“Buyer Beware… is a relevant warning across any transaction, be they monetary or not, as you always want to make sure, to the best of your ability, that you’re getting what you are being “sold…. This is part of the social and business contract, no? You give me this, I give you that. While this is certainly the ideal, we’re all hip to the fact that many exchanges do not adhere to this standard, whether intentionally or as a result of innocent oversights, and in the end someone is going to be feeling a bit burnt.
To say that there have been a few burnt customers in the sports memorabilia market would be a huge understatement. Indeed, this is an economy that has been driven in part through the exchange of empty promises over the years. Be they counterfeit autographs, cards, equipment or outright mislabeled items, there has always been a significant market share of knock off pieces floating around. It is for this very reason that collectors have to be on top of things when looking to drop money on anything. A healthy skepticism will serve one well in this hobby as it keeps you safe, plain and simple. At the end of the day, there are a number of preventative measures one can take (i.e., Buy from reputable dealers; Get the autograph yourself; Have items evaluated/graded before purchasing; Have samples for comparison; etc…) that can lower the chances of being hosed on a deal.
All this being said, there will be times when, despite having covered your bases, things go bad. Case in point: the fallout from the London Knights sale of a Mitch Marner jersey. The purchaser, Scott Galbraith, alleged in August of 2016 that the London Knights, rather than providing him with the game-used Mitch Marner jersey he won through a CHL auction, gave him a new jersey that had been doctored to appear as though it had been. While this case was settled out of court shortly after the allegations arose, the suspicions cast on the Knights organization led to other collectors scrutinizing their purchases more closely, and brought forward further allegations, including being sold game worn jerseys:
- for players who were playing for another organization at the time the jersey was authenticated as having been worn
- authenticated as being used in the Memorial Cup when that style of jersey was not worn
- that appeared to be in pristine condition when the player’s style was not conducive to it being in such condition
Furthermore, a former London Knights retail store worker brought forward allegations that doctoring of new jerseys by throwing pucks at them to create the appearance of being game-worn reportedly occurred during his employment.
For the nitty gritty on the stories, head to the original Mitch Marner jersey story and the more recent aftermath beyond Marner that will continue to play out. Bottom line here: while going straight to the source for one’s memorabilia remains a solid way to reduce the chance of purchasing fraudulent items, we can see that, should the aforementioned allegations prove correct, it is not sufficient to prevent it. So the key? Avoid blind faith. There is no fool proof method for ensuring the authenticity of any piece outside of being there to witness the handover or get the signature. Barring the ability to do this, the more safeguards you build into the process, the more certainty you can have. Be vigilant…
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past... ______________________________________________________________________
Shawn Gates
shawn.gates@hockeybuzz.com
Facebook: Shawn Gates _________________________________________________________________________
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