The owner of Hobby Insider (the sports card site that I am a member of) was contacted by Martin McQuaig. He's the Manager, Retail Licensing of the NHLPA. He confirmed that DSP was indeed using a stamp.
The brands impacted were:
Panini Contenders
Panini Prime
Upper Deck SP Authentic
Upper Deck Ultimate
Upper Deck The Cup
Mr. McQuaig then went on to say that the NHLPA takes this matter seriously and that when they learned of this rumour they conducted their due diligence and concluded that the rumour was indeed true.
He mentioned that Upper Deck and Panini will be making announcements on their blogs regarding their plans to rectify the situation with collectors.
Upper Deck blog post
I can appreciate that the issue hasn't been ignored or swept under the rug. Something like this, if left unresolved, can lead to more players using stamps and blow up into something rivaling the fake patch problems on the memorabilia side of things.
I'm curious to see what both Panini and Upper Deck have to say, but I am even more interested to hear from Smith-Pelly. He's the one who should have the most to say - and the most to lose from this situation.
If I hear more, I will certainly update.
Still think the player could be accused of perpetuating a criminal act here. If he was being paid for "authentic signatures" and instead used a stamp, would that constitute fraud. Also, if these items crossed state lines, would that make it a federal case?
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying this will happen, but it will be interesting to see if there will be any more fallout from this.
This was some great detective work! I am glad to see something is going to be done about it. I sure am glad I am not a collector of his. I really wonder what the heck he was thinkin.
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