Alleged Card Trimmer and Former PSA Employee Mike Souza Exposed— eBay ID= 9999rbush

[Thunderdunk]

Originally Posted by Bruins1993

Do you own any '96 SI #536 Tiger Woods cards?

Originally Posted by rcmb3220

That quote in your post was said by thunderdunk in post 151. Not sure how it got quoted as me saying it.

That is odd how you got quoted in that... I only collect Tiger

[superdan49]

A member here forwarded me these YouTube videos from a 2001 ESPN Outside the Lines episode about this very Tiger Woods card. I figured I'd post them for information/discussion purposes (two parts):

[Onepocketj]

Originally Posted by superdan49

A member here forwarded me these YouTube videos from a 2001 ESPN Outside the Lines episode about this very Tiger Woods card. I figured I'd post them for information/discussion purposes (two parts):

Crazy how prices have risen. Half the prices in the Heritage auction last week beat pretty much all of those.

[auburn35]

Originally Posted by superdan49

A member here forwarded me these YouTube videos from a 2001 ESPN Outside the Lines episode about this very Tiger Woods card. I figured I'd post them for information/discussion purposes (two parts):

Thanks for sharing these. Looks like that PSA article you previously shared, had a photo of the $125,000 Souza card. Wonder why it was removed.
PSA actually has a ruler to measure cards, I'm shocked.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by Onepocketj

Crazy how prices have risen. Half the prices in the Heritage auction last week beat pretty much all of those.

Let's come back next year to see if these prices can be maintained...!

[regularp]

Since Souza has a lot of hand cut cards on his eBay store, how the hell does PSA grade them? I remember these two going up on a PWCC auction earlier in the year:





Look at that garbage.

[Archangel1775]

There isn't anything wrong with Hand Cut cards.....PSA identifies it as a Hand Cut....they were designed to be Hand Cut.....

[corndog]

Originally Posted by regularp

Since Souza has a lot of hand cut cards on his eBay store, how the hell does PSA grade them? I remember these two going up on a PWCC auction earlier in the year:





Look at that garbage.

It does prove that he has the means and know how to perfectly trim cards.

[ken161]

I don't know a lot about this issue, but I thought the "deckle edge" would be a safeguard against tampering. Obviously, it is not. Sadly, it appears nothing is off limits to the card doctors. Anything worth money, especially the big ticket items, and they swoop in like vultures to a fresh carcass.

As far as I'm concerned the grading companies have sunk to new lows by authenticating these re-cut cards. Whether the problem is incompetence or corruption, or perhaps both, I don't know. I look forward to finding out when the dust settles. When that happens, hopefully someone will step up and write an "Operation Bullpen" type of book that chronicles all the massive TPG fraud that's been going on in the hobby the last 20 years.

Not to beat a dead horse, but again kudos to BODA!

Originally Posted by superdan49

This is the 1996 SI for Kids Tiger Woods rookie card that Mike Souza was offering for sale on his 9999rbush eBay account last year and perhaps into this year (the exact time it was taken down is uncertain; the auction has been erased from the web). It has perfect 10,10,10,10 subgrades, making it—in BGS parlance—a "Black Label." Please note that this small image is the only one I could find. If anyone can find a larger-sized copy of this image, I will switch it out.





Notice that Souza put his eBay username, 9999rbush, on the card, and covered up the serial number with his business phone number. It was a Pop 1 card at the time he was selling it. We know that because the eBay auction page still comes up in a Google search, but unfortunately neither Google nor Archive.org have it cached: Tiger Woods 1996 SI For Kids Rookie Beckett BGS 10 Black Label Quad 10 pop 1

Looking in the BGS database, the first of these cards to receive perfect quad 10s was serial number 4190282. I could find no record of this card ever selling before, meaning Souza either graded it himself back in March 2006 or he later acquired it in a private sale:

https://www.beckett.com/grading/card...4190282&flag=1





Anyway, something BO user pip said sparked my investigation into this card:



Following up on pip's tip, I decided to count the number of teeth on Souza's BGS 10 Black Label copy of Tiger Woods's '96 SI for Kids card. Unfortunately, the only image online of this card is small. However, Souza set the card on a mahogany background, which creates superb contrast for seeing the white teeth. I have enlarged the image 300% so you can count with me the horizontal and vertical teeth:





As you can see, on this card there are 28 teeth on the horizontal plane and 39 teeth on the vertical plane.


I then compared that to another example of the same card, also in a BGS holder. The BGS 8 card I selected was picked because its perforations cut into the yellow border of the card above it, leaving a yellow remnant on the Woods card. On cards with this yellow remnant, both Beckett and PSA consider it a knock against the card's centering. Thus, the card doctor would have nothing to gain by doctoring a card with that yellow remnant.

Let me explain further. Below is a photo of an uncut sheet from the November 1996 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. Inserted in this magazine was a nine-card page of cards featuring various sports stars.





The border colors of the cards alternate purple-yellow-purple for the first row of three, then yellow-purple-yellow for the second row, and then back to purple-yellow-purple for the final row. The Tiger Woods card is always the center card. Therefore, Tiger's card has a yellow card bordering each of its cardinal points. If the factory cut perforations are somewhat askew, then some of the yellow from one or two of the adjacent cards ends up on the Woods card after the perforations are torn. That is what occurred here on the top of this particular BGS 8. I am certain this card is a 100% unaltered example:






As you can see, there are 30 teeth on the horizontal plane and 41 teeth on the vertical plane. Notice too that the teeth appear less prominent on the BGS 8 compared with the BGS 10 Black Label. On the BGS 8, as with many other authentic examples of this card, there are also irregular-looking paper pieces remaining in the corners from tearing the card away from the others. These chads, seen in the two upper corners, are not teeth, but sometimes they are adjacent to a tooth.


So, to recap, the BGS 10 Black Label '96 SI for Kids Tiger Woods card has 28 teeth on the horizontal plane and 39 teeth on the vertical plane, whereas the BGS 8 '96 SI for Kids Tiger Woods card has 30 teeth on the horizontal plane and 41 teeth on the vertical plane. How can we explain this? For help, I turned to BO member Calculusdork, a mutliple-time winner of the Topps's Ginter code promotion. Heck, they even made a card for him in the 2015 Allen & Ginter set to celebrate his codebreaking skills! Here is what he said about this SI Kids Tiger Woods card:



The BGS 8, with its 30 horizontal (or short side, as Calculusdork put it) teeth and 41 vertical (long side) teeth, fits perfectly within these calculations. But why then does the BGS 10 Black Label card only have 28 horizontal and 39 vertical teeth? The answer is it was trimmed on all four sides. Back to Calculusdork:



In sum, based on Calculusdork's calculations, I believe the left and right edges of the '96 SI for Kids Tiger Woods BGS 10 Black Label card was trimmed approximately 5/64", while the top and bottom edges were trimmed a little less than 3/64". The question then is how does one recreate the perforations after trimming the edges. That sounds complicated, right? The solution is actually easier than one might think. There are numerous such precision devices on the market. Here is one such device that received good ratings: https://www.binding101.com/score-ii-...erfing-machine


And here is a photo of the type of blades used by this machine:



Please note that for many of these devices, you can buy blades of all different sizes depending on the perforation gauge you desire for your project.


Now to look at the BGS 10 population numbers of this card in detail. As of today, BGS has graded 707 examples of the 1996 SI for Kids Tiger Woods card, awarding Pristine 10 grades to 14 of them. Two of those 14 are perfect quad 10s, later given a Black Label by Beckett, including the Souza copy discussed here. Of those 14 pristine cards, 13 were originally graded between January 2005 and March 2007 (two were later reviewed by Beckett and bumped up from BGS 9.5 Gem Mint, but those two were first graded within the stated time frame). The Souza BGS 10 Black Label shows a grading date of March 23, 2006, right in the middle of this hot period. Of course the Black Label itself did not exist in 2006, so this card was reholdered as a Black Label at a later date.


Beckett has been grading this card from 2001-2019. Over this 18 year period, why were 92.9% of the BGS 10 Pristine grades awarded during this narrow two-year window? I am of the opinion that many, if not most of the BGS 10 Pristine Tiger Woods cards graded from January 2005 to March 2007 were trimmed and re-perforated, just as the BGS 10 Black Label card here was.


I'll leave this investigation here for now, but there are many unanswered questions:

1) Who submitted for grading the BGS 10 Black Label that Mike Souza was selling on eBay? Was it Souza or another party?
2) Did Beckett catch on to this scam in early 2007?
3) Did the card doctors who trimmed these cards then move on to PSA, SGC, or another grading company to get their trimmed Tiger Woods cards certified?

Remember, if the card does not have either 30-31 teeth on its vertical surface and 40-41 teeth on its horizontal surface, then I would strongly recommend you avoid this card.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by pip

Some comments:

Beckett graders are both compromised and incompetent. Anyone who is considering purchasing a BVG/BGS 10 from them of any substantial value should think twice.

Agreed. At the National, I had quite a few people come to my booth wanting to sell/trade a BGS 10 card. I told each and everyone of them that I do not place a premium on the "Pristine 10" and that I'd give them PSA 10 value (I also looked the card over myself and had a machinist's ruler with me). They looked at me like I just told them I was from Mars. I tried explaining that I'm not trying to be a jerk but the reality is it's a made-up designation. Not surprisingly, they did not trade or sell to me.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Agreed. At the National, I had quite a few people come to my booth wanting to sell/trade a BGS 10 card. I told each and everyone of them that I do not place a premium on the "Pristine 10" and that I'd give them PSA 10 value (I also looked the card over myself and had a machinist's ruler with me). They looked at me like I just told them I was from Mars. I tried explaining that I'm not trying to be a jerk but the reality is it's a made-up designation. Not surprisingly, they did not trade or sell to me.

Everyone should be doing this!

[pip]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Agreed. At the National, I had quite a few people come to my booth wanting to sell/trade a BGS 10 card. I told each and everyone of them that I do not place a premium on the "Pristine 10" and that I'd give them PSA 10 value (I also looked the card over myself and had a machinist's ruler with me). They looked at me like I just told them I was from Mars. I tried explaining that I'm not trying to be a jerk but the reality is it's a made-up designation. Not surprisingly, they did not trade or sell to me.

Beckett enjoys trust and popularity mostly due to its "good" name. Dr. James Beckett revolutionized the industry with his yearly price guides and later, his monthly magazines. Long before graded cards, Beckett became the standard for determining value. But that legacy is long gone, the company has changed ownership multiple times and what is left is a mere shadow of the original.

The current value of Beckett graded cards is based on the false premise that Beckett grading has maintained the same precision and ethical standards it once had when Dr. James Beckett was the owner.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by pip

Beckett enjoys trust and popularity mostly due to its "good" name. Dr. James Beckett revolutionized the industry with his yearly price guides and later, his monthly magazines. Long before graded cards, Beckett became the standard for determining value. But that legacy is long gone, the company has changed ownership multiple times and what is left is a mere shadow of the original.



The current value of Beckett graded cards is based on the false premise that Beckett grading has maintained the same precision and ethical standards it once had when Dr. James Beckett was the owner.

For that matter, *baseball cards* enjoy trust and popularity due to its “good” name.

Even if that trust has become greatly misplaced over time.

[JrFinest]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Agreed. At the National, I had quite a few people come to my booth wanting to sell/trade a BGS 10 card. I told each and everyone of them that I do not place a premium on the "Pristine 10" and that I'd give them PSA 10 value (I also looked the card over myself and had a machinist's ruler with me). They looked at me like I just told them I was from Mars. I tried explaining that I'm not trying to be a jerk but the reality is it's a made-up designation. Not surprisingly, they did not trade or sell to me.

Have to draw a line some where. I agree 100%

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Agreed. At the National, I had quite a few people come to my booth wanting to sell/trade a BGS 10 card. I told each and everyone of them that I do not place a premium on the "Pristine 10" and that I'd give them PSA 10 value (I also looked the card over myself and had a machinist's ruler with me). They looked at me like I just told them I was from Mars. I tried explaining that I'm not trying to be a jerk but the reality is it's a made-up designation. Not surprisingly, they did not trade or sell to me.

The "Pristine" grade never made any sense logically. How could a card be higher than a 10? What does that make the regular 10? Obviously not a 10 if there is a better card out there. The whole idea is stupid and probably thought up in a boardroom brainstorming session by some marketing grad.

[Batpig]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

The "Pristine" grade never made any sense logically. How could a card be higher than a 10? What does that make the regular 10? Obviously not a 10 if there is a better card out there. The whole idea is stupid and probably thought up in a boardroom brainstorming session by some marketing grad.

Next up, 11. Same as a pristine, but large enough that it is possibly not trimmed.

[1989FF]

Insert your own trimming/border joke here_____________________

[ifish73]

Originally Posted by Batpig

Next up, 11. Same as a pristine, but large enough that it is possibly not trimmed.

[superdan49]

I'm going to keep this page updated as I track down images of the other BGS 10 Tiger Woods cards. I've created this chart to help test my hypothesis that many (if not most) of the BGS 10 Tiger Woods cards graded between 1/05 and 3/07 have been re-perforated.

[auburn35]

From the ones shared in the thread
4378100 - teeth 28/40
4301989 - teeth 28/39
4687181 - teeth 28/39
4132695 -- teeth 30/42

[auburn35]

4360204 - teeth 28/40
https://www.ebay.com/i/183776258195?...4aAtIREALw_wcB

4265509 - teeth 28/40
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...-rc-1731682659

[superdan49]

These two were posted previously. I have added numbers to count the horizontal and vertical teeth. I believe they are both re-perforated.



Sold on 8/10/19 at Goldin Auctions
https://goldinauctions.com/1996__S_I...-LOT51703.aspx





Currently for sale on eBay from seller cardguy444
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-Tiger-.../193045850592?




Note that the BGS 10 currently for sale from Cardguy444 was once a BGS 9.5 that Beckett bumped up to a BGS 10. BGS only lists the "bump" date, which was May 26, 2011. Based on its serial number, it was graded in late 2006. I believe all BGS 9.5 Gem Mint examples of this card from 2005-07 also should be examined for re-perforation and many are also likely altered.

[superdan49]

Originally Posted by auburn35

4360204 - teeth 28/40
https://www.ebay.com/i/183776258195?...4aAtIREALw_wcB

4265509 - teeth 28/40
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...-rc-1731682659

I'll mark these up and add them later. Interesting that the PWCC BGS 10 does not appear in their Auction Archive.


And just for the record, this is the Tiger Woods that we witness the kid and his father extract from a magazine in the Outside the Lines episode from above. They then bring it to the 2001 NSCC and PSA grades it a PSA 9 on site. ESPN does not show a full shot of the card, but the top edge is clearly visible at the 2:25 mark of Part 2. There are 30 teeth on that horizontal surface, which is correct. Green arrows point to the corner chads which remain from removal. These BGS 10 re-perforated cards each have 28 teeth and no corner chads.

[auburn35]

Originally Posted by superdan49

These two were posted previously. I have added numbers to count the horizontal and vertical teeth. I believe they are both re-perforated.



Sold on 8/10/19 at Goldin Auctions
https://goldinauctions.com/1996__S_I...-LOT51703.aspx





Currently for sale on eBay from seller cardguy444
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1996-Tiger-.../193045850592?




Note that the BGS 10 currently for sale from Cardguy444 was once a BGS 9.5 that Beckett bumped up to a BGS 10. BGS only lists the "bump" date, which was May 26, 2011. Based on its serial number, it was graded in late 2006. I believe all BGS 9.5 Gem Mint examples of this card from 2005-07 also should be examined for re-perforation and many are also likely altered.

Cardguy444 also had the top one (4378100) that sold via Goldin Auctions
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...s-10-429630962

[HarryLime]

I dig the idea of a Pristine 10 grade. Gem Mint still allows quite a bit of imperfection, including 60/40 centering on front, tiny imperfections in one corner, a surface issue that doesn't take away from the overall eye appeal, bad back centering, etc.

Why shouldn't a card, no matter how infrequently it occurs, that shows up and is in perfect condition -- just 50/50 centering, perfect corners, perfect surface, perfect everything -- carry a premium?

Now, granted, BGS pooed their roos with their attempt at it but I still think it's a viable device if done properly.

Arthur