Beckett Grading Fiasco?????

[87sluggo]

Ok then look at this card.................

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/170875903236?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p 3984.m1436.l2649










It's a REALLY nice auto. So nice that I bought it the last time the seller had it up for bids, before it had gone to Beckett for authentification. Butttttt then when I got it, I noticed that the name on the top of the COA had been rubbed out. See? Look at this COA from a Jason Spezza Buyback............








The name is right up at the top. When I got the Gretzky card in the mail I could tell the name had been erased just with a quick glance. AND Gretzky isn't listed by Upper Deck as part of their 04/05 SP Authentic Buyback program. The seller was awesome about me returning it, he refunded my money including shipping charges 20 minutes after I emailed him about it and THEN I put it back in the mail.




So now the card is back up on eBay, except this time it's been graded and authenticated by Beckett. I really liked the card the first time I owned it, but the fact that it's a sort-of scam has me muddled..................

[centrehice]

That's Twighlight Zone material my friend.

[CoolHandLuke]

Sad to see such a surface wear pass uner the radar... Someone will pay way to much for probably a autopen tempered with TTM card. But the auto seem legit. So not a total loss.

[hoi_ming]

So wait. I'm confused. Is it actually a TTM? If so, did Beckett just screw up and grade it as a legit card from the 04-05 SPA set?

[CoolHandLuke]

So wait. I'm confused. Is it actually a TTM? If so, did Beckett just screw up and grade it as a legit card from the 04-05 SPA set?

I did say probably, if someone removed the name and according oe the poster there was no gretkzy card, then maybe, just maybe somone peel off the back, erase the name and then glued it back on a TTM or IP cards of Gretzky signed. Also why I say TTM or in Person auto is because the gold tick pen was very popular back in these days and now you almost never see auto tick and gold. But I don't know for sure, just suspecting this is the case.

[Mnum]

Wow, I know Beckett was over priced on grading, but this is bad. One of the reason I don't use them for grading I don't trust them at all. But then now that I think about it that probably why the card got a 7. Can't make out the numbers but pretty sure surface would get a really low grade with the rub out in the back.

[CoolHandLuke]

Surface got 8.5...

[reoddai]

I wouldn't call this a giant beckett fiasco.

I consider this more of a normal, run of the mill fiasco that beckett does from time to time in order to continuously prove how much they don't deserve any consumer's money.

Besides, Beckett doesn't authenticate autographs. That 10 for the auto that you see if for the 'quality' of the autograph. Not its authenticity. All they are saying is "Wow, that's a nicely written bunch of letters in the shape of an autograph you have there. Boy, it sure does make the card look nice". Nothing more. Have you seen the '10' autos given out to the MVP script cards? The ones with the reprint autographs on the front? Happens yearly.

Cheers,
reoddai

[87sluggo]

I really never had any concern about the authenticity of the autograph, it doesn't look like any auto-pen signature I've ever seen, plus it has the "802" underneath the name, which I've never seen with an auto-pen signature either. And it wasn't the surface of the COA that was being graded.

I emailed the seller last night about all of it, and this morning I got this..............


"Yes I remember you and in fact it was you that gave me the idea to have it authenticated, especially after my conversation with Upper Deck. They told me as in the description that some players are not listed if they reissue the cards and do not change anything about them. This was great news as it only verified what I already knew.

I explained the concerns that you had with the card and the long and short of it was that they said to me that it was not a concern as sometimes the validation/serial # sticker can appear to be lifted, but that could have happened during the initial placing of the sticker.

You concern about the “name being rubbed off” at the top was not a concern to them either, as UPPER DECK did not believe that to be the case and obviously BECKETT did believe this card to be authentic in all its appearances.

At the end of the day when you have one of the premier if not the premier grading companies in the world grade a card, I do believe that it leaves nothing to chance."


So that's where I'm at. Does anyone know if Upper Deck actually keeps a record of their serial-numbered buyback cards????

[CoolHandLuke]

UD as a history of issuing cards never mentioned no where more so in these type of cards. The thing I do find stange is like I said before, the signature look more like a In person auto from the 90's with the thick gold sharpie everyone was crazy about and not a recent auto as the thick gold sharpie is rarely used these days, but the auto seem all real. So it's not like the card as no value. What I am still not sure, is was the card tempered with. You had i in hand. I only look at the image. and with your initial post, I would simply not buy this card. But that's me. card potentialy tempered with, I stay away. Was temperd, that I don't know. If the surface was graded 8.5 then maybe it was not tempered with but I would need to have the card in hand to make a better opinion. As for beckett not grading the back surface, that is not my understanding when I read the grading standard they put on their site from what I remember. They grade both the front and back. Send a card with a pen mark on the back and check the grade. But in the end, the card may be totaly legit. But when I am in doupt I rather not touch them. graded or not.