Great Mailday!! Charlotte O's Ripken

Trev · February 25, 2008 6:35AM

I just received my fourth Charlotte O's Blue Border Ripken in the mail today. (SGC 84 in the top left corner)

Thanks for looking!!

Trevor

SportsItUpCards · February 25, 2008 6:37AM

Nice looking cards, but I love the autographed one the best!

Giovanni

Trev · February 25, 2008 7:24AM

Thanks Gio, the auto is my favorite as well.

Trevor

ripkenintheminors · February 25, 2008 12:05PM

Congratulations!

How has the quest gone for the orange copy?

Trev · February 25, 2008 12:37PM

Hey Chris, How's it going?

I have not been searching as hard as I used to for an orange copy. If one ever hits eBay, or another auction house I suppose I may pick one up depending on how my card budget is at the time. The orange is definitely hard to come by as I think I have only seen 5 or 6 sell since I started with Ripken minor league cards.

How is your orange set coming, any luck with completing it? Also some unfortunate news is there seems to be some fake TCMA Ripkens on the market. I have noticed a few but have not been able to distinctly differ the real and fake.

Trevor

ripkenintheminors · February 25, 2008 12:59PM

Things are going pretty good, but it's been a long month. My work schedule has been pretty wild. I've driven around 1,300-1,400 miles over the past 9 days. On top of that, our county has begun a big youth initiative project that is requiring a lot of additional time. After tomorrow I'll have sat through over 20 hours of sessions in addition to my regular job tasks and family life. Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm trying to restore the hardwood floors in our house. When a guy quoted over $1,000 for a living room and hallway I decided to buy/rent the sanders and do the finishing myself. Hopefully I don't regret that decision later.

I though I had a lead in regards to an orange copy but it appears that the person who had it was hoping for a lot more cash. As far as the set goes, it's going to be really tough to find those last cards I need. I'm not saying it won't happen, but it'll be when I least expect it. I was just fortunate to get the copies that I got when I got them. I've had people comb the Charlotte area as well as Charlotte area dealers watching for them and they simply never come up. It was just a small fluke that the person showed up in Charlotte with several orange cards included what I believe were 5 Ripken cards.

In regards to the TCMA, I had what I felt was a great lead at teh time I got my WTF counterfeit. Unfortunately, I was never able to even get a high resolution scan from the guy who had it. You may have seen an entry on the RITM forum about a fake TCMA. It sounded like another great lead, but the person never e-mailed me. Maybe it was a hoax, who knows. Either way, the hobby world (especially the grading companies) needs to know about the counterfeits.

Trev · February 25, 2008 1:12PM

Wow Chris sounds like you have been very busy and have a lot of work ahead of you!!

I always have my eyes peeled looking for the orange cards but there just seems to be none out there. I am really starting to wonder how many may be in circulation today.

The fake TCMA could be a huge problem if information becomes available to tell authenticity. Imagine how many might have already made it into slabs. I will continue to do my research on this card, it could be a very long process and may require me to go through multiple copies in person.

I will keep you posted on my research regarding the TCMA and let you know if I happen to come along and orange cards.

Trevor

ripkenintheminors · February 25, 2008 1:45PM

<< <i>Wow Chris sounds like you have been very busy and have a lot of work ahead of you!!

I always have my eyes peeled looking for the orange cards but there just seems to be none out there. I am really starting to wonder how many may be in circulation today.

The fake TCMA could be a huge problem if information becomes available to tell authenticity. Imagine how many might have already made it into slabs. I will continue to do my research on this card, it could be a very long process and may require me to go through multiple copies in person.

I will keep you posted on my research regarding the TCMA and let you know if I happen to come along and orange cards.

Trevor >>

Busy is 100% accurate. I never imagined the year would start off this chaotic. Normally I can make my own schedule but a lot of this has been additional stuff. I love what I do, but I have to admit that it's pretty draining. The floor project will be worth it when it's finished, both for the financial benefit of doing it myself along with the satisfaction of doing it myself. I just can't see spending the $1,000 extra, even if it means I have a lot of hours to spend on the project.

Thanks in advance for the help on the TCMA cards.

ripkenintheminors · February 26, 2008 3:23AM

Thought I'd pass on that I've sent a couple of messages to some resources at PSA & BGS seeking help on the subject of the possible TCMA counterfeits. Hopefully if they have spotted one they will confirm it as well as what to look for.

Trev · February 26, 2008 11:28AM

Chris, let me know if get anything back from the grading companies. I have been comparing TCMA Ripkens for about an hour and see no difference other than some are dark and some are a bit lighter. Their are to many variables without having the cards in hand.

Trevor

ripkenintheminors · February 26, 2008 1:10PM

<< <i>Chris, let me know if get anything back from the grading companies. I have been comparing TCMA Ripkens for about an hour and see no difference other than some are dark and some are a bit lighter. Their are to many variables without having the cards in hand.

Trevor >>

I heard back from my source today at Beckett and they said that they have sent the inquiry to the graders at BGS. If there's anything in the file on that card I'm sure they'll share the information.

As I already mentioned, I've had what I felt were two good leads recently. When I got my WTF counterfeit, it came from a guy who got it in an area notorious for counterfeit Ripken WTF cards. He bought it raw and had his doubts, but the auction had a guarantee if it didn't pass authentication. He sent it to PSA and it got a 9. He got a TCMA in the same auction and it was slabbed as well. I tried to get in touch with the guy who got it but was unsuccessful at getting with him.

ripkenintheminors · February 27, 2008 4:29AM

Here's a quick update from PSA. I can say that this is very reliable info:

As of now, the graders have not seen a copy that they can definitely say is a fake. However, the TCMA cards are receiving a lot of extra scrutiny due to the fact that the staff has apparently heard the rumor about the counterfeits as well. For the time being, a good idea is to take a close look at the print quality and to compare the stock. If you do come across a copy that you think is a fake, let me know and I'll put you in touch with someone that would like to see it.

Great Mailday!! Charlotte O's Ripken

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