The Industry Fights Back Against SCD.
TS O'Connell wrote to me and asked that we leave the blogging to him. I wrote back and told him "No, absolutely not." I added that he can shut down his blog but you won't silence us. TS - your publication's association with Coach's Corner is wrong! You are helping them to flood the market with forgeries and garbage. How do you sleep at night? Shame Shame Shame!
Well the hobbyists have spoken. Here is the latest story to be found at www.autographalert.com/news.html
Sports Collectors Digest, R.I.P.?
Today our mailbox was filled with emails from readers upset with Sports Collectors Digest (SCD). There are just too many emails to personally respond to so we will just group some of the comments together with our reply.
“Autographalert.com we can really use your help...I have been shut out at SCD’s web site, as T.S. O’Connell (SCD Editor) has shut down his blog comments from frustrated readers who find him to be wrong....”
It is our opinion you are wasting your time with O’Connell. Several years ago, O’Connell and his merry band of men was told by one on the staff of autographalert.com that if he continued along the path he was taking, SCD will implode. Since then SCD has lost nearly all it’s advertisers and it’s latest issue has been reduced to a measly 42 pages. Not thick enough to open and let our dog use it for a latrine.
The “Voice of the Hobby” is gagging for breathe of air yet your voices are not heard. We strongly suggest all of you express your dissatisfaction to Dean Listle, the publisher @ dean.listle@fwmedia.com. Another one you can contact would be David Nussbaum, Chairman & CEO of F+W Publications.
We gave up with SCD a few years back. Seemed like we were paying $29.95 for a bobble head and getting a free weekly newsletter was no longer worth it.
As far as some of the things sold through auctions advertised in SCD we no longer feel sorry for those who purchase an autograph worth $3,500 and pay only $500 for it. There is enough printed on the internet to educate those who are foolish enough to think they got a bargain and not smart enough to realize they got it at such a low price because those who have expertise know the item was not genuine and did not bid.
Some of our readers have emailed us stating they are so outraged they have created blogs on their sites “to allow their voices to be heard.”
Some have requested http://www.autographalert.com/ tell our readers about their problems with SCD on their blogs. Two we can publish are:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TomTresh2
http://www.sports-rings.com/ Go to Sitemap and click on Sports Blog.
It is our opinion that SCD’s latest actions may be the final nail in their coffin. Talk about a possible conflict of interest, they have gone into associating themselves in the auction business with a June 2009 debut. They are dealing with a depressed and vanishing readership have made the decision to go up against some of the few advertisers they have left. A legitimate competing auction house and advertiser would have to pay up front about $1,000 to get a full page ad in SCD. To get the attention of readers the auction house may want to follow up with a few additional ads. SCD can publish all the full page ads they want for the mere cost of ink and paper. The few auction houses, to date, that remain with SCD can no longer be competitive.
To put a lid on this, we stopped complaining when it fell on deaf ears and no responses. We no longer subscribe, so have no desire to complain.
Another blog wrote this about SCD:
It can be found at: http://frozenpondauction.com/blog/
Readers, what do you have to say?
posted by Mike the ring guy. at
5:43 AM
29 Comments:
It's about time that more hobbyists get involved in the fight against those who forge and those who sell forgeries. It is a long time coming. Mr. O'Connell has nowhere else to hide. Now SCD is really reaching to stay alive by starting their own auction thereby competing with their own advertisers. Should be interesting.
I, too, no longer have sympathy for those who buy forgeries whether they be on Ebay, Coach's Corner or any other auction site. I used to try to help those buyers (or bidders) of forgeries but I always got the same response of "mind your own business" or "it comes with a COA." You also have to understand that many of those buyers of fakes on the Coach's Corner auction site flip those items to places like Las Vegas. They get a Lou Gehrig autographed bat for under $500.00 on Coach's Corner and then they probably resell it in Las Vegas or their neighbor. Either way, those forgeries are in the marketplace diluting and devaluing the legitimate collections of real collectors.
Christopher - Great point. Some of us (me included) worry that people are getting ripped off by purchasing Coach's Corner's worthless garbage. It would not surprise me if some unscrupulous individuals are purposely purchasing this junk to resell it to unsuspecting consumers. All the more reason we need individuals and the government to step up and help in our fight.
SCD is doing their part through pure greed to help these monsters hurt our hobby. Could you image five years ago that we would be where we are today: SCD in shambles, most of their advertisers and readers long gone, and in one final stab at staying afloat, they now decide to compete with their own auction advertisers by getting involved in the auction business. I'm curious to know who will be their authenticator? Morales? Will SCD also auction off rare Mike King Kelly autographs in their upcoming auction?
I am asking everyone to read and tell everyone they know about the blog over at the fozenpond! What a read. I'll comment later on it when I get more time.
You guys should just stop this nonsense this instant! This is the exact reason Mr. O'Connell deleted the comments at The Infield Dirt.
Steve,
Have you read all the various blogs and coverage of this story? Are you a collector? Do you want all this crap flooding the market place and destroying our hobby? Did you cheer when TS wrote, "Leave The Blogging To Me, Mike."
I just don't understand what Mr. O'Connell is doing wrong here. He's a writer at a sports paper.Period.
oconnell is not a 'writer', he is more than that, he is the editor! He doesn't comment on anything that might put scd in a bad light. The new york times would NOT spike a story even if it put the times in a bad light, because credibility is shot if they do. If the times was caught inflating circulation numbers, and they didnt report the story, what would that tell you? you have to report it all, good and bad. SCD just reports the good, and the bad they snub their noses at. He's the EDITOR for pete's sake.
Just saw Tom's video and he mentioned this place. Love it! Lets keep it going guys.
I am of the opinion the Mr. O'Connell should be rewarded. He should be praised for his many years of giving us something to actually get excited about...reading his informative and interesting copy. Then you people start this thing up over here after Mr. O'Connell made it very clear he didn't want this type of negative energy around the hobby. I could not believe it when I read at autograph alert that this sports blog had been started.
Divitoc,
thanks for your kind words. Please try to help make this site successful so we can discuss SCD and CC and the hobby. Please visit, please contribute and please tell your friends,
thanks!
Dear Steve Barton,
Perhaps you are right and the rest of us are wrong. TS did request that we all stop blogging and to please leave the blogging to him. TS likes to be in control - he wants to decide when it's appropriate to discuss matters pertaining to the hobby and when it's not.
He wants to decide what's good for the hobby and he has made it clear if we disagree with him that we should have no say. When a large advertiser like CC ruins the hobby by flooding the market with forgeries, that's ok as long as they continue to help SCD stay afloat by being SCD's largest advertiser. You gotta admire old TS, as we discuss and worry about the hobby he is off somewhere, free of comments, writing his next blog entry about his book or his days as a card dealer.
I disagree with those statements and believe Mr. O'Connell is one of the hobby's best writers and pioneers. It's that simple.
I would like to hear want everyone's views are on the blog at the frozen pond. What was your favorite part?
Steve, I absolutely agree that Mr. O'Connell is a wonderful writer, but you're missing the point here. One, you simply can't ignore the "bad" in the hobby; and like someone mentioned above, he is more than just a writer, he is an editor. He is responsible for the "news" of the hobby whether it be good or bad. To ignore it or to make believe that there isn't bad is irresponsible. Two, as an editor of one of the few hobby publications why doesn't Mr. O'Connell "break the news" about that rare Mike "King" Kelly autographed baseball that surfaced and sold on the Coach's Corner auction site? It's a one-of-a-kind rare item that should have been front cover news in SCD. Of course, SCD would have been laughed out of the business if they had put that garbage on the front cover. But not even a mention of it? Why? We all know why.
Good morning! I wanted to make everyone aware that tomorrow is the grand opening of of our auction at collect.com. I am authorizing permission to preview and browse the unique items now. However, you will have to wait until Friday to place your bids. I encourage everyone to do that as soon as possible, as our first auction closes rather quickly on June 18. I also just posted my latest blog entry. I believe Roger Maris fans will be thrilled reading it. Again, don't forget to place your bids tomorrow after reading my Friday blog. Mr. Barton, I'm grateful of your generous editorial sir. T.S.
The blog over at the frozenpond makes it even more clear of a SCD and CCSA partnership. What a scam they are!!! I would love to hear TS's opinion on that blog. And oh, I won't be buying anything from that website TS!
There is some one who clearly works with and is linked up with CCSA who is going over to Tom's youtube page and trying to piss people off. What a jerk off this guys is. I think CCSA is really starting to boil over after being exposed the way they are!
Hey Dvitoc, don't worry about that CCSAFAN over there commenting on my videos. Just ignore him. I appreciate your support over there. Let him rant and rave. He's just a pimple that eventually dries up and goes away.
If you want me to stay out of it I will. It's just tough for me to sit back and let these punks try to intimidate us and lie about everything. I'm sorry if things got a little unprofessional and will understand if you don't want me to comment anymore.
Dvitoc,
I appreciate your comments and hope you will continue to contribute.
thanks!
Dvitoc, believe me I appreciate your support. If you want to comment please feel free to. He's probably being paid by CCSA by the comment. We all get emotional about the jerks (I do it, too).
Good afternoon! I'm going to be brief today as I have much to do before my weekend begins. I just wanted to remind everyone that collect.com/auctions has launched! Please read the rules, register and start placing your bids. There are over 900 lots of extremely rare sports items that would happily be the highlight of anyone's collection. I'm very busy today and apologize my blog is not up yet. I will try to post it later today sometime. T.S.
Well, CCSA auction has another 5600 lots up ready for bidding. Already?! Ya, it doesn't take much to forge was autographs now, come on! Looks like they sure have been reading us cause lot #4 just happens to be an upper deck Michael Jordan auto'd jersey. It is real. However, every single other Jordan item they have is indeed fake. Including the dream team and bulls team signed item. They are just awfully bad. I like how they put that on in fron tof the dream team jersey to make it look good. Wouldn't the dream team jersey be a more rare and valuable item? CCSA- I love the countless more autographed items of Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Mantle bats, jerseys, mitts and game used items you have yet again. How do you do it? By the way, TS, how's it going?
I did see they have another auction so suddenly too. Please check out the witch rug they now have up that they claim is worth "hundreds easily"
I am also noticing that CC doesn't have as many photographs of their Derek Jeter autograph items. They have a team-signed Yankees baseball with Jeter's autograph but the photo doesn't show the Jeter autograph. But the photo does show the fake Mariano Rivera autograph. And a ton of Babe Ruth fakes.
Chris, where do you get the nerve to block me? I'll be back Chris!!
I blocked you because your agenda there was to promote someone you like that I don't. If you want to promote him then do your own videos.
This post has been removed by the author.
Post a Comment
<< Home