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Tom Tresh busts Pawn Stars:

They buy a Lou Gehrig "signed" jersey for $3,000--and it's the only one known! If it were real it could bring 6-figures.

Views: 22000

Comment by Phil Rimer on April 21, 2010 at 4:35pm
Mr. Tresh,

I looked at your YouTube video and must comment by my own experience with Pawn Stars and bust you for inciting unrest within the collector community. I appeared in the pilot or premier of Pawn Stars when at the time the name was Pawning History. They later changed it to Pawn Stars. The show is real and 5 million people watch the show because it is quite entertaining. By my own experience I sold them an autographed Tunic that was preowned at West Point by Oscar Griswold, Commanding General of the Third Army. I had it listed on ebay for $3,000 or best offer when the Producers of the show called me and asked if I would be interested to bring it in to air on the History Channel. They advised me that I would have a lot of exposure and would have a better chance to sell it. Sell it I did and Rick gave me $2,000 for it. If the Pawn Shop did not in fact purchase the Gehrig jersey I would be quite suprised and if it is original, he got a hell of a deal for it. By the tenure of your comments it seems like you are somewhat frustrated that you did not get it for your own collection?. As far as no signed Gehrig jersey never being offered for sale at any of the major auction houses, you must understand that anything is possible because of its rarity. I have many items in my collection that have never seen light of day in any auction houses and they are absolutely genuine. You might want to consider retracting a few of your statements.
Comment by CJCollector on April 21, 2010 at 7:18pm
I'll retract my statement if that exact Gehrig signed jersey is sent to PSA or JSA for authentication and passes. If you watched my video then you know that I called the Pawn Store and inquired about the jersey. No one had any idea where it was. I asked them "How much did it sell for?" All they continued to say was "It isn't here." Next time you make a comment like that use some common sense. Why would I want that jersey? The Gehrig is a forgery. If I thought that Gehrig signature was authentic I would have bought it off of Kevin's website for his price tag of $7,999.00 and then sent it to PSA to get it authenticated and then I would have consigned it to a major auction house. I know of 100 other collectors who would have done the same thing if they thought it was authentic. Also, it originated from Coach's Corner. That says it all.
Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 22, 2010 at 4:21pm
Phil,

You're absolutely right that a previously unknown autograph can be discovered at any time. When they are, they end up selling for their market value--either immediately or within a few transactions. Someone could have found it in their attic and sold it for a pittance, but if the dealer they sell it to doesn't know what it's really worth, the dealer that dealer sells it to does--and it retails or auctions for real money.

It doesn't make sense that the dealer who sold it on Pawn Stars would have sold it on the show for $3,000--or still have it available on their site at $7995--if it was real. It would be worth many times that, so even if he didn't know what it was worth (unlikely), one of the 5,000,000 people watching the show would. And the discovery of a Gehrig-signed jersey, even a junky unofficial one like that, would be major news in the baseball collecting community.

I think most of your points are valid, but I'm not aware of anyone reputable who thinks the jersey even has a chance of being genuine. If it was, the seller could have gotten a five-figure auction advance alone.
Comment by Phil Rimer on April 27, 2010 at 7:39pm
Steve,

My point was if the guy had the jersey listed in his store for $7995. that does not make it automatically a fake if he sold it to Rick on the Pawn Star show for $3,000. I doubt there is anyone here that has never obtained any autograph in their past years of collecting for pennies on the dollar. The story does sound a little fishy when put the way one wants to believe but evidence should be collected and considered before making a blast. We should not make judgements on others until we find out the facts. Just because the jersey was not at the Pawn Shop and has not been authenticated by PSA does not mean the Jersey is a fake. Wouldn't that be the big story if it turns out to be genuine? I'm sure that Jersey is not going to disappear unless whoever has it does not want the public know they have it. Let's see what happens and wish good luck on it.
Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 27, 2010 at 8:44pm
Hi Phil,

Points well taken. Please bear with me, because I don't know your experience in the autograph hobby. And of course, everything I say someone can have a completely different point of view on. I may think that their opinion is far from the reality I know and trust, and that they may have a motive, but it's their opinion nonetheless.

I think you are speaking from the heart. And I think your "prove the seller guilty--don't just assume it" attitude (quotes mine), is valid.

A number of us have no question and no doubt that we're 100% right in our opinions in these situations. I don't know a dealer, and the seller of the Gehrig jersey is an autograph dealer, who would see Gehrig's name and not call around to find out the value of the item. But while unlikely, it's possible that the dealer who sold the Gehrig is unknowledgeable, stupid or inept and sold it for a tenth or less of what it's worth. It happens.

But I will say that the odds of any reputable autograph dealer or auction buying that jersey or taking it on consignment are nil. It looks like a clear forgery to every baseball expert I showed it to.
Comment by Chuck Steeves on April 27, 2010 at 10:18pm
This comment is not related to the FAKE jersey and I give Tom all the props in the world for making the owner Rick look as dumb as Chumley is, Last night on the show him and his old man go to buy a 65 impala station wagen that the guy wanted to sell. When they look at the motor Rick says "so you took the 350 out"? the car had a big block in it (454) not stock only a 396 was an option then unless you got them to put a 427 in it and that would be super rare. Chevrolet did not make a 350 in 1965 or 66 or 67 so Rick is full of S**T and the HISTORY channel needs to be checked again . Everything about the show is staged from the parking lot full of cars to the store full of customers. There was not a car or person in that place when I was there 3 months all 5 days I went by. I think Tom needs to check them on the Bond he got last night signed by Paul Revere for 12K and a guitar.
Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on April 27, 2010 at 10:48pm
Chuck--you're right, 327 was stock. I think the 396 was the biggest option for Impala wagons. Chevy had the 409 Ford killer (remember the Beach Boys' She's real fine, my 409?) but I think that was only in the 2-door. I don't think the 350 came out until 1969. I had one in a '73 Vette I bought in the early 1990s.

Man I sound old...give me a swig of that Geritol.
Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on May 5, 2010 at 7:02am
Coach's Corner has an other Lou Gehrig-signed jersey in this month's auction, Morales certified. It's at $99 now. http://www.myccsa.com/Lot.aspx?LotID=210109
Comment by David Wicks on June 1, 2010 at 3:21pm
Coches corner means well but many times he is way off on his thoughts. Example is a Michael Jackson book that he once stated as being the worst looking example he had ever seen. This example he was showing at the time was a preprinted example that is printed in the book Moonwalk by the publisher. Granted it was not hand signed or autographed but he continued to say how bad the example was and how wrong it was. Truth is it was perfect. This was an exact copy of how Michael Jackson had once signed his name and it is similar to many other known examples which he as been known to sign. Again I can still say that the person selling the preprinted example either did not know it was printed or was trying to take some unknowing buyer for a ride but it is one of many times that the coach has struck out.
Comment by Gary Schulze on June 4, 2010 at 1:47pm
Just looked at Coaches Corner auction. Every item looks like a forgery and the pricers reflect it - Babe Ruth hand-signed bat - $ 225, John Adams signature - $ 158, Abe Lincoln signed receipt - $ 311, Thos. Jefferson hand-written letter - $ 134, JFK autographed picture - $ 50. Enough said.

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