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Eric
05-21-2006, 11:20 AM
Here is another story on fraud in the hobby by Daily News writer Michael O'Keeffe.

What is very important about this story is that investigators are publicly making a statement about accountability and fraudulent items.

The ramifications of this case are very important for the hobby.
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More fraud
on the market


BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Down in Georgia, Goodman Espy is known as a good man. The Marietta obstetrician traveled to Albania in 1999 to provide medical equipment and health care to refugees during the Kosovo War. Espy's OB/GYN practice has funded 30 scholarships for needy students since the early 1980s; the doctor has delivered at least 12,000 babies during his career, more than any other doctor in Georgia. He has served on various boards for Georgia Tech, his alma mater, and he has won several awards for his community service work.
When Hurricane Katrina wiped out the Gulf Coast last summer, Espy decided to sell his game-used Ty Cobb jersey, one of the first pieces in his now-extensive sports memorabilia collection, and donate the proceeds to the Salvation Army. Espy had purchased the jersey for $85,000 in 1991 but he figured it might now be worth $150,000, maybe even $200,000.

Espy needed a certificate from an established authentication service before he could consign the jersey to Mastro Auctions, the Illinois sports collectibles house.

That's when his problems began.

Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services rejected the jersey as a fake, claiming that the jersey's manufacturer never supplied big-league jerseys. Furious, Espy demanded his money back from Tony Cocchi, the longtime memorabilia dealer who'd sold him the jersey 15 years ago. Cocchi refused, Espy says.

In what is another black eye for sports collectibles, a business that has been tainted by scandal, fraud and conflicts of interest for many years, Cocchi is now being investigated by Marietta police for felony theft by deception, a charge that could land him in prison for 10 years.

The investigation has sent a shudder around the memorabilia world.

"There's never been a fear of penalties in this business," says Darrel O'Mary, the dealer who introduced Cocchi to Espy 15 years ago. "There's always been a wink and a nod about these things. It may take throwing some people in jail to clean this up."

Top authenticators, dealers and auction house officials have long known that some of their peers sell phony memorabilia, counterfeit autographs and pieces with exaggerated historical signifcance, but they choose to look the other way, Espy says.

"Too much of this hobby is driven by greed," he says. "We need someone to come in and police this because the industry can't police itself. I got screwed. A lot of people are getting screwed, and I'm tired of it."

Memorabilia insiders say the case is especially disturbing because Cocchi wasn't known as one of the fly-by-night operators who peddle bogus memorabilia and counterfeit autographs anonymously through eBay. For more than 20 years, Cocchi had been an important source of high-quality memorabilia for the hobby's most prominent auction houses and dealers, including Mastro, Lelands, and MEARS authenticators Dave Bushing and Dan Knoll. He also worked as a consultant for Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show.

"Tony was one of us," says Lelands chairman Josh Evans. "He really loved the hobby."

Cocchi declined to discuss the investigation with the Daily News. "He adamantly denies any criminal wrongdoing and is most anxious to have this case heard in a court of law," says his attorney, Charles Lane.

Cocchi is already serving 10 years probation stemming from a 2002 vehicular homicide case, and if he is convicted on the theft charge, the probation may be revoked and Cocchi could face an additional 15-year sentence, says Erik Friedly, a spokesman for the Fulton County district attorney's office. Lane, however, doubts Cocchi's probation is in jeopardy, since the sale to Espy occured long before he was sentenced on the vehicular homicide charge.

Like many dealers in the memorabilia business, Cocchi started out as a trading card collector in the 1970s. He says he got hooked on game-used memorabilia after a friend who worked with the Atlanta Braves gave him a Tommy Aaron jersey. Cocchi started hanging around the ballpark and befriended players, equipment managers and other clubhouse regulars. Soon, memorabilia wasn't just a hobby - it was a career. Cocchi became a bird dog for the prominent auction houses and dealers.

Cocchi built up a network of retired ballplayers and their families who would call him when they were ready to sell their old bats, gloves and jerseys. "I found Tony to be a guy with good contacts," says Mastro Auctions president Doug Allen. "He is very knowledgeable about the material."

Some dealers, however, say they have been wary of Cocchi's inventory for years. As part of his investigation into the Espy jersey, Marietta police detective Ricky Redd said he is investigating a story that has been widely circulated around the hobby: Cocchi paid an exorbitant amount at a Lelands auction several years ago for a collection of batting practice balls from Philadelphia's old Connie Mack Stadium.

Lelands president Mike Heffner says Cocchi's unusual interest in the lot raised questions in his mind, so he marked some of the balls with discreet dots before shipping them to Cocchi. The dotted balls, he said, later wound up in auctions and at memorabilia shows advertised as Hank Aaron homers and other historically significant balls. "We have tried to get these balls off the market," Heffner says. "Unfortunately, some of them were already sold."

Head, the D.A., is expected to present the results of the Marietta police investigation to a grand jury in the near future. Espy says he'll pursue this case as far as it will go.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help the hobby get its ship straightened out," he says. "Issues like this need to be publicized. If there's a risk you'll be arrested or indicted for selling bad memorabilia, maybe guys won't do it."

Eric
05-24-2006, 09:56 PM
Does anybody have any insight into the major players in this story?
Eric

ironmanfan
05-25-2006, 08:13 AM
I do recall seeing a couple years ago a lot (SCD, etc.) of "supposed" Hank Aaron HR balls that were supposedly retrieved and notated by deceased Atlanta Braves front office exec. Donald Davidson. I also recall that supposedly these balls came with "COA's" from Davidson's daughter that they were from his estate. I think that the asking price for these baseballs weren't cheap either ($7500-$10,000 range). Sad story, but kudos to Lelands for helping to expose it. Somewhat similar to the Al Clark, Ripken "2131" game used baseball fiasco!

skipcareyisfat
05-25-2006, 08:13 AM
I actually live in Marietta and have met Tony a number of times. Never acquired anything from him, so I can't add an opinion for or against. However, based on things I've heard over the years from several people here who have dealt with him and actually do know him quite well on a personal basis, I wasn't shocked to see this. He may be innocent, he may not be. It's not for me to decide, nor would I pretend to have additional insight into this case. In the end, if Cocci's proven guilty it can only help the industry. Meanwhile, I'll stick to my $100 jerseys.
-Jason

Eric
05-25-2006, 12:04 PM
Forum members-

I was sent information about these questionable baseballs from a knowledgeable source who would like to remain anonymous

Here's the message...

A warning: In reference to the recently published article in the New York Daily News, I know first hand of the bogus Hank Aaron homerun balls and other bogus milestone balls that have been circulating in the hobby for the last five years. If you suspect that you have one of these baseballs in your possession, I would urge you to call Michael Heffner at Lelands-at one time he discussed the matter with me. He is the one who coded the blank balls and can also tell you what to look for to determine if you have one of these forgeries. I am pretty sure that all the bogus balls that were being sold have letters from family of the late Donald Davidson who was the Braves publicity director. To the best of my knowledge, these letters are also bogus.