VOLUME 2, NO. 197
**HOT**BUTTON**STORY**
(TOM SEAVER DOESN'T WHINE OVER WINE!!!)
** MIKE GARDNER FIRED AT TOPPS
** HERITAGE TO AUCTION DB COOPER $$$
** DEALER BLASTS AUTHENTICATORS
** GEHRIG GAME USED UP FOR BID
** GAI NEW INNOVATION; DIGITAL SCANS FOR $10
** JAKKS GETS GLADIATORS CONTRACT
** ANGELS DO A YARD SALE
** DEALER COMMENTS
DETAILS ON THESE STORIES AND MORE IN TODAY'S TBR: THE BRILL REPORT....
====================
(MIKE GARDNER OUT AT TOPPS)
Just days before the Krause Hawaii Stateside Conference in Phoenix, one of the more high profile executives in the industry has gotten the axe. The Brill Report has learned Mike Gardner, head of hobby sales for Topps the past several years got the word late last week he was out.
(Mike Gardner while at Upper Deck.)
Calls were placed to Gardner for comment, and to Topps for comment but neither could be reached before publication. A closely placed source told TBR Gardner was being replaced but no announcement has been made. Topps traditionally, under the old regime, gave good severance packages to laid off executives so until he finds another position in the industry Gardner should do okay.
Gardner left a similar position at Donruss around three years ago to go to Topps, the longest standing card maker in the business. Previously he was with Upper Deck as director of Hobby Sales.
Always outspoken and energetic Gardner led the charge for strong high end products at Topps when the company was having problems producing more expensive card products with value. Products at Donruss while he was there were considered some of the best in the industry as well as those made during his time at UD.
Whether Gardner remains in the industry, which has only three major card makers and since he's worked at all three, is up in the air. Gardner lives in Southern California.
===================
(HERITAGE TO AUCTION DB COOPER CASH)
A few of the bills left behind by hijacker DB Cooper will go to auction in June according to Heritage Auctions out of Dallas. The bills were discovered by a young boy many years ago and now that young boy wants to raise some cash for his children's education.
Cooper, whose real name was Dan Cooper, was the mastermind of the only unsolved skyjacking in U-S history. He convinced authorities to give him $200,000 in cash and a parachute in exchange for his hostages back in 1971. He later jumped from the plane over the Oregon border on his way to Mexico. No body was ever found. Only recently was a parachute discovered and authorities are trying to figure out if it was the one given to Cooper.
Brian Ingram was only 8 when he found the stash of bills totaling nearly $6,000. Now he's a dad of 36, with kids to send to college and he's going to auction off some of the bills. They were returned to him from the FBI after the government confiscated them and kept only 13 of them. Some of the bills were only partially in tact.
Heritage estimates the bills could sell individually from $100 to thousands depending on demand. He is offering only 15 of the bills through Heritage.
===================
(DEALER NOT HAPPY WITH CURRENT AUTHENTICATORS)
When Rich Solis (pron: Solace) owner of R&S Sports Collectibles in Santa Clara, California, emailed The Brill Report, he was more than upset. His pet peeve was the story regarding Justin Priddy, who left his post as chief authenticator of GAI and started his own service. In particular his comments were aimed at Priddy's and others' in the industry's statements regarding Forensics Experts and the authenticators own lack of schooling in the authentication field.
(GAI Authenticated item.)
We talked to Solis to give him his chance to pitch his line and were as surprised to listen to his views, as he was to hear back from us.
"Well, I never thought you would call," he said when TBR contacted him. "I'm surprised."
We were shocked at his own statements as many in the hobby will be.
"I do back two of the most controversial authenticators in our industry, both Mr. Frangipani and Chris Morales," he said.
"You are a supporter of Don Frangipani?" TBR asked.
"Yes, I am," was the answer.
Frangipani is usually despised by many in the hobby. Most comments state "just pay him and he'll certify anything." HBO's Real Sports took their shots at him and even eBay has banned his Certificates of Authenticity. A New York based Forensics Examiner he continues to work in his field but is generally considered persona non grata in the hobby, as are most FE's.
For the most part FE's, despite their schooling, expertise and testing compare items for courts and examine handwriting samples to testify about whether they were written by the hand they were purported to be. There are many who are trusted, others who are not. Overall, the hobby itself has widely rejected the FE as an authenticator.
(JSA Approved baseball.)
"I'm upset from the standpoint of it is more of the same incomplete and inaccurate rhetoric which is constantly out there when it comes to the hobby's view of forensic experts," he told TBR. "I know factually what is involved and what it takes to evaluate a signature."
Solis admits he is not an FE nor does he have the training but he has sat in with Frangipani and studied him. He feels this has given him a good idea of what is the correct procedure and he blasts Priddy, PSA and James Spence who is the most respected authenticator in the hobby.
"I've seen them all, Spence, Justin and it's really a shame this is allowed to go on," he said. "And then they come after the forensic experts."
Solis admits a bone to pick, as he has been angered when one of his items was deemed a forgery and upon asking the third party authenticators, they refused to explain specifically what the reasons were. Most today use a generic form which states the rejection was for one of several reasons "stated below." It is much like the letter you get when a credit card company lowers your credit line; you get several reasons why they made the decision they made. Pick one or two.
Alerts on Frangipani's own web site blast both Spence and PSA/DNA. Neither Spence nor PSA do the same toward Frangipani. Spence, GAI and Spence are all approved by eBay, as mentioned before Frangipani is not. Spence is considered the most reliable in the business along with PSA.
Solis doesn't believe the FBI either when it shows the warehouse full of items the bureau says was forged by the Marino family, the largest forgery ring in the history of the country.
"When you look at all this stuff that is in a the warehouse and it was done by the Marino's it's hard for me to believe they were that good at that many signatures," Solis said firmly. "It's easy to take credit but what about the stuff that was legitimate, that were incorporated into the forgeries?"
A key complaint is the rejection of items signed in a Sharpie Pen coming back as forged due to incorrect pen pressure.
(Photo from Frangipani web site)
"The only way you get pen pressure with a Sharpie is only two things happen; the line thickens and the amount of ink to start the signature would be a blob of ink," he claims. "When you pressure a Sharpie it thickens."
Both of the key authenticators in the industry state they have seen so many of the fakes and the variations of fakes, and they've seen another huge batch of the real things, it's not hard to take a cursory look and know for sure whether it is good or bad. Solis claims that isn't good enough while most hobby experts believe it is especially with vintage signatures.
Solis blasted Priddy because he asked him to see his exemplars, his book of good and bad autograph versions. When TBR stated few people would ever show anything like this because they are trade secrets, Solis disputed the point agreeing to disagree on the subject.
TBR welcomes view points which support or differ with the opinions displayed in this article and will print reasonable length comments as long as name and city are supplied with the email
====================
(TOM SEAVER WINES ONLY A LITTLE BIT)
"A lot of the same things I do here are the same things I did when I was pitching," said Seaver. "Paying attention to detail, you get in the clubhouse the first year and ask the veterans where can I improve, etc., which is exactly the same things I do with my wine maker and the vineyard manager."
MAB Celebrity Services represents Seaver in this venture and is selling the stuff on a first come, first served basis. Call 973-808-1740 if you are interested or go to their web site. The company also represents Bruce Sutter and Carlton Fisk among others.
====================
(GEHRIG'S CAP GOING TO AUCTION)
First it was the Scooter's cap with gum on it, now Leland's is putting a Lou Gehrig game used cap up for auction in June. The cap is a genuine Spaulding with the "7 1/8 L. Gehrig" inside.
(Gehrig cap to highlight Leland's auction in June.)
"You don't have to tell me that game worn Gehrig items are extremely hard to come by," said Joshua Evans, head of Leland's. "We are proud to offer this relic from one of the all time Yankee greats to our customers."
The item will be shown in the June catalog. According to experts it was worn during Gehrig's streak of 2131 consecutive games played. Two other items of very high profile going up are a handwritten letter by Eddie Plank the HOF pitcher and Jim Thorpe's track and field Hall of Fame ring.
===================
(DEALER TAKES ON VARIOUS ISSUES)
Here are a few comments from dealers around the country regarding issues raised by TBR and their responses, unsolicited, via email.
"Regarding the newest Beckett format on pricing this will not fly. Beckett needed to start at least at the start of the century, 2000! We are all in a recession now and Beckett wants the public to spend $20 on both the monthly and the Plus issues to get it all. I will get stuck with at least half my magazines."
Neil Osina, Best Variety, Los Angeles (44 years in business)
***********
====================
(GAI WEBSITE BACK UP AND WITH NEW DIGITAL AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM)
It was bound to happen someone would offer autograph authentication via digital image. Global, GAI, is the first to offer this pre-test in the industry. The idea is for $10 you can send them a digital image of the autograph you wish to authenticate. If it comes back "bad" then you've only lost $10 and didn't have to package anything up. If it comes back "good" then you can send it in for the regular authentication system.
(Steve Sipe is now the lead authenticator for GAI.)
"The digital review provides you with rapid analysis of your collectibles by Global Authentication," states the web site. "Instead of taking time to pack, insure and ship a collection of items with no clear guarantee on whether they are authentic we offer this first step in taking some of the risk out of verifying your goods."
The move is the first real innovation in the authentication field and you can expect the others to at least look into following this lead. So many people feel if their item comes back not genuine they have wasted money and in a sense they are right. This particular system takes the element out of the equation for a mere $10.
====================
(GLOBAL WON'T AUTHENTICATE THREE PLAYERS)
Based on a story TBR did last year GAI no longer authenticates David Wright autographs. The company made an agreement with the player's agent when the agent balked the company was certifying autographs they believed not to be real. Now according to the GAI web site there are two other players the company has agreed not to certify. The two are NHL star Sidney Crosby and NFL linebacker, Brian Urlacher. The web site does not mention why.
====================
(JAKKS GETS LICENSE FOR AMERICAN GLADIATORS)
MGM Consumer Products division inked a deal with toymaker Jakks Pacific to license the toy line of American Gladiators. The deal covers not only action figures but outdoor toys and accessories. It also features classic and current lines of the AG Series run.
====================
(DODGERS REALIZE AUTOGRAPHS INSIDE STADIUM ARE IMPORTANT)
It only took one homestand into the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers to realize free autographs at the ball park are really important for fans. The club has for the past few years had a section where a couple of players would stand before the game down the right field line and sign. This year they chose to block that off for whatever reason. Now they have reinstated it. Obviously fans let them know.
"I don't even want to go anymore if they are going to do that to us fans," said long time fan and collector Tony before the ban was lifted. "That made it fun, getting to meet the players with my boy and getting autographs, but no longer."
A team executive said there was a lot of criticism of the new rule. Just like the criticism above.
==========================
(ANGELS HOLD YARD SALE OF JERSEYS)
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim held what the club called "a yard sale" Saturday before the game. Among the items were game used jerseys, banners, helmets, T-Shirts, books, and programs. The money went to the Angels Baseball Foundation, a charitable cause.
The sale started at 9 a.m. for season ticket holders and 10 for the general public. All items had to be paid for on the spot and in cash.
======================
