For anyone that wants to have a good laugh at MW
mikeschmidt
Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭
<< <i>Comments
Dan,
Thank you for setting aside the false rumors and personal attacks that were festering on the Collectors Universe Forum. PSA tactics no longer surprise me. It has become standard operating procedure for PSA and their chat boards to support personal attacks and false allegations against anyone who speaks out against PSA.
Last week, for instance, after my allegations L=on the SGC forum]http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=cards&Number=262569&Forum=All_Forums&Words=693&Match=Username&Searchpage=2&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=257060&Search=true#Post262569[/L] that the PSA 8 T206 Wagner was trimmed, I received an anonymous and threatening letter in the mail. The content was brimming with lies and false allegations and the writer threatened to concoct additional falsehoods about me and the cards that I sold if I continued to post information about the Wagner. In essence, PSA was trying to blackmail me with salaciously skewed information. It is truly sad that this is the way that PSA has chosen to handle itself rather than correcting the many problems that exist within its OWN business.
Also, I think that this should serve as a warning to anyone who chooses to do business with PSA. It has been my first hand experience that they're one of the most treacherous, dishonest, backstabbing and self-serving companies in the entire hobby. As both Dan and I well know -- submit to them at your own risk.
>>
The post can be found here.
Obviously, threats are not a laughing matter. However, other elements of MW's post seem to be. I fail to understand how the alleged threatening letter is tied to PSA -- yet MW seems to be tie every element of this letter back to PSA's purported treacherous, dishonest and backstabbing business policies.
I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
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Comments
He is such a homer that it's not even funny.
I cannot believe SGC doesn't put him on the payroll as head cheerleader.
I do appreciate the entertainment value though. It is simply priceless. I just hope nobody gets assaulted at another baseball card convention.
Does he honestly believe what he's saying ?
Or, does he not really believe what he's saying, but saying it anyway ?
I can't decide which would be sadder ...
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"
Loves me some shiny!
Regards,
Alan
Serious question:
Can someone post a link to where anyone in our cult attacked his reputation? Was a card of this importance not
shipped registered insured so that it could be tracked?
I feel horrible for this guy. It sounds like the "hobby" has been one terrible experience after another for him.
I honestly don't understand the connection between the Magie and the cards being stolen at the show.
Is PSA somehow responsible for the theft?
Regards,
Alan
I am not nearly that deep...if there's a connection to American Psycho it's a coincidence. Please explain it to me since I haven't seen the flick.
I was just joking with Marc...since he's at Harvard Business School.
Regards,
Alan
<< <i>He has no choice but to love them, no other company wants his business!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 >>
It would be foolish for a grading company to reject anyone's cards for grading. It would only give the appearance of favoritism and partiality.
Although I sometimes think MW goes a little overboard with the SGC-promotions in almost each and every post, I think he is an asset to the hobby. He is a fair and honest seller and goes the extra mile to take care of his customers whether they be partial to PSA or SGC. I must admit I changed my mind about him recently when I made a recent purchase. I was more than satisfied with his service!
Many seem to get upset when MW throws up a scan of an overgraded PSA card and the attacks begin. Instead of attacking him personally, just fight "fire with fire". Throw up a scan of an SGC (or GAI, BVG) overgraded card and leave it at that. I do agree with him on one key point:
The quality of grading of PSA vintage cards has declined to a certain extent. I believe it is simply a case of experience in the grading room, or a training problem--nothing intentional. My recent purchase of a 1958 PSA 8 Clemente over the Internet cost me about 150 dollars when the card received was so obviously overgraded. I submitted the card raw and it came back from my grading company as a 6.5. Because of this and other recent examples, I will now only buy PSA cards when I can examine the card in person.
Silver Coins
e-bay ID: grilloj39
e-mail: grilloj39@gmail.com
09/07/2006
Take cover!!!!!!!!!!!!
Get a life. It's a hobby, not a life and death situation.
<< <i>Never mind then, since the "American Psycho" Yale reference involves narcotics and "personal proclivities" to be kind. The protagonist in the story, Patrick Bateman, was a Harvard man. Need I say more... >>
schr1st-
Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?
<< <i>What would happen if everyone simply ignored him? >>
I'm more of a Whitney Houston fan myself....
if you bought your clemente without a scan then shame on you. was that card a borderline 8 due to centering, from what I have seen your grading company has tighter restrictions on centering so if that is the case could see the downgrade. there are always exceptions. I think most peoples approach is to look for there grade and then check the scan to make sure that it fits their personal requirements. ie centering , edges , etc.
by the way i am not a chearleader for any one company , i just tell it how I see it. I look at the probability that they get it right. i think "ALL" 3 of the mainline companies get it right 95% of the time or so. I am not counting beckett becasue they grade sheet cut cards. The problem with these boards is the focus on the 2.5 that the companies get it right on the overgrade side. You rarely see the posts about the 2.5% that they undergrade or when they are graded exactly as expectedHell, If I liked trimmed cards, i would buy pro holders cause they get those right 95% of the time.
my 2 cents
called simply Whitney Houston had four number-one singles
on it? Did you know that, Christie? Whitney's voice leaps
across so many boundaries and is so versatile-though she's
mainly a jazz singer-that it's hard to take in the album
on a first listening. It's hard to choose a favorite track
among so many great ones, but "The Greatest Love of All"
is one of the best, most powerful songs ever written about
self-preservation and dignity. It's universal message
crosses all boundaries, and instills one with the hope
that it's not too late to better ourselves. to act kinder.
Since, Elizabeth, it's impossible in the world we live in
to empathize with others, we can always empathize with
ourselves."
"FEED ME A CAT!"
This is bunk. I used to be a repeat customer of BMW's and reccommended him to quite a few people. Anyone who has been on the board for awhile knows that I used to get bashed for being a BMW supporter. I can go into the archives if you doubt my word.
Anyways, Mike Wentz treated a good friend of mine like dog$hit and then proceeded to make up a bunch of tall tales to explain away the situation. My friend sent a wantlist and then followed up a few times and was consistently blown off. When I called Mike on it, he made up some horse$hit about how my friend demanded prices that were below market. Which is a bit unbelieveable given the fact that he never responded to the wantlist in the first place. After Mike didn't respond the first time...I was actually in the same office when he called the second time to see if Mike had any of the cards on the list (and was blown off again). In fact, I was the one who told him that it must be a mistake...and that I had always gotten decent service.
What's funny is that Mike ended one of his long winded "explanation" posts by calling me cheap...which is comical given the fact that (1) anyone who has ever dealt with BMW knows that they would be considered expensive and (2) why keep doing business for several times with someone who is so cheap. In my dealings with BMW...they named the price and I picked out the cards that I was willing to buy...there was no prolonged negotiation.
BMW does have some positives:
1) I think Mike is one of the most accurate graders that I have ever met.
2) You get what you pay for (if they bother to return your calls after you submit your wantlist). There's
no buying a NM/MT card and having it come back a PSA 6. In the past, every card came back from PSA
at the grade or better. 10-20% of the cards that I bought from them would actually come back a grade higher.
Also in fairness, I never personally had a major issue with BMW. Out of the three to four deals that I did with them,
I only had 1 card (a 1961 Topps Bobby Bolin) come back from PSA ungraded (because of a minimum size requirement). They allowed me to return it for a credit towards another purchase. Mike told me up front that the card was from a presentation set and that the presentation cards sometimes had this issue. Maybe that's why they feel that I am cheap?
I stopped buying from them or reccommending them awhile back and it hasn't appeared to hurt either one of us.
Regards,
Alan
Regards,
Alan
Mike has become so infatuated with Marc lately that he has left Dan alone. I believe Marc has now bumped Dan from the # 1 MW hitlist
Just curious how come Brian does all the work at BMW and Mike gets to play on the internet all day ?
Davalillo
Trust me...give him time and he will be after you as well. Ask anyone...I was probably his biggest fan on the PSA board...PERIOD.
Regards,
Alan
Now that I am posting here again you can take your message down. Also you do not really believe that Greg is mybigtoe--do you?
Mybigtoe said in a seperate thread that he would admit to being Greg if I admitted to being Smelly...
I hope it's him...I like the guy.
Regards,
Alan
bruce
Website: http://www.brucemo.com
Email: brucemo@seanet.com
Actually, its a business for MW/Tiger and don't ever forget that. The Sportcard 30 day Guaranty message board is pretty much an info-mercial for bashing PSA. Most of it I don't have a problem with because he's a businessman. However, the innuendoes and accusations about the T206 Wagner card hit the lowest of lows considering the current owner of the card is one of the classiest guys around. He's been the best ambassador for the hobby, and it's a shame that people drop their pants and dump a hot steaming pile on his efforts. Sure, I've heard the stories for years from two dubious camps, both of whom question the authenticity of the card. One camp swears that it was recently cut from a sheet. Another camp swears it was rough cut card in Excellent condition and it was trimmed to Near Mint-Mint. It's hilarious that these two hate groups with the same agenda can't work with each other to get their stories straight. But I also find it comical that when you pin down these conspiracy nuts, none of them can admit that they saw the card within inches of their eyes for close examination.
I will also say this: Sportcard 30 day Guaranty better be careful. All sponsors of Message Boards are protected by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 when they act as an independent host. But looking at the ads in the trade magazines, the e-mails I've received from them, and the way their board is moderated, the relationship with Sportcard 30 day Guaranty and BMW Sportscards is extremely cozy and it would not surprise me if it was viewed as a conflict of interest and Sportcard 30 day Guaranty was accountable for Wentz's libelous remarks. The last thing that company needs is to go through months of costly litigation.
It also seems obvious to me that just about everyone including some of the most staunch S30dayGC supporters are getting tired of the clanging steel balls and are wishing that Captain Queeg would not be so fixated on how the world is out to get him and just stick to cards. Just my take on it.
It's a Wonderful Life!
MW has asked me to post the following on his behalf:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am not Tiger. I know it would be convenient for some to believe this, but the fact of the matter is that many collectors have grown a bit disillusioned with PSA's haphazard grading. Few realists would argue against this. I know that it's not pleasant or enjoyable for some to hear, but it's the truth. For instance, take a look at PSA's policies during the last year -- almost zero information has been released to help collectors identify possible WIWAG graded cards, the SMR is no longer accurately updated, a half-point grading scale was nearly adopted (despite strong sentiment against it), Collectors Club fees have been reinstated, additional price increases are slated for early next year, and new PSA holders may very well be on the horizon. I do not think the fabric of reality is at all tenuously strained to suggest that PSA is not currently a progressive grading company. That's my opinion. Some may disagree with that and that's fine.
Next subject: the T206 Honus Wagner (PSA 8) is indeed trimmed. When Bill Mastro purchased the card from N.Y. Collector Alan Ray in 1986 it came with 60 to 70 other T206s -- all possessing Piedmont Series 150, Factory no. 25 reverses. That's right. Every single one of them. And here's something that you won't find anywhere else -- the two other key cards in the group included a T206 Plank and a T206 Cobb (bat on shoulder). I'm sure that a phone call or email to Bill Mastro will confirm this fact.
Why is this important? Well, the March/April 2001 Mastro Auction catalog description of a T206 Eddie Plank card says that "we know" that Plank and Wagner were printed on the same sheet. How exactly would Bill Mastro know this? Sure, we all know about the existence of a proof strip containing Wagner that has drifted about our hobby, but Plank is nowhere to be found on this issue. To date, there has been no confirmation of any uncut sheets of T206s. So either Bill Mastro is hiding one somewhere that has both Wagner and Plank on it or his reference was to the fact that the Wagner and Plank that he purchased in 1986 had haphazard cuts and appeared to be trimmed from a sheet (just like Alan Ray originally claimed in a N.Y. Daily News article dated March 25, 2001). I suppose Bill Mastro might also have been guessing, but this doesn't seem probable given the value of the card or the nature of most of his auction lot descriptions.
Another clue is the following card that was auctioned by Bill Mastro:
To date, this is the only other Piedmont Series 150 T206 Wagner that is known. All other existing T206 Honus Wagners have a Sweet Caporal reverse. Observe the type of cut this Piedmont Wagner possesses....strange huh? Almost as if it were hand cut from a sheet. Any yet Mastro makes another interesting claim in his auction catalog. He writes that this card was taken from a cigarette pack. Does that seem believable?
There is no question that the PSA 8 T206 Wagner is authentic. I have seen the card many times. The information that "itsawonderfullife" refers to regarding the questioned authenticity of the card is found on a website for T206 beginners. I would not consider this to be a reliable source. Just because a card is trimmed does not mean it is not authentic. It appears that some might be confused by this concept. Furthermore "itsawonderfulllife" seems to be under the impression that some think the card has recently been trimmed. Well, considering that most T206 collectors know that PSA graded the card in 1991, I'm not sure where he's getting his facts. Also, I'm not sure what he would consider to be recent. Would 1986 qualify? Finally, I really don't see how either of these groups are "hate" groups. There are actually quite a few vintage collectors (some on the Network54 forum) who believe exactly as I do and would recount the aforementioned facts in a similar manner. I don't see any hate here....just a quest for understanding. Isn't that what this hobby is about? I sure think so. My belief is that collectors make the best decisions when they are fully informed of the facts.
One final subject. None of my remarks are libelous. I provide support for each of my statements and in some cases, such as the T206 Wagner, I have more information to coincide with my conclusions. And my comments about PSA are largely based on SEC quarterly and yearly filings and direct, first-hand experience. To be fair, I no longer post any of my observations about PSA on this forum (this post excluded). Those who read what I write have to go "across the street" to the SGC forum to find it. I'm not forcing anyone to read what I write or agree with what I write. Sure, my opinions may be controversial to some, but nothing that I've written is untrue or unsupported. I strongly encourage everyone to keep digging for the truth. Thank you.
"i'll get on my knees
if you get on your elbows"
MW ... I know you think that by constantly criticising PSA, you'll bring everyone over to SGC.
You are wrong. If the PSA Titanic goes down, SGC and all the other small boats will go down in the wake.
All you're really doing, albeit unintentionally, is driving collectors from the hobby.
The intelligent, successful individuals who collect graded cards have long grown weary of your shenanigans.
Just stop for a moment and imagine all the wonderful things you could accomplish,
if only you were to spend your time constructively ...
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"
POW, BAM, BOOM
"what the? somebody call the cops, I have been given the customer service I read about on the CU forum"
We don't need to see collectors and dealers rolling around the ground in the parking lot handling their customer service issues. This simply can not continue, we are living in a civilized society supposedly. Thanks for listening.
Hello All,
I just want to make a short and sweet comment.
When I read a statement made by someone, I liken it to a Letter of Authenticity.
It's only as credible as the person or company behind it.
Take care and thanks for supporting PSA.
Joe Orlando
PSA President
CEO, Collectors Universe, Inc.
<< <i>When I read a statement made by someone, I liken it to a Letter of Authenticity.
It's only as credible as the person or company behind it.
Joe Orlando
PSA President >>
True true. It's really a shame that all of us spend time listing to MW's bantering. I guess it has it's entertainment value but this cry baby garbage and finger pointing is for children.
I just want to make a short and sweet comment as well.
When I read a statement made by someone, I liken it to a boxing federation ranking.
It's only as credible as the person's ability to kick someone's butt in a parking lot.
Take care and thanks for reading my post.
MW(1)'s foundation for his "connect the dots" flimsy circumstantial evidence rests on the testimony of Bill Mastro. But, it's obvious that MW(1) he didn't really do his homework on Mastro nor the T206 Library nor the New York Daily news article he referred to.
In one of the T206 Library messages there are direct quotes by Mastro, which originally came from the New York Daily News article. Here is one statement by Mastro and I quote:
Mastro says he never trimmed it and doesn't believe anyone else did, either. "I didn't have to do a thing to that card," Mastro says. "No one ever altered that card. That card is as good as the day it was made."
In addition, Mastro put his money where his mouth is and tried to buy it back eight or so years later. Again I quote:
....Gibbs could not afford the tax bill and immediately put the card up for sale at Christie's. Mastro was lurking. He bid for the card and was so sure that he would win it back that he prepared a press release announcing his purchase. But Mastro lost to his old pal Lifson, who was bidding on behalf of Mike Gidwitz, an affable Chicagoan known for his extensive collection of original Mad magazine and Wacky Packages art.
"No one ever wants to separate themselves from the crown jewel of the hobby," Mastro says of his attempt to get the card back.
Why is this important? If the card was trimmed after Alan Ray sold it as Ray claims, which would make Mastro one of the primary suspects, why would Mastro have paid that much money to buy it back?
Furthermore, MW(1) made an incorrect statement about Alan Ray. Ray claimed the card was trimmed after he sold it, NOT cut from a sheet before PSA graded it as MW(1) would have us believe. I don't know all that MW has written about this card in the past, but I don't find schr1st's statement surprising that he's "jumped camps". Speaking of camps, the article states there are three. The third being that it's a counterfeit. Once again, there is no evidence to support that claim.
Entire article: http://www.t206museum.com/page/periodical_19.html
Again, MW(1) really needs to end the witch hunt on this topic. He can't even get his story right. He also needs to drop the “my grading card company is better than your grading company” schpeel. Let’s move on, because my friends, it’s a wonderful life!