is subject to the conditions of Section 14 of the offer document."

The offer from Upper Deck is good through July 24, but may be extended if UD so desires. UD is sending letters to all stockholders who own Topps shares offering them the $10.75. Topps says it's Board isn't budging at the moment.

"At this juncture, the Topps Board has not made any determination with respect to the Upper Deck tender offer, nor has it changed or amended it's recommendation with respect to the Tornante Company LLC and Madison Dearborn Partners LLC offer," said the statement from Topps. "On March 5, 2007 we entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by The Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners for $9.75 per share in cash."

Topps says it will consider what has happened and will issue a recommendation to stockholders by July 9 which is the deadline required by law. The statement went further in telling stockholders not to make any hasty decisions.

"Topps urges stockholders to defer making a determination whether to accept or reject Upper Deck's tender offer until they have been advised of the position of Topps Board of Directors."

What will Eisner do? It is anybodies guess but indications early on were he would not get into a bidding war. He let it also be known there would be little restructuring of the company which means a lot of the key employees, those with lots of stock, would likely stay on. Eisner is probably counting on these folks to not sell to UD and to keep him in the mix.

This was one of the contentions considered by Judge Strine who noted Topps board had some sweetheart deals to keep key players in place. Arthur Shorin's son-in-law is a top executive with the company and there are others who have been in place for some time. It is apparent some of them were to stay on if Eisner took over. The Upper Deck deal basically removes them.

While they have not spoken, it is reasonable to assume MLB and the MLB Players Association are not in favor of Upper Deck buying Topps. It means one company, no competition and more importantly LOSS of revenue. It could easily offer a license to Playoff, Press Pass, Tri-Star or In The Game. It is not assured, due to guaranteed heavy royalties, anyone of them would take baseball up on the offer. This isn't 1991.

The Brill Report has asked for a response from MLBPA but none has been forthcoming. TBR does not expect the association to respond.

Most dealers and hobbyists we've talked to are not happy about Upper Deck taking over Topps. Competition or lack of it is one key to the lack of support. The other is most dealers feel they will be held hostage to the whims of one company even if it were the other way around; Topps buying UD. Having only one company making baseball cards in today's market is not something they look forward to.

Also up in the air is what would UD do with the candy company division? Upper Deck doesn't really have any reason to keep it to run and selling it off would help reduce any debt incurred in buying Topps. In the deal any company which purchases Topps gets an $85 million bonus. This is the amount Topps has in cash reserves.

The other bonus of course is the Topps archives known as The Topps Vault. A check of eBay shows Topps has sold off thousands of items from the Vault with very likely many more millions left to sell at exorbitant prices. Especially when you consider much of what Topps has in the Vault is basically free to it to sell. At least four and perhaps eight proof versions of every card Topps has ever made, plus wrappers, boxes and you name it. The number boggles the mind.

There is money to be made here and UD management understands this, probably a lot more than Topps management and board.

                                       =====================

(TOPPS VS. UPPER DECK; A CRY FOR HELP)

Here is an interesting email we received from a loyal reader who is opposed to Upper Deck taking over Topps.

"I'm writing from a friends account because it is not safe out there for hobby people to speak out against Richard McWilliam (CEO of Upper Deck). Please publish Topps board of directors and Michael Eisner's address and his board. Maybe some hobby store owners and collectors can start a writing campaign. Someone must stop this insanity or the hobby is doomed."

Well, Mr. Anonymous, we don't know either of those but we suggest you try ashorin@topps.com for the head of Topps although we are not totally sure this is Arthur Shorin's email, and we also suggest you try admin@tornante.com which should get to Mr. Eisner at some point.

Good Luck!

                                               =====================

(LONGTIME HOCKEY COMPANY MOVES INTO OTHER SPORTS)

(Eds note: Correcting ownership of Sportkings to reflect new company not ITG.)

Remember the name Sport Kings. It is back and Dr. Brian Price is bringing it back in October. Price, who founded In The Game trading cards and who makes hockey products not licensed by the NHL, is at it again. The Sportkings cards will feature baseball, football, swimming and other sports upon it's return. However, it's not under the ITG brand and is a totally different company under the Sportkings label, with Price exercising his expertise in the card business.

"As a long time collector of sportscards and memorabilia, I have always been a fan of the original Sport Kings Gum set and I wanted to continue the tradition for modern sports card enthusiasts and historians," said Price. "The time was right to undertake this project and I believe that the brand will appeal to a broad audience."

(Autographed card of Roger Clemens who is currently a major leaguer will be in the highly limited Sportkings set.)

Price has a history of such things. In 1991 he achieved his long time dream of creating the lost Parkhurst years. He put together a set based historically of a mid-1950's set which Parkhurst for some unknown reason never produced. At the time he had acquired the Parkhurst name, used it to produce other products and eventually relinquished his rights. Those rights recently have been licensed to Upper Deck.

The Sport Kings cards, released in 1933 and 1934, featured 48 athletes from all walks of life including swimming, boxing and track. Price will do the same thing using retired players such as Roberto Clemente, Troy Aikman, Bart Starr, Ted Williams and Patrick Roy among many others. Even soccer star Mia Hamm will be featured.

(Reprints of the very popular Sport Kings are common.)

"Over the past 73 years the number of athletes that were dominant in their respective sports gave us the daunting task of choosing which ones would be involved in Series A of Sportkings," Price added. "More athletes will be included in future releases and it is my goal to offer collectors a diverse and original mix with every series."

Game used and autographs will play a big role in the series as well.

"We will be providing collectors with pieces of sporting history with Sportkings and that is sure to raise some eyebrows," said Price. "There will be no photo shoot memorabilia or redemptions in this product. Collectors have spoken loud and clear on these issues."

A high end, extremely limited product, there will be 7 cards per pack with one autograph per pack, two additional autographs or memorabilia cards, three base cards in traditional size and one base card in the original format size. The product is due in October. You can check the web site at www.sportkingsgum.com.

If you noticed the name is somewhat different than the original with Price using Sportkings rather than the original Sport Kings, which was licensed at one time by Victor Shaffer founder of Press Pass.

"Victor licensed the name from the same person I did, the owner of the trademark and his license is over...we wanted to have a different name so the collectors new to the hobby would not be confused," Price told The Brill Report. "Victor was always ahead of his time."

Shaffer was the first in the hobby to create "game used" with "race used" lug nuts in Press Pass racing long before Upper Deck began inserting jersey cards into products.

                                        ====================

(WAGNER CARD & PSA BROUGHT UNDER SCRUTINY BY NY DAILY NEWS)

The New York Daily News is reporting (June 25 issue) they have evidence the Honus Wagner card which sold recently for $2.35 million dollars was doctored and not only cut from a sheet. It is widely believed the card, which is graded PSA 8, was cut from a sheet and never ever saw a tobacco pack. However, there have always been questions as to whether the card was trimmed to the point to make it so mint. The Daily News says it now has photos which show the card was "doctored to enhance it's appearance and value."

The card first came to major hobby prominence when Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall bought it at auction for $550,000. It was later sold several times over and most recently purchased by a Southern California Group for $2.35 million. The Gretzky/McNall combination plus the fact the card was given away in a Wal-Mart promotion later on, has built the legend of this particular card beyond belief.

The article in the Daily News raises an even more important question. Obviously a card with such prominence was inspected with finer detail than probably any other card ever graded by PSA. If this is the case, and everyone expects it should be, how could PSA even give the card a grade if it was doctored after being cut? This is a mystery PSA will surely have to answer at some point.

The article says PSA did not return calls regarding those questions.

                                        =======================

(PARENT SUES RC2 OVER LEAD PAINT IN THOMAS TOY)

What might turn out to be a class action suit has been filed against RC2 Corporation which recently recalled a number of Thomas The Toy Train elements because of lead paint used to cover the toys. Channing Hesse hired a Seattle law firm which filed the suit claiming Hesse bought many of the Thomas Toys over the years and now wonders about the long term effects on the children.

"We think RC2's response to this dangerous health issue is far short of what is necessary," said Steve Berman, managing partner of the law firm handling the case. "There are legions of children who may have ingested lead paint from these toys and we think the company should stand up to its responsibility to help identify these kids."

(Thomas & Friends toys such as this one have been sold for years)

The complaint states up to 50-percent of the kids under age six who played with these toys likely put them into their mouths as kids often do. It charges these children were exposed to a wide range of health effects including but not limited to learning disabilities, behavioral problems, stunted growth and impaired hearing.

"The biggest horror of this story is that parents know their children often put toys in their mouths," said Berman. "Consumers trust companies like RC2 will live up to the promise it makes in it's advertising, promising "safe and quality" playthings."

The suit charges RC2 violated consumer fraud laws in several states.

                                            =================

(PARIS ON KING, NO ZOMBIES HERE)

Figure "soft ball artist" Larry King wouldn't ask Paris Hilton a fun question let alone a hard question during his live interview with the recently jailed heiress. It was hoped King might ask Paris about the Topps Zombie's cards (both are parodied in the set) but it wasn't to be. We know King was shown some of the cards including his and Ms. Hilton's. Too bad it could have made for a fun night and some publicity for the hobby.

(PARIS HILTON GETS NO HOBBY LOVE)

In her interview with King, Ms. Hilton talked about her time in jail and how it changed her life. She also told the audience most of what is written about her is simply not true.

When pursued by King she simply said what people write about her doesn't bother her as much as some might think. She doesn't respond to the accusations and deny them simply because she doesn't want to make it worse. When King pushed her on the issue she said "I'm saying it right here and now" on your show.

                                        ========================

(WHITMAN DEALS STOCK, TAKES IN $20 MILLION)

Speaking of the rich and famous. Who says you can't make money with eBay? Meg Whitman just did. The eBay CEO just cashed in a ton of stock under her current plan. The amount she sold? A cool $20 million. That's a nice payday. Call it a Buy It Now with pizazz.

                        

                   =================

(REAL DEAL OPENS FLORIDA STORE)

It's been a long time for Randy Gerstenberger but after years of selling wholesale memorabilia he's finally opened a retail outlet in Lake Mary, Florida. Real Deal Memorabilia has been supplying stores and dealers with lots of Florida based and more autographed items for almost a decade.

(Real Deal's new store front in Lake Mary, Florida.)

It seems the store market, or at least what is perceived to be the "retail" market has picked up some in recent years so seeing new stores open up is a good sign for the industry.

"I know we haven't sent many emails lately, but for good reason," Gerstenberger told The Brill Report. "We have opened a brand new retail store/showroom in Lake Mary so if you are ever passing through the Orlando area feel free to stop by."

Real Deal specializes in private signings of regional players but has had others. Coming up in a couple weeks the company will ink Urban Meyer and has had exclusives with Fred Taylor and Mark Brunell.

                                  ========================

(SIMPLY AWESOME SIGNS DAWKINS)

Rob Mitchell's Simply Awesome memorabilia company has signed Eagles safety Brian Dawkins to an exclusive deal. Dawkins deal includes all autographs and memorabilia with the exception of sports trading cards.

(Brian Dawkins signs exclusive deal with Mitchell Mkting.)

A private signing is set for July 31, but the company will take in send in items up until July 21. Mitchell Marketing also has exclusive deals with Ryan Howard, JJ Redick and John Cappalletti.

                           ======================

(KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR SIGNS WITH STEINER)

Steiner Sports is doing a private signing with one of the greatest NBA players of all time this week. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn't sign much which puts his memorabilia into a premium class and Steiner is having him sign a host of items including non-sports.

 

Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time MVP and two time scoring champ, played most of his career with the LA Lakers after coming over from Milwaukee which drafted him no. 1 after his senior season at UCLA. He also appeared in at least one film, "Airplane" (1980) and the author of the Sky Hook shot will sign items from the movie as well.

                                      ==================

POKER PRESIDENTS HIT HOBBY

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 142

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(PARIS TO APPEAR ON LARRY KING "LIVE" WEDNESDAY NIGHT, 1ST INTERVIEW!!)

** Razor Poker Adds Presidential Cuts

** Paris/King Zombies Get Together Wednesday

** Pitcher Rod Beck Passes Away

** Oden in the Dough Already

** Barrett Bumbles Bobble Bash

** eBay Back to China

** Comics on your Mobile Phone

** Stan Lee Gets Action Figure

** Ex-Fleer Exec Dies ** Topps Adds Mantle FanFest ** Upper Class Adds Artists **

and ** Dyer to Fomer Action Performance ** Details below in TBR: The Brill Report...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: WHEN THE COMPANY CAN'T EVEN GET THE ORDER FORMS RIGHT

                                     =======================

(RAZOR ADDS PRESIDENTIAL CUTS TO POKER)

(Adding late quotes and update from CEO)

Most US Presidents need to have a poker face but we're not exactly sure Franklin Roosevelt an Harry Truman would want to be associated with the likes of gamblers Jamie Gold and Howard Lederer. Razor Poker is releasing it's new Signature Series and along with the aces of professional poker and autographs of these "stars" the company is adding cut signatures of former presidents of the United States.

After first pringting the story because we could not reach company head Josh Pankow, Pankow did respond on Monday with an apology. He apologized especially for the solicitation which was not only wrong but confusing.

The new product is a high end product, make no mistake about it. It will feature one card per pack with five packs per box. The direct cost of $15 per pack translates to an SRP of $25-$30 per pack with a signed single card in each pack.

The order form is confusing. In one place on the form it states the product has a direct cost of $15 per pack with a suggested retail price of $29.99. There are 10 boxes per case with five packs per box. In another place on the same form it states there are 10 boxes per case, $75 per box with ONE pack per box. This would put the suggested retail price at $150 per pack. After several calls placed by TBR Pankow got back to us.

"I do apologize as I was out of town working on other things and I especially apologize for the wrong information on the sell sheets," Pankow told TBR. "We are in Georgia and the printing is done in Texas and we never got the chance to proof read it before it went out. It's my fault because I should have stayed on top of it."

In addition nowhere on the information sheet for dealers to order is there a contact number. It states you can mail your orders to the company Atlanta but there is no phone number listed. The email as previously mentioned came back as "failed." A trip to the company website is even more futile. The site features only the same phone number we called for Mr. Pankow and the same email which we tried several times and it failed every time.

(These statements are just inches apart on the Razor Poker Solicitation form sent to dealers.)

Pankow explained the old email should have been removed as well. The new email is razornet@aol.com. The phone number to order is 404-509-7379 as stated on the web site.

The product is somewhat limited as it should be. The company solicitation states "Approximately 300 cases made!" This means 3000 boxes or 15,000 signed cards in all, which isn't much.

"This product is really content driven rather than the novelty driven product it was the first time," Pankow told The Brill Report. "Among the presidential cut signatures are Abraham Lincoln and John Quincy Adams who pre-dates Lincoln."

Is the collectible public ready for $30 autographs of poker players? Maybe, maybe not? The hook of the presidents is great and if you get one you will likely jump for joy at $30. Getting a card signed by Daniel Negreanu for $30 will probably disappoint and not in a small way.

There are 10 presidents and one non-president. The non-politico is Jack Ruby who killed Lee Harvey Oswald whom the government said killed President Kennedy. The others are FDR, Lincoln, JQ Adams, Lyndon Johnson, Harry Truman, President Grant, Woodrow Wilson, Nixon, Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. The theme is it is believed they all were poker players.

There are also dual autographs and poker worn tournament clothing cards. Pankow said the cuts were bought at auction with most carrying PSA/DNA certs.

                                                          ==================

(ZOMBIES GETS TMZ TREATMENT--PARIS ON LARRY KING WEDNESDAY)

(A Pair of Zombies get together on Wednesday night.)

Some call the celebrity charged site TMZ the most tacky of tacky websites. Major news organizations however actually report from it because the site is the be-all to end-all for celebrity news. Enter Topps Hollywood Zombies which is attracting attention in Hollywood (as seen in last week's The Brill Report, June ). Some of the comments on the site regarding the cards run the gamut.

"I don't see anything entertaining or funny about this gruesome characterize. I think whoever made them is mentally ill."

"I think Nicole needs lipo to her lips and eyeballs, she looks like a stepped on toad. Damn she's ugly!"

"Gotta love it."

"Example of being certifiably lame. Certificate is in the mail, Enjoy!"

"Damn they are Gruesome!"

"Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands."

Paris Hilton gets out of jail Tuesday if all goes as scheduled. The Brill Report is hoping to get some reaction from her and other celebs to these parody cards.

The creativity of the Zombie cards is really tied to some superb cleverness. The Gibson card for instance shows him raging at the police as he did in a recent incident which almost landed him in jail.

The addition of the cop with the cross coming upon him on the card carries the parody to the next level, following up on Gibson's hit but controversial film, "Passion of the Christ," and his history with religion dating back to his controversial father.

The cards are true adult humor much higher than even Mad Magazine.

The double hit could come Wednesday night for Topps as Zombie insert Larry King has the first exclusive interview with Zombie Paris Hilton on his show Larry King Live. Both Hilton (Paris Helton) and King (Glow in the Dark insert Scary King) are in the Topps Zombies Set.

                                                   =================

(FORMER GIANTS CLOSER ROD BECK DIES AT AGE 38)

(Adding late numbers)

The big, bulky closer struck fear into the hearts of batters as he strode to the mound in the ninth inning of Giants' games to put the final nail in the coffin of opposing team during a 13-year major league career. Now Rod Beck is dead. The 38-year old former pitcher was found dead in his Arizona home. While cause of death had not been determined by press time police say foul play was not suspected.

(Within two hours of the announcement of Beck's death the number of items on eBay had two to 10.)

Beck pitched for the Cubs, Red Sox and Padres as well as the Giants and three times was an all-star. He had 51 saves for the Cubs in 1998. Beck was known as a true nice guy off the field and in the clubhouse according to friends and teammates and all expressed shock at the new since the pitcher was so young.

A few years ago while traveling the minor league curcuit network sports channells did features on him as he traveled with the clubs he worked for in an RV. He parked the RV near the stadium and the motor home becames as much a fixture at ballgames as he was.

Beck's autograph surprised a lot of collectors because he actually signed his full name. He actually signed "Rodney Roy Beck" with a flamboyant flair. His was one of the coolest signatures of the modern day players and very difficult to counterfiet because of its complexities. He rare gave a sloppy signature although they were difficult to read simply because you expected a quick "Rod Beck."

(Rod Beck's siganture is flamboyant always putting his full name on a ball or card such as this PSA/DNA signed Fleer card.)

Born in Burbank, CA in 1968 he grew up watching the West coast teams and signed with Oakland in 1986 after being drafted in the 13 round. at 6'1" and 236 pounds he was an imposing figure coming off the mound. His best season perhaps was 1993 although he was very consistent over several years of his career. That season he saved 48 games, had a 3-1 record and an ERA of 2.16 and a WHIP of 0.88.

At press time there were only two Beck items on ebay in active auctions. It will be interesting to see by Tuesday how many active auction listings there are of the late big leaguer.

It should ben noted as of Monday night there were 140 Beck items listed on eBay with 140 more already sold in the previous day. It again should be noted there were only two Rod Beck items on the site in active auctions before his death.

                                            ======================

(ODEN ROLLING IN DOUGH ALREADY; TOPPS & NIKE)

Greg Oden signed a $3 million deal with Topps a couple weeks ago and add to this another multi-million deal with Nike. While the terms of the Nike deal were not disclosed it is certainly not in the Lebron James range. James got $90 million from his shoe company and another $10 million from Upper Deck it is believed.

(Making money for Oden will be a slam dunk.)

The 7-footer from Ohio State is expected to be the first pick in the draft after leading the Buckeyes to 35-4 regular season record and to the NCAA Finals. They lost to Florida but Oden led the league in most offensive categories.

Topps meanwhile announced it also signed a multi-year exclusive deal with UNC star Brandan Wright.

"My younger brothers and I loved to open up packs of Topps trading cards when we were growing up and now I'm representing them," he said

Financial terms were not disclosed.

                                      ======================

(BARRETT GONE BUT MEMORABILIA GOES FORWARD)

He may have been traded to San Diego, but troubled former Cubs catcher Michael Barrett is not forgotten, at least not for a few days. The team decided to go through with not one but two Barrett promotions even though they traded the guy who has had fights with Carlos Zambrano and others.

The Cubs will move forward with Barrett home Jersey night this week and a bobble head giveaway on July first. Barrett has been controversial at best and the team decided to move him with the blessing of several pitchers and teammates. The fans aren't too thrilled with him either and it's hoped they don't toss the bobbers back onto the field when they get them.

There is precedence for such a giveaway. In 2004 the White Sox traded Esteban Loaiza the night before his bobber was given away. The Sox gave them away anyway.

                                               ======================

(EBAY BRINGS BACK GOOGLE, RE-ENTERS CHINA)

In what was seen as a retaliatory move eBay dropped it's use of Google AdWords recently only to announce it's rejoining Google's program. The move to drop AW was seen as a move by eBay to send a message to Google which decided to hold a party at a conference to go up against eBay's party. eBay says it was an opportunity to try other services not just Google.

Evidently Google won out as eBay is bringing the service back. eBay does not allow it's users to pay via the Google payment system; Checkout, which has been a bone of contention between the two.

In another move, eBay announced it's going to join with Tom On-Line to re-enter the Chinese market. A similar move was pulled some time ago but now it too seems like a good move for eBay. The system will begin in a couple of months. There will be an opportunity for users to hold funds until the buyer says they are satisfied with the purchase.

                                ==========================

(COMIC COLLECTORS WILL NEED A MOBILE PHONE NOW)

Okay, did you ever think you'd be watching your favorite comic strip come alive on your mobile phone? It's coming and soon. ROK Comics is producing comic strips and really comic books which you can read/watch on your cell phone. The idea is a long time in coming according to the company's CEO.

"John Freeman and I have been looking at the potential of comics on mobile phones for some time and now with the advances in handset technology and ROK's huge distribution network we have finally made this a reality," said Graham Baines, ROK CEO. "We believe this is a great mass market opportunity for creators and publishers alike."

(Free Fall with a chance for up and coming creators to test their wares.)

Freeman has a long history with comics helping with the launch of Star Wars Magazine and he was an editor at Marvel UK. He will help lead the charge for mobile at ROK. Freeman also helped launch the Simpsons UK magazine and was editor for Star Trek Magazine.

Basically using the cell phone readers can download comics on a pay per use basis with the comic being digitally delivered right to the handset. The great thing is the creator of the comic will get 50-percent of the revenue. Not only this but new creators will be encouraged to do their own thing through what Graham calls "FreeFall Comics," which allows them to create comic strips with ready made characters and backgrounds which can be delivered via mobile phones.

Graham says the focus will be comic creators who need an outlet for their work, and they can make money at the same time.

"By enabling mobile delivery, syndication of their creations is now instantly possible, generating real revenue," added Graham.

As far as the industry goes, some are not sure what the audience will be.

"I don't think it will have any impact on the industry because people aren't really going to the web to read comics and I don't think a smaller format will draw as much as the web," said Ralph Holt, of Ralph's Comic Corner in Ventura, California. "Who knows though because kids are downloading stuff on the web for free all over the place."

Ralph's has been in business for nearly 30 years as a retail comic outlet and does like the idea of more outlets.

"I think it would offer creators more ways to get their stuff out," he told TBR. "I just don't see what the audience would be for comics on a mobile phone."

ROK recently was acquired CyberFund, Inc.

                                          ==================

(STAN LEE ACTION FIGURE)

Everyone knows Stan Lee is a legend in the comic book field creating X-Men, Spider Man and many more. Now Hasbro is making it official by releasing a Stan Lee action figure at Comic Con in July.

(The new Stan Lee Figure will debut next month.)

The figure is a real tribute to the 84 year old Lee, who recently joined Disney to begin creating television and movie characters for the Mouse. The action figure will cost $14.99 and features the comic man in khaki pants and sunglasses.

                                          =================

(FORMER FLEER EXECUTIVE ALLEN KANE DEAD AT 86)

Allen Kane, who was a purchasing agent and vice-president for Fleer from it's early days died at the Whitehorse Village Retirement Center in Newton Square, PA. He passed away of an apparent heart attack at age 86.

(The late Allen Kane who spent 40 years with Fleer)

An avid golfer, Kane started at Fleer in 1946 and retired 40 years later, seeing Fleer through the days of early competition with Topps, the battle to make licensed baseball cards and into the kick-off of the hey-day of trading cards.

As a golfer, he won many tournaments over the years playing at local clubs and social groups. He played until last summer. He is survived by his wife of 53 years and several children.

                                       

================

(TOPPS OFFERS MANTLE/BONDS EXCLUSIVES AT FAN FEST)

Major League Baseball FanFest at the All-Star Game in San Francisco next month will be the place to be to get an exclusive Mickey Mantle and Barry Bonds card. Both will be featured in a 7 card set with the Mantle only available on 7-7-07 (or July 7). Others in the set will be Giants' rookie Tim Lincecum, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Howard, Dice-K, David Wright with Bonds and Mantle bat cards also available in limited numbers as a drawing.

(The new Mantle card for FanFest from Topps)

There will be 250 Bonds relics and 77 Mantle relics. Details on how to acquire these will not be available until the event.

                         =====================

(UPPER CLASS ADDS ARTISTS)

Upper Class Collectibles inked two well known artists to deals giving the company a strong stable of artists for its MLB and MLBPA licensed artwork. Brian Fox and Michael Joseph join UCC and join Bill Lopa to form a strong trio of artists. Lopa has been featured with World Series, Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby artwork.

"As UCC looks to re-brand itself as one of the countries top licensing/publishing resources for independent sports artists the addition of Brian and Michael is a tremendous first step," said Fred Friedman, UCC's CEO. "Each side brings a value added asset to the table...together UCC and its artists look to offer a wide diversity of styles and special projects for today's educated sports art enthusiasts."

For Joseph it was a next step dream.

"I am very excited I was asked to join UCC and and look forward to bringing my works officially into the marketplace."

The company specializes in painted art and prints with major sports themes.

                 ==================

(DYER HEADS NASCAR FIRM)

Mark Dyer, who has been involved in licensing NASCAR for a quarter of a century, is the new CEO of Motorsports Authentics. Formerly Action Performance Companies, the division is a join venture between International Speedway Corporation and Speedway Motorsports. Dyer was formerly a vice-president at NASCAR.

                                           =================

JUDGE'S RULING TURNS HOBBY UPSIDE DOWN

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 141

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(SEEKING OUT PARIS, GETTING NICOLE -- ALMOST, HOLLYWOOD ZOMBIES)

  **  Hobby Reacts to Judge's Topps Ruling

  **  Ultra Pro Sold to Investors

  **  The National and the Banned Signer

  **  Hollywood Publicist Goes Postal Over Zombies

  **  Dr. Jim's New Book

  ** Dice K Topps Variation Selling Well

DETAILS ON THESE STORIES AND MORE IN TODAY'S EDITION OF TBR: THE BRILL REPORT!!

EDITORIAL COMMENT: WHEN HOLLYWOOD LOSES ITS SENSE OF HUMOR!

                                  =======================

(REACTION TO DELAWARE JUDGE'S RULING RE: TOPPS/EISNER/UPPER DECK)

To say the Hobby is upset with a ruling by a Delaware judge which is making it easier for Upper Deck to acquire Topps, is an understatement. Judge Leo Strine ordered the Topps shareholders vote be put off and Upper Deck be released from a "standstill" order late Thursday. In effect, the order may have killed the deal for Topps to sell the card and candy maker to a group led by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and open the door for UD to effectually buy Topps.

"The world is over as we know it if Upper Deck buys Topps!" Proclaimed Michael Harris in an email. Harris is co-owner of The Baseball Card Company in Granada Hills, California.

Harris involvement with the long-time hobby store has been for more than two decades and it is one of the highest volume stores in the greater Los Angeles area. His reaction is typical of dealers on hobby chat boards who feel the lack of competition plus the fact of lost history with UD taking over the Topps brands, is a reality few of them seem to like.

"If that happened and Upper Deck gave up the Topps licenses, does that mean no more Topps sets?" Asked Bob Cosner, formerly of Bob's Baseball Cards in Des Moinse, Iowa. "That would put a hurting on the industry because there are SO many TOPPS collectors and would they continue to collect Topps sets by Upper Deck? The look and feel would probably be too different."

UD has indicated it would give up the Topps licenses if it was indeed allowed to purchase the long time card maker. The ownership of the brand names of Topps and Bowman as well as Stadium Club, Finest, Chrome and the technology which is exclusive to Topps and which is uses for Chrome and Finest products.

Some have speculated "monopoly" if Topps is sold to Upper Deck. This isn't really the case though because UD doesn't control who makes baseball cards, the leagues and players association do. All MLBPA would have to do is to give someone else a license which is one thing dealers have been crying for.

"As the only company why not reinstate Playoff Donruss and keep two companies making baseball cards," said Neil Osina of Best Variety in suburban Los Angeles. "It will be a sad day day if Upper Deck buys Topps."

At first it didn't seem UD was a serious about buying Topps as it now seems to be. The question still remains is this a ploy to just get a hard look at Topps financial records and contracts or, is this a serious offer to purchase Topps? Topps seemed somewhat ambivalent to the judges order as it issued a release the day after the ruling which didn't even mention the order.

In a statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Topps continued to state Upper Deck has not proven it's bid is better than Eisner's bid despite the fact it is $1 higher per share, or nearly $40 more overall. And it said UD still has not offered evidence of how it plans to pay for the purchase despite a letter of credit from a major bank.

As for a dissident group of stockholders planning to run a full slate of candidates for the Topps board if the Eisner deal is rejected, Topps brushed it aside.

It "is vague and nothing new," stated the filing. The statement basically said what Crescendo is seeking in terms of the deal is unreasonable. The indication was if Crescendo Partners felt they could do better then they should make a better offer for the company than Eisner and his Dearborn partners.

The next step is up in the air. Topps must inform its stockholders about the details of the Upper Deck offer and explain any promises in the deal if there are any to keep current management in place. Upper Deck can start a bidding war for the Topps Company if it so chooses, in which case Eisner has indicated he would likely bail out.

What role if any will the leagues and licensor's play? As their avenues for income in the trading card field dwindle will they take the chance and alienate what might be the lone trading card company with multiple licenses, or, would they force the issue and hold those licenses over the head of Upper Deck. Holding a baseball trading card license isn't the pot of gold it was in 1990. In fact, with royalties so high and collectors buying new products so few, one has to wonder who would even want a baseball license given the current state of the market?

Considering all Topps has and the potential which has been virtually untapped, the Eisner bid probably is low. First of all Topps has an $85 million cash reserve which really means the $9.75 bid is closer to $9.22. Secondly the icon status of Bazooka Joe and Topps brands is way underused. Third and something which few have brought up is The Topps Vault. A real money making tool the Topps Vault sells items such as press proof versions of every Topps card ever made, and original artwork from those millions of cards. The Vault utilizes eBay.

                                        ====================

(LONGTIME HOBBY FIRM, ULTRA PRO, SOLD TO INVESTORS)

Established in 1952 as a family run business, what eventually became Ultra Pro has been sold. Marlin Equity Partners, an investment company, purchased Ultra Pro this month, but financial details were not disclosed. Ultra Pro is the dominant leader in pages and supplies in the sports collectibles industry as well as in comics supplies.

"We are very excited about Ultra Pro's innovative products, market leading position and strong distributor and mass market relationships," said George Kase, a principal with Marlin. "This is the first of what we expect to be several acquisitions as we execute to our vision of building out Ultra Pro into a global, diversified consumer products company."

There was no comment from Ultra Pro and the company web site makes no mention of the sale. Adam Lerner, formerly the CEO of MPC, takes over as CEO of Ultra Pro and according to officials at Marlin, he will join the current team.

"We are confident that the addition of Alan Lerner to the management team at Ultra Pro will have an immediate positive impact on the company," said David McGovern, managing partner of Marlin. "Adam brings to Ultra Pro extensive sales, marketing and supply chain management expertise having spent the last decade selling direct to consumer, business, and big box retail, as well as deftly navigating the challenges and opportunities posed by Asian-based and outsourced supply chains."

Ultra Pro pages so dominate the market for trading cards (believed to be over 90-percent of the market in pages) they helped put several challengers out of business a few years ago. Ultra Pro's other lines compete with Pro-Mold and have expanded heavily into other areas. Of particular interest is the company's line of scrap booking materials under the brand name of 7gypsies.

The company was founded in 1952, became Rembrandt in 1984 and changed to Ultra Pro in 2002. It has undergone several ownership changes with former president Robbie Shipp being the most notable hobby face associated with Ultra Pro. Shipp, a multi-millionaire has been in the news lately due to his long-time friendship with slugger Barry Bonds and advertising executive Jeffrey Rosenthal.

                                        =================

(NATIONAL INKS FORMER GAMBLER AS AUTOGRAPH GUEST)

The National Sports Collectors Convention will be heavy on the football side of the autograph table with more than 20 former NFL players putting their names to whatever collectors are willing to put out in front of them and pay for. About 11 baseball players so far have been secured to appear to sign autographs at the convention in Cleveland this summer. However, in their latest release the NSCC made a curious announcement. One of the signers will be "Ohio State Legend; Art Schlicter." The only thing we remember being legendary about Schlicter is his gambling problems and suspensions.

(Art Schlicter mug shot.)

Schlicter was a golden armed quarterback at Ohio State and a first round NFL draft pick. Soon however it was learned he had a sickness; gambling. Gambling enough to commit fraud, to steal and to tarnish the image set forth in his book "Straight Arrow."

At one point he had spent parts of six years in 17 different jails, run up debts of $300,000 and lost his marriage and been banned from the NFL. That was by age 40. He was most recently released last year from prison and founded a web site where he plans on helping others if he can help himself.

At the National? A signer with NFL Legends and Baseball Hall of Famers? This could be controversial.

                                          ===================

(NICOLE RICHIE PUBLICIST NO SENSE OF HUMOR)

An un-named publicist for troubled actress Nicole Richie must not have much of a sense of humor. It was learned by The Brill Report the woman screamed in disgust at an autograph chaser who tried to get one of the new Topps Zombies cards into the hands of the young starlet. Richie appears as Nicole Retchie in the new Topps Hollywood Zombies trading cards.

(Nicole in better days, so to speak)

Dave Rodriguez of Signatures.com while attempting to get some of the humorous cards in front of celebrities at Paparazzi hang outs was hoping to get Ritchie to either sign one of the cards or at least react. When Richie chose not to cross the parking lot from the Hollywood area restaurant to make herself available for the gang of photographers, Rodriguez went a step farther.

The camera crews broke down and sped off to their next assignment having failed to get Richie, but Rodriguez mosied over to her publicist as the actress settled into her vehicle. He placed the Topps card into the woman's hands and asked her to give it to Richie.

"This is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen and I'm not going to show this to her," screamed the woman. "You should be ashamed of yourself for having this."

Rodriguez, taken aback, accepted the card back and went on his way.

"It's a funny card," the transplanted New Yorker told TBR. "I guess she didn't have much of a sense of humor about it."

(Nicole Richie, adopted daughter of singer Lionel as well as an actress and singer.)

Rodriguez said he didn't expect her to sign it.

"I think Nicole would have thought it was funny at least," he added.

The cards do not need licensing since they are a parody set fully protected by the First Amendment. Others in the set Rodriguez hopes to get cards to are Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise and possibly Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hopefully he'll have more luck with them.

The Topps Zombies cards were released last week and have as a basis, it's roots in Paparazzi. The story behind the set is in many cultures taking someone's photo is tantamount to stealing their soul. These celebs have had their photos taken so often by the paparazzi they have NO soul left. Therefore they have been turned into Hollywood Zombies.

                                        =======================

(DR. BECKETT SURFACES WITH NEW BOOK)

Well he's not out of the hobby totally. After suffering through a heart attack, a divorce and the selling of his media empire many thought Dr. Jim Beckett might just flat out retire. Not so. Dr. Jim has come out with a new book.

Random House recently released "Instant Expert; Collecting Baseball and Other Sports Cards." The 176-page book is described as an "easy to use guide to building, buying and selling collections of baseball, football, basketball and other sports cards."

Released in February the book features tips and analysis as well as the history of collecting. Who better really to offer such advice than the man who built the Beckett empire.

                   

                                            ================

(DICE K JAPANESE VERSION SELLING WELL)

The Japanese version of the 2007 Topps Series 2 DK card is selling well in the $15 to $20 range while the English version continues to draw about $6 or more. Topps decision to put the Japanese chase version of the card, counters what it did with Series 1 when the Jeter/Bush/Mantle card was all the rage.

The card is randomly inserted but the ratio is not known at this time. The gold version of the card is selling for over $30 while surprisingly the Red version is selling for less than $10.

Matsuzaka's Co-Signers card is very rare it seems and short printed version have recently sold for about $200.

                       =================

JUDGE PUTS HOLD ON TOPPS SALE !

Volume 2, Number 140

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(VERLANDER GOING FOR JOHNNY VANDER MEER RECORD!!!)

** HERITAGE LAWYERS QUASH BONDS BALL OFFER

** HOBBY VETERAN RICH KLEIN LEAVES BECKETT

** WIZARDS OPENS NEW ULTIMATE SITE

** UD ENFORCING DAMAGE POLICY

** MAYS GHOST SIGNER DEAD

** 100 YEARS OF "THE DUKE"  ** DICE K AND FINEST ** TOPPS INKS MARTIAL ARTS

DETAILS ON THESE STORIES AND MORE IN TODAY'S THE BRILL REPORT....

EDITORIAL COMMENT: SOPRANOS THE PERFECT ENDING, NOW SIGN J.G. SIGN

                                  ====================

(DELAWARE JUDGE PUTS HOLD ON TOPPS SALE TO EISNER LED GROUP)

(Upper Deck Gets Chance to Begin Hostile Takeover)

In a 67 page report, Delaware Judge Leo Strine Jr., sided with dissident stockholders and Upper Deck and against the Topps Company in issuing his order to keep stockholders from voting to sell the company to Michael Eisner June 28. The judge's order calls for shareholders to receive more information on the UD bid before voting.

Topps board agreed to a sale to Eisner's Tornante Group and Dearborn for $9.75 a share, or $384 million. Upper Deck meanwhile has offered $10.75 a share or a dollar more per share nearing $425 million. The Topps board, against the wishes of the dissident board members was trying to push the Eisner deal forward to the June 28 vote. The judges order halts that.

There was also concern over a deal with Eisner for the key executives to keep their jobs while Upper Deck has indicated they would be replaced since it has it's own executives which would prevent redundancy. Strine said UD should also be let out of the "Standstill" order which kept the company from making a tender offer in what would amount to a hostile takeover of Topps. Strine ordered there will be no vote until UD is let out of the agreement.

Topps had previously argued there would be regulatory concerns, something Strine effectively brushed off earlier in the week. While Topps is a public company there would be no monopoly if UD got Topps since MLB and MLBPA could award a contract to Donurss/Playoff or Press Pass. UD also indicated it would give up the Topps license if it acquired Topps.

The judge basically said shareholders would not be ireparably injured if they did get the chance to study a more attractive offer. UD's offer is more attractive and Eisner has indicated he was not interested in a bidding war for Topps. The other issue is whether UD was serious about buying Topps or was just hoping to get an indepth look at the books. At this point it seems UD may be more serious than first indicated.

                                         ==================

(HERITAGE WITHDRAWS $1 MILLION OFFER FOR BONDS BALL)

Heritage Auctions may still pay $1 million for home run no. 756 but they officially have taken back their offer to do so. The company says the matter comes down to liability and safety and the advice of their attorneys.

"There is a real concern that mania over the breaking of Hank Aaron's lifetime home run record coupled with a reward for the ball could lead to fans' injuries," said Greg Rohan President of Heritage Auction Galleries. "After personally traveling to San Francsico and meeting with a Senior Security Department official at AT&T Park about the potential for a melee in the stands and discussing potential liability with our attorneys we have reluctantly, but we feel prudently withdrawn the $1 million bounty for the baseball."

(NO. 756 will be controversial when Bonds hits it, some lawyers worry it could even be deadly.)

Heritage announced a month ago they would pay $1 million for the ball which breaks Hank Aaron's all-time home run record when Barry Bonds hits it. However, now after meeting with security officials and realizing someone could get killed trying to get that ball away from someone else in the stands in the crowd -- well calmer heads and legal eagles have prevailed.

"We didn't hear of any way to prevent possible public safety problems and we don't want a fan or a child injured or killed," Rohan added. "We will be happy to speak with the eventual owner of the ball about consigning it to an auction but we are no longer interested in buying the ball."

Rohan added if anyone gets hurt in the scuffle for the ball the company will not even handle it at all.

The move also gets Heritage off the hook as most in the industry believe the ball will only be worth about $350,000 and Bonds' final career home run is the one going to be worth the most. Either way in the end the lawyers have their say and their way.

                                              =================

(HOBBY LEGEND RICH KLEIN EXITS BECKETT)

After 17 years with the company Rich Klein, primary editor for the Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards, has left. Hired in 1990 when Dr. James Beckett got his price guide going full swing, Klein was a familiar face at shows in the early years. As Beckett backed off the travel and put more effort into the Internet as far as gathering information on sales, Klein spent more time at the Dallas headquarters.

"I have nothing but good memories of my time there and I'm looking forward to new challenges," Klein told The Brill Report. "I had a wonderful run at Beckett and now it's time to explore any opportunities which may be available within the industry."

Klein was a wealth of knowledge who will be missed as he was the main cog in compiling the annual baseball publication. He previously worked as a free lance writer for Beckett Publications as well. Klein is the latest long time staffer to leave as Aprise Media, the new owner of the magazine system makes changes and streamlines.

The company recently announced it is discontinuing its Racing Beckett Magazine and taking the publication strictly on-line. Beckett has survived on advertising since the beginning and in the early days had a strong readership base. As the hobby collector base dwindled so did sales of the magazine. Several publications folded because of lack of advertising such as Future Stars. In addition there are now only three companies making cards and advertising. In it's heydey more than 20 companies were buying ad space.

With the company pushing the on-line price guide which is virtual as compared to hard copy magazines it would not be a surprise for Beckett to cut back on the number of journalistic employees.

Klein can be reached at his email sabrgeek@aol.com.

                                       ==========================

(WIZARDS OPENS NEW GAMING SITE)

It is called Gleemax and it is for hard core gamers. The company says the new www.gleemax.com site will provide Magic players and others who play games from Wizards of the Coast the most comprehensive site they could ever want with everything they will ever need.

"Wizards has long been the champion of great game play and Gleemax furthers our commitment to this ideal," said Loren Greenwood, WOTC President. "This moment marks the evolution of our company and to this end we've created an entirely new digital division led by a longtime senior member of our research and development team, Randy Buehler."

(Some Gleemaxers already are raving.)

The site will build on three what WOTC calls "Pillars;" Community, Games and Editorial Content. The key to pulling all of this together is the fact Gleemax will also be a social networking site. This will consist of the regular blogs and chat rooms but will also give gamers a way to communicate about game specific characters and other parts of the gaming community.

It's long been known Magic gamers especially speak their own language. You can see this when entering or being near a tournament. The passion expressed by MTG players is unheard of in other circles.

"Deep down in the DNA of our company we know that the way to sell hobby games is to invest in the community of hobby gamers," said Buehler, who is VP of digital games at WOTC. "We feel that Gleemax will provide a lasting infrastructure that supports not only our own customers, but the entire hardcore gaming culture."

This isn't all as technology gets better WOTC is developing a portal to deliver its games digitally through the site. While this will not thrill dealers, it brings the entire gaming culture into a creative mix. Even back games from Avalon Hill will be available this way.

                                      ==========================

(UPPER DECK TO ENFORCE DAMAGE POLICY TO DEALERS)

Dealers who receive damaged goods from Upper Deck are advised to make a note on the form they sign from the shipper and to call in the problem within 24 hours. This is according to a new "Damage or Shortages Policy" from Upper Deck. At the latest all damage claims must be reported within 10 days or such damages will not be accepted.

The company has been shipping in marked boxes making it easy for unscrupulous employees of the shippers (UPS, Fed Ex, DHL) to open the boxes, take out the cards and re-tape them. This is not an uncommon occurrence. Recently UD has changed the policy and is shipping in unmarked boxes. This is something dealers have been asking for, for several years.

Fed-Ex recently caught at least one employee at the Southern California regional hub opening boxes, stealing packs and boxes inside and resealing them. These were intended at least three times for a hobby store in Ventura, CA. The store owner reported the matter to both UD and to Fed Ex. The two worked together to snare the thief and UD replaced the missing products.

The new UD policy takes effect July 1.

                                        ======================

(WILLIE MAYS GHOST SIGNER IS DEAD AT AGE 76)

(Willie does his own signing now but there was a time evidently when he didn't.)

Willie Mays lives, Homer Zugelder is dead. The former school teacher was an army buddy of the young Mays when he went into the military in the early part of his career. With Mays bombarded with autograph requests he enlisted the help of Zugelder to sign some here and there.

Zugelder's wife said on occasion he signed a number of balls for the Giants slugger according to The San Mateo County Times. Zugelder passed away in the Bay area.

                                        =======================

(VERLANDER NO-HITTER PUSHING MEMORABILIA)

Justin Verlander's no-hitter this week against the Milwaukee Brewers means his memorabilia is immediately hot. Mounted Memories wasted no time in getting merchandise on the wire for dealers and collectors. Signed baseballs are being offered for $85 and framed photos with game used pieces are $45.

(Verlander is hot now after no-hitter.)

Highland Mint also is releasing several unsigned, framed Verlander pieces as well as an etched glass item. Prices range from $46 to $98 wholesale.

Imagine the craziness if Verlander, who was throwing near 100 miles per hour in the ninth inning of the no-no, actually threw another? The place would go nuts. Since it's only happened once previously when Johnny Vander Meer did it with back-to-back no-hitters, it likely won't happen again. Vander Meer's record is the most unbeatible in sports. Throwing two consecutive no-hitters is miraculous but imagine; back to back only TIES the record. A third breaks it.

                                            =======================

(JOHN WAYNE 100 YEARS)

100 years of the Duke. You will be it seeing all year long and there are going to be massive numbers of collectibles if not massive numbers of collectors hoping to get a piece of John Wayne. The western cable channels are running Duke Marathons and several sites are offering Wayne memorabilia.

(100 years of the Duke will bring out lots of fake autographs and memorabilia.)

The Duke was born May 26, 1907 in Iowa and passed away 28 years ago from cancer June 11, 1979. His last appearance at the Academy Awards he got a standing ovation and everyone knew it was likely the last time they would see the icon of American Heroism in movies. His real name was Marion Morrison and he played football at USC in Los Angeles, but it was as John Wayne in Stagecoach and scores of other familiar films where he left his impression.

Beware there are going to be lots of Duke fakes out there, especially in the autograph field.

                                      ======================

(DICE-K IS NO. 5 TOPPS FINEST)

Every couple of weeks Topps is announcing who will be the next mystery player revealed in the Topps Finest 2007 Rookie Redemption series. No. 5 is finally the star Red Sox pitcher, Diasuke Matsuzaka, or Dice K as he's known.

His regular Topps Series 2 card is selling for about $10 and his short printed Topps Moments & Milestones is pulling $300, so this one should be a biggie.

(Finest Rookie Redemption no. 5 is the hot Boston pitcher Dice-K.)

While the Japanese star hasn't paid the great dividends the Red Sox imagined just yet, they are hopeful. The Sox are atop the AL East and have been all year. Great pitching has been the key and Matsuzaka is one of the reasons to turn the key.

              ======================

(1918 BASEBALL BRINGS $12,000)

The ball used to record the final out of the 1918 World Series (the last time the Red Sox won the series until a couple years ago) sold at auction for $12, 650 to a collector in Wisconsin. The item sold at the Sports World Auction based in Boston.

The ball originally belonged to third baseman Fred Thomas and was signed by team members including Babe Ruth. Unfortunately the signatures faded over the years and the item was signed by others who were not as significant as the Bambino.

The top item in long time dealer Phil Castinetti's SW Auctions was a 1969-70 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Ring which sold for just over $22,000.

                                      =========================

(SHAMUS INKS TOPPS DEAL FOR MIXED MARTIAL ARTS CARDS)

It wasn't too many years ago Gareb Shamus was best known for his price guide dealing in non-sports cards and a failed attempt at a collectibles high end magazine. Now he is the king of the Mixed Martial Arts world with his International Fight League. Add to this he just signed a deal with Topps to produce trading cards for the league.

"We are very excited to begin this relationship with Topps, one of the most storied brands in the card business," said Shamus. "The partnership is the latest in a series of moves by the sport of MMA and the IFL brand that shows how the sport will be able to reach a wider audience with compelling and unique content."

(Topps will add IFL cards later in the year.)

Others who have jumped on board the IFL bandwagon are Microsoft XBox, Brothers Apparel, Headline Headgear and Warner Home Video to name a few.

"The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is exciting and rapidly growing and we are proud to partner with IFL their world class coaches and rising stars to make our entry into the sport," said Ira Friedman, Topps VP publishing and licensing. "I feel the IFL model is the best fit for both now and the long term."

Topps plans on coming out with IFL cards late in the year.

                                ================

(COLLECTIBLE CONCEPTS TO OPEN 10 MALL STORES)

In what is becoming a booming business licensed military sports collectibles are going to be marketed in 10 new mall stores around the country by Collectible Concepts. The stores will be totally owned company kiosks which CCNG says should generate a quarter million dollars in sales annually to start.

(Licensed Growth Charts are only a small portion of what CCNG sells.)

"The market for military gifts and collectibles continues to grow and brings very satisfying profit margins and takes advantage of the convenience of mall shopping," said Paul Lipschutz, President of CCNG. "We are going to take advantage of a history of successful selling of such products at kiosk's nationwide."

The kiosks will be in malls concentrated in the northeast and Florida and will supplement the company's wholesale and direct response sales channels.

                                      =============

(RC2 IN TOY RECALL; THOMAS RAILROAD)

RC2 Corporation announced it is recalling specific wooden railway toys from the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. While no one has been reported injured or sick there is a possibility of lead poisoning from the toys. The company plans at least a $1 million charge against earnings in the second quarter which could be as high as $2 million. It is a voluntary recall.

Some of the surface paint on products produced in 2005 and 2006 contain lead. To find out which toys and how to handle the situation you can look at the company web site at http://recalls.rc2.com or call the toll free number at 866-725-4407.

                                    ===================

NAXCOM DEBUTS HOT PROGRAM

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 139

UPDATE: JUDGE TAKES TOPPS CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT

Attorneys for dissident stockholders are hoping a Delaware judge will issue a ruling quickly in their attempts to stop Topps from selling the company to Michael Eisner. Vice Chancellor Leo Strine Jr., of the Delaware Chancery Court in Wilmington heard both sides of the argument on Monday and ordered the attorneys to present additional papers on Tuesday.

"The judge has not given any indication when he will rule," Elaine Bolden, Strine's court clerk told The Brill Report Tuesday.

Sources close to the case indicate the judge may rule by Friday but add there is little to base it on. The shareholders will vote June 28 on the Eisner proposal while in the meantime Upper Deck is making a bigger push to also purchase the company.

UD attorneys are seeking an injunction to keep Topps from upholding the "standstill" provision of it's offer. If sucessful in getting the injunction Upper Deck could make a tender offer for the company and try a hostile takeover. This would not be out of line for UD which is also the most litigious company in the industry. It is believed UD even offered to give up the Topps baseball license should it gain the company and it's name. This wouldn't be much of a loss to UD and would be a blow to the MLBPA, but would also eliminate the Bowman burden the Players don't like.

UD offered $10.75 per share, or $1 more than Eisner's offer. Topps officials said they could not be sure the UD offer was legitimate. UD charged Topps management and some board members with trying to disparage the UD offer and claimed breach of confidentiality in it's filings. UD also charged Eisner with colluding with Topps to make the offer not appear as good as UD says it is.

Topps in it's arguments before the Delaware judge argued there would also be regulatory concerns if UD bought the company. Strine didn't seem moved by the argument contending in the 1950's Topps bought competitor Bowman and later won an anti-trust lawsuit although stemming from that Topps lost it's virtual monopoly to Fleer, Donruss, Score and eventually Upper Deck.

Upper Deck fears Topps is trying to run out the clock and delay until the shareholders can vote in less than three weeks. A fear which is not lost on the attorneys or the judge involved.

                                        ===================

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(LEBRON JAMES ENDORSEMENTS COULD HIT $35 MILLION PER YEAR!!!)

** NAXCOM REVOLUTIONARY PROGRAM

** EBAY FRAUD CRACKDOWN $400,000

** WAL-MART SETTLES SALES OF FAKES

** BECKETT ROAD SHOW NETS RUTH BALLS

          ** STAN LEE JOINS DISNEY ** MEMOTHENTIC DEBUTS AUTOS **

DETAILS ON THESE AND MORE BELOW IN TBR: THE BRILL REPORT

EDITORIAL COMMENT: NAXCOM QUIETLY COMES OF AGE   

                                       ========================

(NAXCOM DEBUTS REVOLUTIONARY MASTER LISTER)

NAXCOM is now offering what it's describing as a tool to revolutionize on-line selling and is giving away $4,000 in prizes to promote it. MultiMarketLister.com is a new listing tool which allows the seller to place the same item up for sale on several different sites at the same time such as the NAXCOM site and eBay. When the item sells off one site it automatically is removed from the other sites.

"With this new selling tool sellers will dramatically increase their sales as their items will no longer be available on only one site, but instead on multiple sites at the same time," said NAXCOM CEO Eric Beckerman. "We are now launching this tool with NAXCOM and eBay storefronts but Google/Base, Froogle, Amazon, ThePit (owned by NAXCOM) and many more will be added very soon."

Approximately 50 of the current sellers at NAXCOM are using the system already but the company is holding a grand opening month to kick the site off. Cash prizes and a PSA 9 Michael Jordan Rookie Card are being offered in a contest to those who reach certain levels in listings and sales.

The MultiMarketLister is being used in a unique agreement with eBay and is only in effect for storefronts. The system at the moment cannot be used for standard eBay auctions due to the complications which would arise out of auctions ending on one site while still having bidders on another. Negotiations are ongoing with other internet sales sites to expand the program.

The MML system is probably the most innovative in recent on-line sales programs to arrive on the scene. The MML Promotion begins June 18 and lasts for 30 days.

                                                          ==================

(EBAY FRAUD CRACKDOWN ENDS IN $400,000 SETTLEMENT)

One week ahead of its eBay Live Conference the on-line auction giant and the New York Attorney Generals office announced a $400,000 settlement in a huge eBay jewelry auction scam. EMH Group employees placed bids on over 230,000 of the company's items to drive up sales and bring in more than $5 million during a one year period. While admitting no wrong doing company owner Ezra Dweck said he made the settlement to avoid a long and costly legal entanglement with the NY AG's office.

The alleged scam had the company putting jewelry up for auction on eBay with no reserves. Company employees were disseminated information as to the items and what EMH felt would be an acceptable sales price. It was widely known according to the AG where the bidding needed to go and how employees were to place bids.

eBay of course does not allow shill bidding and this type of scam is the worst of the worst. Prices were driven up as much as 20-percent according to authorities. In an attempt to show it is increasingly cracking down on fraud on it site eBay brought the case to the New York authorities.

"We do not tolerate criminal activity and pro-actively assist law enforcement to prosecute any individual who may try to defraud our users," said eBay spokeswoman Nichola Sharpe.

The jewels were sold under the seller name of "Jewels by Ezra." An agreement has been worked out between Dweck and the Attorney General where consumers who purchased items from the seller can sell them back. The company has to pay fines and offer restitution to buyers up to $400,000. The company is also banned from the on-line auction business for four years as part of the settlement.

In reading over complaints on various sites going back to 2004 the company seemed to have problems fulfilling orders for consumers. Some say they were disappointed in not getting the promised items while at least one said she finally did get her refund after leaving negative feedback.

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(WAL-MART SETTLES SUIT WITH FENDI OVER COUNTERFEITS)

eBay is not the only place where fake high end goods are being sold. Wal-Mart settled its suit with Italian fashion company, Fendi, acknowledging it sold fake Fendi handbags. Fendi filed suit last year and while terms were not disclosed America's biggest retailer said it will no longer sell the goods.

"During this litigation Fendi provided us information that the 12 types of bags and wallets specifically listed in its complaint were not genuine," said Doug McMillion, president and CEO of Sam's Club in a statement. "We accept this information."

The company has removed all Fendi labeled goods from its shelves and said anyone who purchased Fendi labeled items from Sam's Club or Wal-Mart may return them for a full refund.

(Fendi bags no longer sold at Sam's Club.)

The sale of knock-off high end goods, just like autographs and cards, on eBay has been a major concern of makers such as Fend, Cardin and Tiffany all of which have filed suit against eBay in the last year. The fact these counterfeiters actually got their fakes into a firm such as Wal-Mart shows how widespread and uncontrolled these thieves have gotten, not to mention how bold they have become.

                                          ================

(BECKETT ROAD SHOW BRINGING THEM OUT)

You would not expect to see two Babe Ruth signed baseballs brought to the Beckett Road Show tables in the small city of Lancaster, California but this is exactly what happened. An older man brought in a "ratty old bag" toward the end of the night and pulled out a pair of single signed Bambino baseballs. It amazed the Beckett crew of three.

"It was not something we expected to see in a town on California's high desert certainly," said Beckett staffer Grant Sandground, Senior Price Guide Editor. "We were amazed to see them show up."

This is just one of the examples being found as Beckett staffers travel the country in a hobby version of The Antiques Road Show, the popular PBS program. With a stop in Orange County Sandground said they saw a cut signature of Honus Wagner and other great items. The Lancaster stop was very much a surprise.

The site was Clear Channel Stadium, home of the Lancaster JetHawks of the California League, which is a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. People here are used to seeing players such as Dan Uggla coming through and last year's manager Brett Butler, but Ruth? Wow. Another fan brought in a Paul Waner signed bat. The most unusual item on the night?

"A man brought in an old baseball which was brought over to Europe with the US troops in 1918 for them to play baseball with," said Sandground. "It was signed by some Lt. Colonel whose name was so faded we could not read it, but it was stamped ACE in capital letters and was really cool to see."

(Jake Miller is one young fan who showed up at Clear Channel Stadium where the Beckett Road Show settled on June 8, in Lancaster, CA)

The Beckett crew doesn't certify items but attempts to give collectors an idea if they have something valuable to hold on to, or whether as dealers see all the time, lots of 1980's and 1990's cards.

"We saw our share of those too," added Sandground. "That is typical."

One man brought an album of the first issue of Donruss Studio cards, while a woman brought a minor league baseball she had signed in person by Randy Johnson when he was in the low minors and just starting to show his promise. The Beckett Road Show will be in St. Louis in a couple months.

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(LEBRON TO STRIKE IT EVER RICHER WITH NBA TITLE)

His deal with Nike was $90 million, his five year deal with Upper Deck was worth $5 million. How much more does the NBA's most important player need? It doesn't matter how much he needs but he will be getting more if the Cleveland Cav's win the NBA title this coming week.

(James scores big with UDA & others.)

Right now James is making about $25 million a year in endorsements including Coca-Cola, Cadbury and Microsoft. Experts say an NBA title could increase his earnings by 40-percent. Look for UDA to continue their relationship even after the five year deal comes to an end. Michael Jordan originally signed a 10 year pact and his contract was extended as he continues to appear in UD sets and sign for UDA.

                                                             =================

(STAN LEE JOINS DISNEY)

Look out Marvel Stan Lee is doing battle for the competition. The 84 year old creator of "X-Men" and "Spider Man" left Marvel and lawsuits followed but now he's joining Disney to create characters for the famous Mouse company.

Lee's company, POW! Entertainment, signed a multi-year deal giving Disney the first rights to movies, DVD's, books and TV shows. Lee's characters of course have made hundreds of millions of dollars for Sony and other studios.

                                                            =====================

(MEMOTHENTIC TAKES SPORTS AUTOGRAPHS TO NEW LEVEL)

A California Company is taking the sports autograph and memories field to a new level. Not dissimilar to "That's My Ticket" where fans have a photo of themselves at a game along with the ticket and a professional write up of the event, placed in a frame, this new item carries an autograph as well. Memothentic is licensed by the NFL and NHL and is a very high end item carrying up to a $900 retail price tag if signed.

"The great thing about the Memothentic is that it transcends sports," said Kelly Johns, CEO of Memothentic Corporation. "Imagine having a quote from your grandfather, something he wrote about you or your family complete with a picture or some other memorabilia artifact and it would be passed down from generation to generation."

Included would be a signed piece of jersey of Joe Montana or Roger Craig or others who have already signed to be a part of the company repertoire. It doesn't stop there because there are also designs allowing families to submit items from their high school sports contests and even baby photos.

The price range for the unsigned can be as little as about $150 although putting a Joe Montana autograph could mean about $900. There are lesser autographed versions also available in the $250 range. The firm is adding celebrity and TV show selections as well.

Johns said he saw three problems in creating current memorabilia. First, not all memorabilia is tied to a person's personal moment in time, second there are few items which tell a complete story relating to the person and the event and the third problem was overcoming the affordability factor. Having Joe Montana be a part of your personal life or event just doesn't seem feasible.

"Most people are familiar with walking into certain high end memorabilia shops and  and being afraid to ask how much?" Said Johns. "We wanted to develop something all fans can afford."

The company has signed such HOF players as Montana and Barry Sanders to go along with former 49er Craig.

                                                          =================

GAI DRAWS FIRE, COMPANY FIRES BACK, UD SUES TOPPS

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 138

UPDATE: UPPER DECK SUES TOPPS DETAILS WED. JUNE 6

HOT*BUTTON*STORY

(GLOBAL BUYS BACK TIGER WOODS "SIGNED" GOLF BALLS)

** SPECIAL REPORT

THE FOLLOWING IS A SPECIAL REPORT FEATURING ONE STORY BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION BY SEVERAL DIFFERENT READERS. ALL SIDES ARE REPRESENTED IN THE FOLLOWING STORY.

(UPPER DECK SUES TOPPS OVER BREACH OF CONTRACT)

In what is the latest blast from the trading card wars The Upper Deck Company filed suit against Topps charging the company and a board member leaked important, and private information about the pending offer by UD to purchase Topps. While much of the information reported has been gleaned from public documents, UD says members of the Michael Eisner led group which has a deal to purchase Topps, aided and abetted in the word being leaked.

"Upper Deck plaintiffs assert, among other things that the company and director defendants breached the confidentiality agreement dated March 19, 2007, between Upper Deck and the Company (Topps) which Confidentiality Agreement was entered into during the 'go-shop' period under the agreement of the plan of merger dated March 5," a public statement from Topps read. "The Director Defedants breached their fiduciary duties to the stockholders of the Company and Tornate and Madison Dearborn aided and abetted the Director Defedants in the breach of their fiduciary duties to the stockholders of the company."

Upper Deck wants the courts to put a halt to the upcoming March 28 stockholders meeting where the shareholders are to vote on the deal from the Eisner group. UD also wants let out of the provision known as the "stand still" which would keep it from trying a hostile takeover of Topps. Of course UD is also seeking damages which could possibly run into the millions, for the actions it describes.

Topps for its part says it is still negotiating with UD while the suit continues. The latest is somewhat of a surprise depending on if you believe UD really wants to purchase Topps, or is just hoping to get a look at the financial records of the only publicly held trading card company. Eisner's group has led suitors to believe, through Topps that it won't get involved in a bidding war although if the UD offer is serious this is exactly what might have to take place.

The offer from Tornante is $9.75 a share while UD's offer is $10.75 and Topps still says it is not reasonably sure the offer, outside of on the surface, is actually improved over the Eisner offer. The court will take the matter under advisement and possibly make a decision on the UD suit June 11 in Delaware. The court on that date may also decide on the suit brought by dissident shareholders who are opposed to the Tornante deal.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week dissident board member Arnaud Ajdler filed a letter to the Topps Board charging Chairman Arthur Shorin with making misleading statements about him and the efforts of Crescendo Partners. Crescendo is the group which opposes the current deal with Tornante and has substantial shares in the company.

Ajdler said despite what Shorin says Crescendo is not trying to take over Topps without paying for it as Shorin charged, and "is NOT trying to take the company private." In fact, Ajdler said while the stock is under $11 a share now, under a new slate of directors, proposed by Crescendo, the company could be worth up to $18 a share if run properly. Crescendo will run it's own slate of seven members should the Eisner deal be voted down, and it will try to oust Shorin, whose family founded Topps. Shorin has been hanging on. The board was expanded by one member a few months ago so Shorin could retain his place on the board after dissident stockholders ran a slate and placed three of their own on the Topps ruling body.

                                  =================

(GLOBAL AUTHENTICATION QUESTIONED)

Among the top three third party authenticators in the autograph business one is drawing the ire of a few collectors and at least one player agent. Global Authentication Inc., GAI, of southern California admits to mistakes, especially in the case of Tiger Woods, but is defending it's brand and its reputation. This is a special report; a story we've been working on for two months since questions concerning GAI were brought to our attention. In this report, we are taking a fair and balanced approach and carefully spoke to several people on all sides of the issue. The following is our story.

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At least one autograph seller/expert is bringing several accusations against Global and while there are others who brought items to the attention of The Brill Report, we will focus on those specifically of Theo Chen, and Emil Bodenstein. Bodenstein is the exclusive signing agent for NY Mets third baseman, David Wright. Chen owns "Autographs 4 Sale," is a former employee of Upper Deck Authenticated and previously was one of the top autograph experts at Beckett for a number of years.

Bodenstein, head of Locker Room Memorabilia, came to TBR after seeing what he described as hundreds of David Wright signed baseballs of which he said 90-percent were forgeries. They were authenticated by GAI. He knew the intricacies of Wright's signature since he'd had him as a client since his early days in the minor leagues. Wright himself pointed to the same autographs as forgeries, denying he signed them.

All of the baseballs he found certified by Global were on the sweet spot and Wright, except in rare occasions at the ballpark, does not sign on the sweet spot. It is his own policy. One seller on eBay, Rookies and Stars Sportscards, listed signed Wright baseballs on the auction site signed on the sweet spot with GAI COA's. The picture of the auction showed not one, but a dozen balls purportedly signed by Wright, wrapped in plastic carrying GAI COA's and in a one dozen count box. Bodenstein said there wasn't a good one in the bunch.

(Wright "signed" baseballs shown on eBay disputed by Locker Room Memorabilia.)

There were scores of eBay auctions carrying the GAI COA on balls stating they were signed by Wright but Bodenstein says they were fakes in 9 of 10 cases. He estimates at the time, due to the forgeries he's seen, his lost revenue could amount to nearly $100,000 because as he puts it, "our dealers say the GAI stuff is all over the place below our wholesale and they can't sell our stuff." He blames GAI.

"There were so many GAI COA's on David Wright signed balls on the sweet spot it just didn't add up," Bodenstein told The Brill Report in an exclusive interview. "He doesn't sign on the sweet spot as a general rule, he may occasionally at the ball park and for charity but as a general rule he does not sign on the sweet spot."

Steve Rocchi is the founder of GAI and former president of PSA. He is also a reserve police officer with the Murrieta Police Department. He admits his company makes mistakes but as what he calls "the biggest autograph authenticator in the business" these things are bound to happen. He does not believe the Wright signatures are fakes however.

(David Wright in LRM promotional photo)

"I checked our records and we did a little over 200 David Wright baseballs," Rocchi told TBR. "I talked with our authenticator and he said he felt they were all ball park signed baseballs."

The agent disputed how there could be so many especially since some sellers had a lot of them.

"We see certain sellers with a large number of Wright sweet spot autographs all with GAI COA's," added Bodenstein. "We don't see very many PSA or JSA Wright signed balls at all but we see a lot of GAI authenticated baseballs and nine of 10 we are seeing are not David's signature in our opinion."

Bodenstein says he and his staff use four key points to check and verify if his client did indeed sign an item. He says the points don't match up.

After long discussions with Rocchi, the two came to an agreement. GAI would no longer certify Wright signatures in quantity from this point forward. GAI may certify one or two at a time but not in bulk amounts according to Rocchi. Bodenstein's company has been listing on eBay with a caveat regarding other COA's it felt were not standing behind genuine autographs of Wright. Bodenstein says the agreement also called for Rocchi to contact eBay to pull down the Wright GAI items as well. Rocchi says that was not part of the agreement.

"We will not go to eBay and pull them down because we believe they were good but I told Emil from now on anything he thought was questionable we would look at and if we felt it was bad we'd have it pulled down or buy it back," Rocchi explained. "I don't want to give the impression GAI items are bad and we have every intention of protecting our brand but we are the only company to buy items back. We are not trying to hurt anyone here."

Rocchi says the fact GAI stands behind its certification is important, restating GAI is the only company with a buy back policy if they make a mistake and he admits they have made them. Bodenstein says the email he got from Rocchi indicates questionable GAI David Wright autographs will be removed by GAI.

The following is an excerpt from the letter from LRM to GAI and Rocchi;

"Per our phone conversation Locker Room Memorabilia has agreed to take down our eBay listing stating our review of David Wright unauthentic autographs. In exchange, Global will no longer authenticate any of Locker Room Memorabilia exclusive clients or high profile non-exclusive clients. A high profile non-exclusive client will include any player whose autograph baseball or flat is selling above $200. If you agree to the above terms and use your best efforts to remove all Locker Room Memorabilia determines to be suspicious of fraud on ebay we will agree to stop posting our ebay listing with a review of GAI authenticated items."

A list of the athletes in question was provided. Below is the response from Rocchi via email to Bodenstein.

"Thank you for your response and I do agree to the terms of your letter. If we do receive any items for authentication from these athletes we will forward images to you and hope this will protect what Locker Room Memorabilia is trying to build," said the email. "We will also work with you on any listing you send to us to remove from ebay or any other site."

As for Bodenstein, aside from the above email situation, he is not happy and had previously contacted law enforcement. Unfortunately no law enforcement agency will talk about ongoing investigations and our contact with the agency reaffirmed this stance.

(Wright signed LMR baseball)

"It hurts our client and it hurts our business and they have no repercussions other than to say 'we're sorry, we screwed up,'" said Bodenstein. "This is one of the main reasons we got MLB and MLBPA licensing so we can surround ourselves with people who take memorabilia seriously."

Rocchi says he checked the records and GAI has only certified a little over 200 David Wright signatures. A check of eBay in the last day showed a total of approximately 100 David Wright autographs certified by GAI. This would cover current auctions and those completed in the last month. Some of them of course would be duplicates for those which did not sell previously. This does not include the dozen signed baseballs offered by a seller called Rookies and Stars Sportscards.

Rocchi points out it is well know even athletes who sign their names thousands of times can't be sure what they signed at some point.

"They sign so many times they can't be sure of every autograph they ever signed," he said. "It just doesn't happen with today's athletes."

There have been many proven cases where an athlete is shown his own autographs and some forgeries on items and when asked to pick their own signature they could not. However there are certain parts of signatures which stand the test.

Chen is one of several autograph expert/sellers who is angry with GAI after seeing what he calls a tremendous amount of bad autographs with GAI approval on eBay. Among the large number of forgeries he suspects are Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson, golfer Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. It is a well known fact Woods has a long standing policy saying he does not sign golf balls. He did when he was in college but he hasn't since he turned pro in 1997.

TBR Contacted the buyer of a GAI certified Tiger Woods golf ball who purchased it on eBay within the last year. Don Beck did not realize Woods did not sign golf balls (he did in college however) like the one he bought and sent us a few photos. He told us at that time he wanted his money back if it wasn't real and expected GAI to stand behind its buy back policy.

(Tiger Woods "signed" golf ball authenticated by Global. The photos were offered to TBR by collector/owner Don Beck.)

Chen called it an obvious fake.

"Nike One Golf balls have only been produced since about 2003 and Tiger stopped signing golf balls after winning the Masters in 1997," said Chen. "I am not aware of a single signed Tiger Woods golf ball for anyone, including UDA, in the last 10 years."

Rocchi admits GAI did mistakenly certify a number of Woods items and once he realized it the company went back into the marketplace and started buying them back.

"We did authenticate some bad Tiger Woods signatures about three years ago and we went out and bought every one of them back with the exception of one or two which we couldn't find," Rocchi told TBR. "We bought back approximately 45 photos and some golf balls."

Dealer Sean Jacoby of Orange County who does private signings and was once a huge GAI dealer says he remembers the Tiger Woods fiasco.

"I know about the Woods situation and I told Steve then 'you have to get rid of that, you have to take care of that,' and he did," said Jacoby who owns American Icon Autographs.

The question remains how, if it's well known Woods does not sign golf balls, could any major third party certifier approve balls supposedly signed by Woods? More importantly perhaps is "who" submitted these to GAI. On the former, Rocchi's explanation is everyone makes mistakes.

"We are the biggest out there and we do the best we can but everyone makes mistakes," he said. "When HBO ran their tests we were one of only two companies to get it right 100 percent."

Rocchi referred to the HBO Real Sports program which detailed the Operation Bullpen sting by the FBI. The FBI ran a series of autographs, good and bad, past several third party authenticators. Nearly all failed to get 100-percent with only two making the perfect grade. Among those tested were PSA and GAI.

"For them to authenticate 45 bad Tiger Woods autographs is outrageous regardless of the fact they bought them back," Chen shot back. "They should have gone public with this when it first happened not tell you about it years later."

Jacoby says he currently uses PSA for about 85-percent of his autograph certification today but it has nothing to do with not trusting GAI. He says it is a matter of economics.

"Simply the PSA stuff draws a much higher premium when we sell it," he said.

GAI is one of the companies approved by eBay for quick opinions and Trust & Safety. T&S is a sort of good housekeeping seal of approval in which eBay says "these guys are okay." Among them are PSA and JSA. It is a solid trust factor and getting this approval is powerful and a tool not to be taken lightly. eBay does not charge a fee for this service to the authenticator. Still eBay is keeping an eye on what is going on and listening to complaints.

"We have heard some discussion about Global Authenticated and it is our intention to investigate these claims further," Nichola Sharpe, a spokesperson for eBay told The Brill Report. "There are a number of authentication firms we recommend and we leave it up to the individual to make a personal choice."

Chen remains concerned since having the eBay seal of approval on the site remains an important part of the equation for collectors and buyers.

"Your average buyer doesn't understand that just because its GAI it just means one company is giving a guess, nothing scientific and eBay is giving them too much power," Chen said.

Rocchi meanwhile says he went to his law enforcement contacts and investigators to see what they base their signature expertise upon and the knowledge he gained he used to help establish his company. It boils down to three main points, disputing the notion it is not scientific.

"It comes down to pressure points, letter formation and spacing, those three are the key," he told TBR. "You change your style of writing 100 times but no one can duplicate your muscle memory. Your arm moves in the same way due to muscle memory and we use that."

Chen's most glaring effort on the abundance of signatures recently is that of Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson had not done a private signing in nearly two years and he not as easy a signer as might be hoped for in regards to his super star status. Chen says there are a large number of LT autographs certified by GAI which he believes are forged and which he says there are far too many on the market to be real.

"I've lived in San Diego since he was drafted and I was one of the first to get him on a mini-helmet and have done so many times, in fact, I'd find it hard to believe anyone on the planet has gotten him more than me," Chen joked. "And I see all these GAI certified LT signatures on mini's and 16 x 20's and they are terrible, no way they are all real."

Jacoby who recently inked Tomlinson to his first sit down private signing in 26 months saw the plethora of LT autographs on eBay as well. Many of them had the GAI COA and he brought it to his old friend Rocchi's attention.

"I spent $5,000 on this stuff and I went to Steve on May 20 and told him I was concerned there some autographs out there that didn't look like the ones I got," Jacoby told The Brill Report. "He was concerned about this and wanted me to sit down and show him the eBay auctions."

Jacoby said since LT had not signed in such a long time there was going to be a lot of "forged product" out there, it's just the nature of the beast. He said from what he saw, combining all the company COA's, private COA's and non-COA signatures, probably 93 out of 100 were forgeries, or didn't come close to what he knew to be authentic.

It should be pointed out getting a signature of a player outside a hotel or at a practice is not going to look exactly like one produced during a private signing. There are characteristics in both however in most cases to determine authenticity.

(Global's new officies in San Clemente, CA)

Rocchi was traveling at the time we contacted him and was unable to provide TBR with the approximate number of Tomlinson autographs GAI has approved. Several attempts at interviews with GAI President Kevin Hammond fell through. We made a request for the numbers for LT GAI COA's as well. These have not been provided.

Rocchi blasted Chen on another issue when the long time dealer said he knew of cases where preferred dealers get blanket approval of autographed lots with a cursory look. Chen believes there are several bulk dealers in autographs who "get a pass" by GAI just by bringing in so much stuff from the same players. These dealers chase autographs but Chen says they have far too many to be real, especially of players he knows don't sign as much as we are led to believe.

One of the dealers we contacted would only speak on condition of anonymity and he denied Chen's claim, adding "everything I have ever brought in gets looked at individually and many I know are real because I got them myself, get rejected because GAI authenticators aren't certain they are good."

Jacoby said the same thing. Although he rarely uses GAI anymore a blanket pass never happened to him. He too had some rejected, even some he saw signed at shows.

"I'll put my authenticators up against anyone," said Rocchi. "We don't authenticate on reputation, or anyone's reputation. If it doesn't fit our exemplars we don't pass it."

Both dealers defended GAI in the strongest terms. One did say he often performed on-site authentication for GAI including items at golf courses he witnessed being signed. It was as a representative with GAI. He says that was several years ago and he no longer performs the service.

There are a number of sellers with what seems to be far too many autographs of key players on eBay. Chen and others do raise questions about these sellers.

"Talkinbaseball7" is a seller with so many autographs it boggles the mind according to Chen. While the company lists just under 3000 current auctions on line it features about 7-percent of it's autographs (checking the first 1100) as GAI. Of the 3000 items the vast majority are cards. GAI certified is a much larger percentage of the actual memorabilia autographs for sale. The company also offers some by PSA.

(LT signed football from American Icon Autographs certified by PSA/DNA and from a private signing.)

As of Friday there were 53 Tomlinson autographed items on eBay certified by GAI including 13 jerseys. In the last 30 days closed auctions showed 40 Tomlinson GAI signed items including 22 jerseys.

The two photos of LT footballs show drastically different signatures on the surface. It would be difficult to make a judgement on the scans however.

(LT signed football from KBAutographs on eBay certified by GAI)

Rocchi defends the large number of GAI certifications on the market saying it has to do with volume and trust.

"Of course more people go through us because we are the biggest autograph authenticator in the business and, we are the only ones who will buy back bad autographs and we are the only ones with a third party guarantee," he said. "Why wouldn't you want our brand on your items."

For now the furor may have died down between Bodenstein and GAI but Bodenstein says he is going to keep a watchful eye.

"I will not be 100-percent satisfied because if they were not sure about something they should not have authenticated it in the first place," said Bodenstein. "I have a big problem that GAI has approved hundreds of items and PSA and JSA have virtually none. How can one company have everything approved and the others don't? I just don't think GAI takes this seriously."

He says he is keeping in touch with his attorneys on the matter and will see what the future holds. For Chen, he says he has no vendetta and in fact has "no dog in this fight at all."

"I am a crusader against GAI purely because I honestly believe they are either corrupt or grossly incompetent," Chen said in an email. "I am not the only one suspicious of GAI as we've seen."

Rocchi meanwhile stands by his product and brand name as well as his authenticators. While it is true mistakes are made, the entire issue raises the question of why there are third party authenticators in the first place when it comes to new player autographs.

"The bottom line is if you didn't see it signed yourself you will never be sure of it's authenticity and remember the third party authenticator can make mistakes so nothing is 100-percent assured," said Dave Rodriguez of Signatures.com. "Having said that there are plenty of good sellers out there who do chase players and celebrities and spend a lot of time getting actual autographs for their customers and for one reason or another (mainly cost) don't get them certified by PSA, JSA, GAI or any other third party authenticator."

TBR doesn't think this issue is over yet, in fact, it's only beginning.

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