Sports Card Radio recently obtained an anonymous letter from a believed PSA insider. Any pictures or links were added only for context, and were not included in the original document. ********************* Live from Santa Ana. Every grader that works for a TPG (third party grader) signs a Non Disclosure Agreement. Every TPG operates like a…
Buyer beware as another veteran sports card dealer has been exposed for selling trimmed cards. A post on the Blowout Forum accuses RBI Sports Inc owner Rod Iman of buying & selling cards that have been trimmed. Evidence of card altering was provided by the same forum user, 3124508 on COMC, who has been at…
Another card trimmer has been exposed on the Blowout Forum, this time it’s Metro Sports owner Brandon Taing. Forum user 3124508 on COMC provided evidence of several cards believed to be trimmed and showed PSA submission data that can link the cards back to Taing. The same technique has been used to expose card trimmers…
Guys….. you can’t just make your own Zion Williamson cards, sell them on eBay, and think you can get away with it. That is what Burlingame, CA card shop owner Steven Teani of Kollectorsvault has been doing and now Panini America popped them with a civil trademark infringement lawsuit. Kollectorsvault has made fake cards of Williamson,…
Update: Burge implicated in the Probstein shill bidding scam. – LINK HERE When it comes to being a sports card scammer, Kevin Burge can do it all. The Mooresville, North Carolina dealer has been accused of forging autographs, faking patch cards, and trimming cards as far back as 2003. In addition to the card doctoring,…
The promotional offers from Leaf Trading Cards during The National Sports Collectors Convention may not be what they seem. At the 2018 show in Cleveland, Leaf employee Joe Clemons CLEANED UP when he got at least 43 of 120 serial numbered 1/1 cards that were advertised as a promotion to collectors. Update: A second Leaf…
VIEW ACTIVE CASES HERE FAKE THREATS Mark Sapira.k.a “Hands Shaking”Ex-Topps EmployeeCase Details SOLVED 2013 Topps employee Mark Sapir sent a message to Sports Card Radio that read: “If I ever see you say anything negative about this company (Topps), especially on Twitter, I’ll cut you off for good.” A few months later this guy came…
You know it’s bad when there is an entire Instagram account set up to expose your scams. The IG account appeared after a 100+ page Blowout Forum thread called out sports card loser Eric Bitz of BuyNiceCards.com In the thread, a “three-way” deal that went bad between Bitz and two other card fondlers was discussed. …
Trading card scams, scandals, and shadiness are as common in the hobby as base cards. While many are relatively minor in terms of monetary value, some reach proportions that even the scammers could never have predicted. Card trimming & shill bidding has been widely known within card communities. However the stakes have been raised due…
Brian Deer boasted that in the early 2000’s he was making six figures in cash selling baseball cards. “I didn’t appreciate the money because frankly it had been so easy to make,” Deer wrote in a 2014 social media post. Brian Deer To make some of that money, Deer has been scamming collectors by selling…
We are SICK of having to write about another pair of industry scumbags. But put away your plastic slabs for a second and get to know this duo. In early 2019, Bill Sliheet and Nate Nichols from Superior Sports Investments (SSI) were called out for having trimmed cards for sale. Bill Sliheet Initially, it wasn’t…
Former Beckett Grading Services (BGS) and current Leaf Trading Cards employee Joe Clemons appears to have a statistically impossible rate at getting BGS 10’s & ‘Black Labels.’ Graphic: Blowout Forum Blowout Forum user Kyaa lays out the shocking details in this thread. Here are just one of many SHOCKING BGS submissions. Have you ever got…
From the company that brought you Dak Prescott Auto-Penned autograph cards… Oh, and a laundry list of other mistakes over the last decade …. it should come to no one’s surprise. Panini America Luka Doncic Autographs are fake. Luka’s signature on his Panini America cards started changing over the course of the 2018-19 NBA Basketball…
You probably don’t know who Gary “Scissor Hands” Moser is. But as far back as 2002, the New York area dealer has been accused of altering, trimming, and cleaning vintage trading cards. His card doctoring is so vast that it’s hard to keep up with all his exploits over the years. Starting on page…
2025 UPDATE: Tormollan scams have continue for many years. He has been selling numerous fake autographs via his eBay account clearblueconsignment. In December 2025 he changed his eBay name to: dcsportsconsignment Steven Tormollan Original 2019 Article Another day, another kill shot by Blowout Forum user 3124508 on COMC. This time known sports card trimmer Steven Tormollan…
The same Blowout Forum user that brought you the Heroes of Sport scam, is back with another KNOCK OUT punch to hobby trimming heavyweight Robert Block. With details this EXPLOSIVE, it might RATTLE the locks off a vault or two near Texas or Oregon. Developing is a SEVEN figure card trimming scam by Robert Block. …
Leaf Trading Cards owner Brian Gray has jumped into the podcast fray. Here are thoughts on his first episode and where you can listen. Redemption Cards This featured his weakest arguments and underscored the fact that redemption cards are largely a Ponzi scheme for card companies. My favorite part was when he “urged” card manufactures…
Ripping Wax owner David Gelfman has had enough! ‘Gelf’ is SOOOO sick of Sports Card Radio quoting his Blowout Forum posts from 2012 where he admits to his shady dealings with repack ripoff artist Heroes of Sport and fellow scumbag breaker Boomo. He’s seeking $1,000,000 in damages. That might be enough to buy a couple…
Colin and Ryan have sat around for years watching grown men show off trimmed, fake and altered PSA or BGS slabs on social media channels. Grown men bragging about having a picture of another grown man. For some reason in the sports card industry these posts are seen as a status symbol. You guys look…
Many sports card scammers are able to have long careers ripping off collectors. Loud mouth group breaker “Boomo” is building quite a resume. One way to describe Boomo is disgusting. He’s baffled sports card observers for many years. How does he get people to buy into his breaks? Boomo Well, with eBay and help from…
Fitting that the very first card PSA ever graded was trimmed and they didn’t catch it. Here are just some of the fake, trimmed or altered cards that exist in real PSA or BGS holders. Except for the Vegas Dave card that PSA claims is a fake holder, all of these mistakes could have been…
It’s with great pleasure we drag this clown through the mud. Will Jaimet used to get on Cardboard Connection Radio (now defunct) and hate on @SportsCardRadio. His company, Heroes of Sport took out full page banner ads on Beckett.com and in their magazine. This idiot got other sports card minions to promote him. Sports cards…
Oops they did it again! The Topps website was hacked on November 19, 2018. This isn’t the first time Topps has been hacked. The company has owned up to a previous attack to their site on July 30, 2016. Topps became aware of the newest hack on December 26, 2018. Orders placed on their website…
Kevin Brashear has had enough. He popped Panini America with a civil lawsuit in January over failure to produce redemption cards in a timely manner. It is a beautiful thing to see: Panini America Inc, a lawsuit has been filed against you. Here is the full complaint against Panini – (UPDATED: Amended Complaint from 4/8/2019)…
Someone took a baby wipe to the 2016 Bowman Chrome Juan Soto 1/1 Superfractor Autograph and PSA graded it a 10. Juan Soto Cards For SALE The card was originally evaluated by BGS, and received a 9 with a 9 autograph score. If you look closely, you can see the underline below “Juan” trails off…
The 2018 National Sports Collectors Convention will be the 7th year in a row Sports Card Radio has attended. Here is a look back at some cards we’ve seen over the years and what they might be worth in 2018. 2012 Baltimore Cards 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan RC BGS 9.5 2012 NSCC Price: $4,700 BGS…
The Topps Company has a long history of selling sports cards in the U.S. since the 1950’s. No card company has a more loyal following. With such a long history of card making, mistakes will happen over the years. UPDATE: Topps Mistakes (Fanatics Era) Panini America Scams & Mistakes What you won’t find on this…
EXPLOSIVE details are emerging that show the future of the website Cardboard Connection is in limbo. Cardboard Connection founder & 90% owner Mike Smeth has BRAND NEW FELONY CHARGES against him. Smeth was arrested on February 25, 2018 on the following charges:Possession of a firearm by First Offender ProbationerPossession of Schedule II Controlled Substance (Heroin)Possession…
Ooops he did it again?! Cardboard Connection CEO Mike Smeth violated his probation and was sentenced to 30 days in jail on May 1, 2018. Smeth is currently serving 6 years probation after he plead guilty to Terroristic Threats and Aggravated Assault when he threatened to kill multiple people with a gun in 2016. Smeth…
Facebook Group Breaker, Stefan Otto, is getting ROASTED across the card community for allegedly stealing a card during a break. You can watch for yourself here, with commentary from someone who recorded the action. The theft occurs at around 1:04 in the video. His daughter is in the room as he pulls off the heist….
We all want to go crazy buying cards. Instagram kid, brandonscards1, did just that, getting in over $120,000 in purchases. The only problem? It was his parents money. According to Blowout Cards Forum, brandonscards1’s Dad is GE Chief Investment Officer, Aris Kekedjian. Hopefully Pops takes some time to school his son about discipline investing. Sellers became…
Lots of people talk about investing in sports cards, Vegas Dave actually does it. If there is someone spending more money on modern sports cards email me. Professional sports bettor David Oancea, who is better known as Vegas Dave, has a penchant for buying Derek Carr, Carlos Correa and Mike Trout. In May, he added…
BallQube has announced a new MAP policy and are asking e-commerce re sellers to abide with. This MAP policy will apply to any and all online marketplaces or auction services including Amazon, eBay, Jet, etc. The BallQube MAP Policy took effect April 13, 2018. BallQube Products For Sale on eBay Any e-commerce reseller of BallQube…
40 NFL Rookies from the 2018 NFL Draft class and gather for a 3-day exclusive event in Los Angeles, CA. Date: 5/17/2018 – 5/20/2018 3-day events consists of access to the “Nike Jersey Reveal”, “A Night Out With The Rookies” and the official stadium day photo shoot presented by Panini. This is where new NFL Rookie…
Can you make money going to the the Topps Transcendent Party? For the second year in a row I came out ahead, even with the cost of the pass doubling. Total Sales: $6,884.77Cost of Pass: $5,000Total Fees: $979.33Flight Cost: Southwest PointsHotel: $0Transportation: $50Food: $15 Total Profit: $840.44 Last Years Party Re-Cap (Updated) Full list of…
Waiting for an update on the status of your redemption can be an emotional journey. If it’s a card you really want, the wait can be excruciating. Having pending redemptions can already fray the nerves. Any kind of unsettling event, might cause utter panic. Topps, Panini and Upper Deck all have had their fair share…
Before you send in your Topps cards to be graded by Beckett Grading Services (BGS), you might want to check with Topps first. Collector David Bach got lucky one day when opening a box of 2017 Bowman Chrome Draft. Inside, he found two 2017 Bowman Chrome refractor Aaron Judge cards and a 2017 Kris Bryant Finest Finishes card. These cards…
Hello, Friends….. Yes, I wrote the word friends in the introduction to this letter. This is not a generic “Happy Holidays” letter you probably get hundreds of over the holiday season. I was reflecting on 2017 last night and I realized that I live a very blessed life. I have an amazing family and an…
Former UCLA and Dallas Cowboys star Troy Aikman says a jersey sold by Heritage Auctions is not authentic. On November 18, 2017 someone paid $7,800 for a jersey Heritage Auctions claims Aikman wore during the Aloha Bowl (YouTube) on Christmas day 1987. Aikman weighed in on Twitter. Unless I’m the one selling it, none of my…
Next time you open a Beckett Magazine it might look different. Magazine editors who worked remotely were abruptly let go in October. Baseball editor Dave Sliepka, Football editor David Lee, and Hockey, Basketball & Sports Card Monthly editor Stephen Laroche were all relieved of editor work. Laroche is well known for co-writing the popular Got…
Another day, another group breaker accused of scamming. Hobby store Curveball Sports Cards, Gaming and Collectibles in Michigan is accused of swapping out cards during a group break. Collectors began blowing up Curveball’s Facebook and Twitter pages and subsequently shop owner Mike Wilson deleted some social media accounts associated with the business. See if you…
The Godfather of Group Breaking got hacked! An email from Firehand Cards CEO Chad Redfern sent to customers on August 30th states several customer accounts were tampered with. According to the email, no payment card data or bank account information was impacted. Firehand promises new security features “to ensure nothing like this will ever happen again.” A…
Notorious high stakes gambler David Oancea, who is better known as Vegas Dave, has been making waves in the sports card world. He’s reportedly been throwing around big money buying high end graded cards. Update: In May 2018, Vegas Dave reportedly purchased a Mike Trout Superfractor for $400,000 on eBay. Update: May 2018 – Vegas Dave…
The golden boy of the 2016 NFL Football season has some explaining to do! Collectors have been waiting months for Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott to sign his 2016 Panini Prizm Football rookie cards. When they started to show up in mailboxes, it didn’t take long for questions to be raised. These four Prescott Prizm…
Haters are going to hate. Big Baller Brand owner LaVar Ball signed 200 cards for Leaf Trading Cards and each one is a conversation piece. Leaf listed the cards for $60 each on eBay and sold out in less than a minute. Each buyer got 1 random autograph of Ball.
It’s all out war between Leaf Trading Cards and Upper Deck to sign the best young hockey talents to exclusive contracts. Some Hockey collectors are butt hurt. Leaf Cards owner Brian Gray allegedly sent emails to Upper Deck brash to try and call off the arms race. The emails were posted to the Hobby Insider…
Are you a sports card industry troll? In court documents filed on March 16, 2017, Upper Deck claims industry trolls are hurting its business! Since 2012 Upper Deck has been involved in a dispute with the IRS. One of the more eye-opening court documents is from July 2013 which states Upper Deck had “combined deficiencies exceeding $160…