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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on December 9, 2014 at 4:13am

I can't speak to most of his items, but this Rivera with a Steiner cert is undoubtedly bad:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARIANO-RIVERA-AUTOGRAPHED-NEW-YORK-YANKEES...

Unlike some of the other suspect material, these appear to come with the Steiner hologram AND credit card COA.

TriStar Ted Williams? Did Ted ever sign for TriStar? TriStar never certs anything except for their own signings, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TED-WILLIAMS-RARE-AUTOGRAPHED-BOSTON-RED-SO...

Same with Joe DiMaggio, did he ever sign for Steiner? I doubt it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-DIMAGGIO-AUTOGRAPHED-NEW-YORK-YANKEES-C...

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Permalink Reply by Steve Viola on December 9, 2014 at 6:12am

Im a little confused.  Is this seller making up fake Steiner COAs or is the stuff really fake from Steiner?  Please explain where the fakery is.   Isnt Steiner always legit?

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on December 9, 2014 at 7:08am

Some of the items are obvious fakes, yet they bear Steiner holograms. Clearly Steiner itself is totally legit and no one is implying Steiner is distributing bad material.

It appears either Steiner holograms have been counterfeited, or they are real Steiner holograms that have been removed from genuine items and placed on a fake. It appears the same thing may also be happening with TriStar and Mounted Memories holograms.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Viola on December 9, 2014 at 7:34am

I see thanks.  So bottom line is if you order from Steiner no problem.  If you go thru a 3rd party like this, buyer beware.

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Permalink Reply by Null on December 9, 2014 at 7:05am

Wow that Rivera is pathetic. This Joe D hat is a joke as well. I have seen legit Joe D items for sale on Steiner's website, same with The Mick.

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Permalink Reply by Dom Vito Castiglione on December 9, 2014 at 8:04am

Why isn't Steiner getting involved in this? 

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Permalink Reply by Null on December 9, 2014 at 8:15am

I would assume Steiner's stance is that of "You should be buying directly from us." 

People sell tons of fake Nike's/Jordans/etc and Nike does not go after them. Similar to forgeries, the fake Nikes are poor quality just like a forged photo is. Nike's stance (which is obvious to most consumers) is: If you want a real Nike shoe, buy it from us. Not from Billy Bob on eBay. 

I do think they should be a little more pro-active though... 

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Permalink Reply by Dom Vito Castiglione on December 9, 2014 at 8:38am

Nike does care though and have spent lots of money trying to prevent fraud. So does the NFL against anyone selling knockoff jerseys, ect. In fact, if caught the the NFL is pressing charges and now making commercials with Michael Irvin to try and alert people who buy these cheap overseas and have no clue that it's not authentic. Youtube has deleted every account promoting and reviewing these items. Ebay has banned any member caught selling one, even if the member is native. The reason that happened is because the NFL, Nike ect took action and are tired of losing money and want to protect their name. Couple years back a buddy of mine told me he put in an order for some jerseys for both his kids and grandsons. He told me he spent just over $80 for everything, and when they each opened up their gift, all of them were so happy cause they thought they were each getting $150  jerseys.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on December 9, 2014 at 11:14am

Dom Vito makes great points... and there is another key differentiator...

Nike is not a product that typically has resale value. You wear shoes or a shirt and then they get tossed when the life cycle hits the end. Collectibles should have resale value and the whole point of affixing a hologram is to ensure authenticity at the point of sale and any point thereafter.

When Steiner says "buy it only from us," they are essentially harming their own customers and declaring the product they bought from Steiner is compromised and does not maintain value.

To draw an analogy, can you imagine Toyota or Honda telling potential customers that the only way they can be assured to get a safe vehicle is to buy a new car from a dealership? 

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Permalink Reply by Null on December 9, 2014 at 11:29am

Good points, although Toyota/Honda may tell you it's not "Guaranteed" or "Under Warranty" unless you got it brand new from them...  

The fact that Steiner charges $800 for a Jeter autograph and can't have a simple database that has a thumbnail of an item tied to it's hologram number is literally mind-boggling. It would protect themselves, as well as boost confidence on the buyer's end that their investment is legit. Their current "COA" system is just as laughable as "The Auto Scouts". Throw a sticker on it, and have a little card that accompanies it.

I'm honestly surprised this isn't worse than what it appears to be currently. If they don't make a change quick, this could get nasty, I just hope the fakes are as obvious as the ones above. I will say when I reached out to PSA/DNA about eBay sellers using fake PSA/DNA "LOAs" they were VERY QUICK to get involved and put an end to it... 

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on December 9, 2014 at 11:46am

I have a Mariano Rivera game used ball that had a Steiner hologram on it. Note "had."

The thing was hanging on by a thread and literally fell off with only the tiniest fleck of damage. I can't help but wonder if the bad guys have figured out a way to remove Steiner holograms from inexpensive items and place them on junk.

I will add that I have a lot of respect for Steiner. They have created a strong brand and add value to the hobby. That is what makes this potential matter so disturbing. If a rock solid player like Steiner has issues, it would be a terrible blow to the hobby. IMO, they have a responsibility to step it up and address the matter. Hopefully they are taking action behind the scenes.

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Permalink Reply by Dane Young on December 9, 2014 at 1:24pm

I'm very new to buying on eBay as well as collecting autographed items.

How do you know to spot a fake?  I guess there are some dead giveaways, like say the sellers lack of a history on eBay, or the fact that the items are being sold for so little (I'd assume that an Ali autograph would go for much much more).

What are as some other signs?

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