PWCC Altered Cards Callout Thread - 1952 Topps Mantle etc

[shagrotn77]

Are those ‘14 or ‘15 Cobbs? The labels say one of each. Either way, yikes!

[corndog]

deleted - already found by 312

[SetBuilder]

Originally Posted by shagrotn77

Are those ‘14 or ‘15 Cobbs? The labels say one of each. Either way, yikes!

The back is upside down so it’s a 1915.

Not only did PSA miss the alteration, they mislabeled the card.

[corndog]

PSA Cert #21588629

1948 Leaf Ralph Kiner RC #91

Value gain of $780.55

This card was purchased by whitman111 (Gary Moser) from Ebay seller smg79 as a PSA-6 on April 17, 2013 for $175.00.
VCP link: https://vintagecardprices.com/card/b...=&limit=999999
Same card was sold by PWCC (Brent and Betsy Huigens) as a PSA-8 for $955.55 on December 02, 2014.
PWCC Marketplace link: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1055085

Yellow circles are print or fiber identifiers.
Red boxes identify trimmed left and right edges. No back image supplied from PSA 6 sale.

[dfr52]

Originally Posted by corndog

PSA Cert #19606410

1948 Leaf Leroy Zimmerman #32

Value gain of $195.61

This card was purchased by whitman111 (Gary Moser) from Ebay seller just_collect as a PSA-5.5 on March 04, 2012 for $31.51.
VCP link: https://vintagecardprices.com/card/f.../87264/PSA/5.5
Same card was sold by PWCC (Brent and Betsy Huigens) as a PSA-8 for $227.20 on July 25, 2016.
PWCC Marketplace link: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1312838

Yellow circles are print or fiber identifiers.
Red boxes identify trimmed left and right edges. No back image supplied from PSA 5.5 sale.

Another one that either sat after being regraded or sold privately and made its way to PWCC later on.

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by dfr52

Another one that either sat after being regraded or sold privately and made its way to PWCC later on.

They sat. If you go start tracing these (like I did with the entire set-- I have likely already posted all of these 48 Leafs being posted now), you will see that on many occasions since 2011/2012 through 2019, PWCC posted "some of the finest runs of 48 Leaf", "almost complete high grade sets", blah, blah, blah. Almost all of these groupings of cards were 100% Moser cards that had extremely large variation on grading date. Some were very recent and others were graded long ago.

[pspa123]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

PSA Cert# 41478699

Card: 1921 Exhibits, Geo. H. "Babe" Ruth.

Alterations: Bleached.

• Yellow circles are the common print marks/flaws between both cards.

• Blue boxes show the stains removed on the front and back of the card.

This exhibit was purchased by an unknown buyer known as h***h, who proceeded to clean the stains on the front, and completely bleach off the triangular mount stains on the back. Those stains remain barely visible in the "after" scan, and it's not just a case of scanner settings. The scan on the PSA 4 is a bit darker, yet the back is much whiter. I believe only a chemical cleaning agent could have caused such considerable whitening. The job resulted in a 1 grade bump that amounted to a sizeable gain. This is the first exhibit card discovered in this thread.


Sold by PWCC (as a PSA 3) on May 7, 2017 for $2,488 to eBay buyer ID masked as h***h.

Re-sold by PWCC (as a PSA 4) on October 14, 2018 for $5,327.77.

Gain: $2,839.77

Links:
Before: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1485338
After: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1806102


Fronts:


Backs:

There are a couple of markings in the middle of the back of the 4 that don't appear to be there on the 3. Otherwise they obviously appear to be the same card, but how to explain those markings?

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

They sat. If you go start tracing these (like I did with the entire set-- I have likely already posted all of these 48 Leafs being posted now), you will see that on many occasions since 2011/2012 through 2019, PWCC posted "some of the finest runs of 48 Leaf", "almost complete high grade sets", blah, blah, blah. Almost all of these groupings of cards were 100% Moser cards that had extremely large variation on grading date. Some were very recent and others were graded long ago.

Flooding the market too quickly with too many high-grade examples would have raised suspicions?

[superdan49]

PSA Cert #:41004579

1951 Topps Ringside #32 Rocky Marciano SGC 5.5 to PSA 7
Alteration types: Trimmed

Sold on 12/20/2017 as a SGC 5.5 by eBay seller Probstein123 to whitman111 (Gary Moser's eBay ID) for $264.00
Consigned to PWCC and sold on 10/29/2018 as a PSA 8 for $661.00
Final price: $661.00
Value gain: $397.00


This is yet another trimmed '51 Topps Ringside found by the same anonymous tipster. The SGC 5.5 card had a slight diamond cut, which was eliminated when Gary Moser sliced the edges, as highlighted in green. The light blue circles on back show paper fibers and/or print marks that allow us to say with certainty that the images are of the same card.



SGC 5.5: https://vintagecardprices.com/card/b.../101425/SGC/70
PSA 7: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1820722

[3124508 on COMC]

PSA should be measuring perpendicularity.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

PSA should be measuring perpendicularity.

PSA should be [[many, many things that they're not doing]].

[pip]

One might easily get the impression that this could go on indefinitely. Just one blatantly altered card after another. No wonder PSA is under FBI investigation. Does anyone think this is accidental?

[pip]

One of my friends tells me that Betsy has recently told customers who were concerned about the PWCC grading scandal that it was all over. According to her, PWCC has made good on the several hundred cards that were altered or trimmed and that they were back to business as usual.

[superdan49]

PSA Cert #:23140469

1948 Leaf #64 Frank Seno PSA 6 to PSA 7
Alteration types: Trimmed

Sold on 9/17/2013 as a PSA 6 by eBay seller probstein123 eBay user _***u (an unknown masked ID) for $118.05
Consigned to PWCC and sold on 3/24/2019 as a PSA 7 for $235.50
Final price: $235.50
Value gain: $117.45


This is another 1948 Leaf football card that was trimmed, then graded, and finally sold through PWCC. However, the PSA 6 buyer's masked eBay ID is _***u. Whitman111, Gary Moser's eBay ID, is masked as w***1 in Vintage Card Prices.

Most intriguingly, this card is from a PSA submission that includes a Bob Murphy PSA 8.5 card outed as trimmed from Mile High Card Company's break of the #3 ranked 1951 Topps Ringside on the PSA Set Registry. The blog Haul of Shame alleges that Gary Moser was a source for a majority of the cards that comprised that tainted set. As always, the plot thickens.



PSA 6: https://vintagecardprices.com/card/f...64/87234/PSA/6
PSA 7: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1932430









If anyone has any information on the full user name and/or identity of _***u, please post here or contact me.

[pspa123]

Originally Posted by pip

One of my friends tells me that Betsy has recently told customers who were concerned about the PWCC grading scandal that it was all over. According to her, PWCC has made good on the several hundred cards that were altered or trimmed and that they were back to business as usual.

Priceless. Pass the peroxide, please.

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by shagrotn77

Are those ‘14 or ‘15 Cobbs? The labels say one of each. Either way, yikes!

Only one comment on this?! OMG PSA! If your research team can't differentiate between '14 and '15 Cracker Jacks there are serious issues in your company.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Originally Posted by pip

One of my friends tells me that Betsy has recently told customers who were concerned about the PWCC grading scandal that it was all over. According to her, PWCC has made good on the several hundred cards that were altered or trimmed and that they were back to business as usual.

“Scandal” isn’t really the right word to use, outright “fraud” is a much better word.

If anything is truly over (I’m sure few here really believe it is), it’s only because they got CAUGHT!

[pspa123]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Only one comment on this?! OMG PSA! If your research team can't differentiate between '14 and '15 Cracker Jacks there are serious issues in your company.

The clerical error bothers me less than not detecting the whitening.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by pip

One of my friends tells me that Betsy has recently told customers who were concerned about the PWCC grading scandal that it was all over. According to her, PWCC has made good on the several hundred cards that were altered or trimmed and that they were back to business as usual.

If true, Betsy really isn’t as bright as I thought she was.

[Saraste]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

If true, Betsy really isn’t as bright as I thought she was.

If it is true, it is probably another attempt at putting lipstick on a pig.

[pspa123]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

If true, Betsy really isn’t as bright as I thought she was.

Nothing inconsistent about being bright and utterly disingenuous.

[mjohnatgt]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Only one comment on this?! OMG PSA! If your research team can't differentiate between '14 and '15 Cracker Jacks there are serious issues in your company.

I found 5 MLB pin reprints they graded as authentic 1969 issues, including three Mantles, when Mantle wasn't even in the original set.
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=272319

But yes, the upside down back is a dead giveaway for the 1915 set, which was made that way so the cards would be facing the correct direction as you thumbed through the set in the binder that the mailaways came with.

[pip]

Originally Posted by SetBuilder

When a chemical like this is applied to a nearly 100-year old, extremely thin piece of paper stock, it seriously and permanently alters its integrity. In the near future, this card will begin to show signs of serious degradation. At some point it will begin to disintegrate within the holder. This is wanton and malicious destruction. The type of person who would do something like this doesn't give a sh*t about the hobby.

[pspa123]

Until recently he sure pretended to be all about the good of the hobby, though. Tenets, indeed. Or in keeping with my calling him the Wizard of Oswego, tenets and assets and vaults, oh my.

[SetBuilder]

PSA Cert# 25932807

Card: 1911 M110 Sporting Life Cabinets, Honus Wagner.

Alterations: Bleached.

• Yellow circles are the common print marks/flaws between both cards.

• Blue boxes show the stains removed on the front of the card.

This cabinet card received extensive treatment to remove surface stains known as “foxing.” These stains appear on the surface as reddish-brown spots scattered all along the borders. Foxing is thought by experts to be caused by a combination of fungal growth due to improper storage, and the reaction of said fungus with various substances in the paper pulp. The removal of these stains requires professional intervention with specialized chemicals. It is unclear what kind of treatment this cabinet card received, and if that treatment would be considered safe by professional conservators. All in all, this card resulted in a monetary loss for the card doctor.

Sold by Heritage Auctions (as an SGC 30/2) on May 14, 2016 for $5,975 to an unknown buyer.

Description: "Graded SGC 30 Good 2. The back is clean. The front shows light creases and pattern soiling. The four outer tips have trivial amounts of wear." (HA mentions the foxing as "pattern soiling.”)

Then sold by PWCC (as a PSA 2) on November 8, 2016 for $5,677.88.

Description: "The offered '2' represents one of the finest examples in the hobby and boasts eye appeal greater than the technical grade suggests. Very well framed with outstanding edges and corners for the grade. The color and clarity are fantastic for a card being well over 100 years old. Several faint creases throughout the card and faint wisps of surface wear are all that prevent a higher assessment. (Absolutely no mention of soiling or staining.)

Loss: $297.12

Links:
Before: https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball/1...umbnail-071515
After: https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/items/1379014

Fronts:


Backs:


Close-up of stains: