The first article talks about how a copy of this card, dubbed the "Jumbo" Wagner (because of its larger border area in comparison to the "Gretzky" Wagner) recently sold at auction for $2.1 million. I just missed out on being the winning bidder.....but realized at the last moment that the auction house was expecting real money and not Monopoly dough.
The "Jumbo" Wagner, while a lower grade (PSA 5), might now be considered the most sought after Wagner after the second news story came out this week.
Bill Mastro, the self proclaimed "King Of Memorabilia" and a key player in the history of the "Gretzky" Wagner, admitted to trimming the corners of the legendary card. What's amazing is that the card's value is likely to increase (mostly due to the incredible history and almost mythic-like lore that the card has endured).
What I want to know.....how reputable will PSA become in the future now that it has been linked to grading a compromised card?
I'm sure it won't be the last time we hear about an Honus Wagner T206 card.
Now on to another great story from this evening.
The Vancouver Canucks were in town visiting the lowly ol' Flames. Scheduled to start in net for the Nucks was Cory Schneider (as per usual). But he came down with an illness so it was Roberto Luongo to the rescue - not a bad backup plan IMO. Anyways, it was decided that Schneider would not be the backup.
Signed on as an emergency backup was a guy named Dustin Butler, a 25-year-old goalie playing with the University of Calgary Dinos. Talk about living out a childhood dream.
Here's some video of him during the Canucks pre-game and warmup.
With the Canucks scoring a pair of goals in the third period to go up 3-1, it would have been awesome to see Butler get some ice time (even if it was just the final shift of the game). But I'm sure riding the bench was more than enough to make for a fantastic story when he gets older.
Now all that's left is waiting to see if he's gonna get one of these?
It's probably too late to squeeze him into this year's Between The Pipes offering, so maybe for the 2013/14 release.
that's pretty cool. I actually remember reading someone, somewhere in this blogging land, or maybe one of the boards, keeps track of these guys. He has a list of everyone who has done this, and it's quite long too...
ReplyDeleteI wish I could remember who............
This isn't the first time PSA screwed the pooch with non-authentic, authentication (or at least "less than honest" grading). I'm sure it won't be the last either. It just brings into question the whole idea of grading cards in the first place.
ReplyDeleteYou have companies like Beckett who set pricing (although they don't admit that, they only claim they are reporting market values) but then turn around and sell merchandise, including items they grade themselves (which they set the price). Conflict of interest? PSA is the biggest authenticator, mainly because they do more than cards, but they are constantly called on the table for their tactics (maybe because they are the biggest). But who else is there? SGA? KSA? Both of those companies have had their own problems as well.
Grading is by far and away no where near an exact science. I wouldn't claim to be an expert and I wouldn't try to make a claim for a number on any cards in my own collection. I can still understand a need for it in some respects but somewhere you draw the line in the sand at what is acceptable practice and what is just plain ridiculous. I think we crossed the ridiculous line a few years ago.
Oh and that kid getting a spot on the Nucks bench...awesome. That's almost as good as Paul Deutsch, that beer league goalie that got a shot on the Wild a couple years ago.
ReplyDeleteCool story on Butler. If he were to ever end up on a card showing him in those warmups, it would make for a great "Goaltending Gallimaufry" candidate.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It makes me think, every single one of those cards in your collection probably has a unique and interesting story behind the equipment mishmash. Would be cool to somehow find out what some of those stories are.
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