Babe Ruth game used bat for $10,000

[sportscentury]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Babe-Ruth-Game-Used-1930s-H-B-Pro-Model-Bat-Yankees_W0QQitemZ230042455151

I just saw this ... it was snagged off of eBay pretty quickly for $10,000. What do folks think? A Babe Ruth game used bat for $10G is an incredible steal, correct?

Reid

[corsairs25]

Isn't this the same seller who invented the side written Joe Jackson bat a month ago? is it Peter Freund?

[kingjammy24]

no photo of the center brand?

anyway, i've a somewhat related question. if you've got a highly desireable item that's worth X amount, then why would you sell it for half that price? the ebay auction states that a bat "that is nearly identical to this one that sold recently at Mastro Auctions for $25,000+". if an almost identical bat sold for $25k, why would they sell this one for $10k? why not consign it to mastro or whoever and get $15-20k?

i'll often see similar ads that say the item is worth X amount and they're selling it for less than half. if the item is really worth X amount then why don't they get that amount for it?

rudy.

[earlywynnfan]

I emailed the seller (again, anyone want to bet if he'll respond?) and the buyer. This Freund guy is unreal!

Ken

[BoneRubbedBat]

Here is the original auction that Peter won the Ruth in. AMAZING....it used to have the 36" inch marks stamped on the knob, and during the transport to him, it disappeared!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250023601626

[sportscentury]

Ken, Marcus, Rudy, corsairs, and others...

I had similar "questions" about this item. Truly remarkable. You have to feel terrible for the buyer. That is a ton of money - Could you even imagine flushing $10,000 down the toilet?

Reid

[BaseballGM]

Is this type of thing happening more frequently now or are more people finding these ummm gems?:rolleyes:

[BoneRubbedBat]

Make a mental note on this item also. I bet we see it again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180023400347

Another opportunity for the Inch Mark Gremlin.

[sammy]

This a**hole (championshipsportsinvestments) is a true piece of garbage.

I'm sure the buyer will be notified.

[JimCaravello]

This is a travesty - I have contacted the Buyer who I know very well........thanks for the great investigative work done by all of you....truly sad........

[sicollector1954@insightbb.com]

HI GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS to all who e-mail me and were looking out for my best interests. FOOL ME once but not twice. The deal is never going through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Took my time to contact the best people in the business before making any kind of payment like that!

I asked that the bat be sent for authentication to PSA and then I would pay for it after it was cleared. Just got an e-mail back saying he was not comfortable doing that as supposedly it has to be sent to the seller.

So I just sent an e-mail stating next time he should remove the green paint before sanding the 36 off the knob next time. I indicated that game used forum is watching and told him to STICK IT!

Thanks again.

Dave

[sicollector1954@insightbb.com]

Bat is up and running again! listing #230042638215
Thought people would like to know. Apparently, the deal with me is a dead issue! Never responded back after I sent my last e-mail and exposed him. I plan on following the auction and hope others will as well and if any other people look to buy the bat....give them the heads up as well. Thanks.

[ChrisCavalier]

HI GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS to all who e-mail me and were looking out for my best interests.
I just wanted to second your comment in thanking everyone here for helping you make an informed decision.

I think it shows the value of this site for all who are involved in the buying process. I know I won't make any major purchases in the future without checking with the people on this site first.

Sincerely,
Chris

[sportscentury]

Never responded back after I sent my last e-mail and exposed him.

Actually, it was this thread that exposed him. And this is not the first thread on GUF to do so. The recent thread started by Marcus about the manufactured side-writing is another example. I don't think this will be the last thread to do so, either.

I'm certainly glad to hear that you didn't get ripped off for 10 grand.

Reid

[earlywynnfan]

I have reported this seller and this bat to ebay. I spoke with their customer service, and she said that if enough people report it, the seller can and will (if they determine him to be a scammer) be banned.

Ken

[sicollector1954@insightbb.com]

Ken--Did the same thing after I finished e-mailing him and saw the bat was back listed again. Hopefully, other people will do the same and he can be kicked off for good.

[bat_master]

Hi Everyone,

I too reported this item. I'm glad to see Dave didn't get burned on that deal. I saw the bat right away and was actually glad for once that I don't have huge cash flow. Of course when i saw the seller I backed off of the MAKE OFFER button pretty quickly.

Glad to see things seem to be working out. Now if we can just get this guy off of ebay permanently! I hope others are reporting this item too.

Tim Byington
t_byington@yahoo.com

[CansecoPower33]

Shocking! I've also reported the bat. Considering the money involved, this is serious stuff.

[worldchamps]

I think this is awesome, that would be a financial blow that would be hard to take.

The other questions I have about this is, the bat that was in the Maestro auction? How does it differ from this bat and is it a real gamer then??

Bill

[earlywynnfan]

Bill, I'm just going off the cuff here, not researching or even bothering to look anything up, but the main difference in this bat is that it had 36 stamped into the knob, which this SOB sanded off. I'm sure the Mastro bat is a true gamer.

Ken

[sicollector1954@insightbb.com]

Bat has been sold with a buy it now. The buyers identity has been listed as private. However, if anyone is interested in contacting the seller--the name is Peter Freund and a number I have is 914-329-1887. Perhaps he can give all of us a good deal on something vintage!

[worldchamps]

Ken,

Just to educate myself....the only difference between a Ruth Gamer and a model is the 36 stamped on the knob?

Bill

[sicollector1954@insightbb.com]

Just received this information. I will let everyone just decide for themselves and I am now done with this matter. However, I will continue to watch for these same types of actions in the future to keep this hobby honest and clean. I hope others out there will do the same. Thanks much.

[sicollector1954@insightbb.com]

Whoops! Just thought of something after re-reading the reply from the seller and I have talked with another individual bat collector who was told the same thing. We were both informed that this bat was a consigned item and was being sold by a gentleman who had received it from his father and it had hung over the fireplace for the past 40 years! Now he says he purchased it and "looked to profit from that"......enough said! No mention of the Joe Jackson sidewritten bat as well............

[Fraudfinder!!]

I am th winner of the Ruth bat. Here is his reply.

>From: "Peter Freund" <pfreund@trinitypackaging.com (pfreund@trinitypackaging.com)>
>To: <hoaglyhoagly@hotmail.com (hoaglyhoagly@hotmail.com)>
>Subject: Babe Ruth Bat
>Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:42:10 -0400
>
>To Whom it May Concern,
>
>
>
>Not certain why I feel the need to explain this, but I am a very HONEST
>person who has over 200+ positive, legitimate transactions on EBAY without
>ever having an issue. This Babe Ruth bat has apparently created a big
>hoopla
>over a misunderstanding. First of all, I have people harassing me from all
>over the country on something that they clearly are wrong about. People are
>telling me I sandpapered off the 36" mark on the bat. I would never, ever
>do
>such a thing. Obviously, the flash in the photo blocked it out somehow
>(unintentionally). Attached is a picture with the 36" still there (and
>today's newspaper to prove it!).I said it would pass PSA/DNA and if it
>didn't I would refund payment as I believed it to be game used.Not certain
>how that constitutes fraud as I have discussed with several people the fact
>that the "125" denotes a Pro-model bat, not a store model bat like the
>"40."
>I purchased the bat for what I believed was a steal at around $1,500 and
>looked to profit from that. Clearly, I was wrong about the "deal" I
>thought
>I got on the bat, but I am now being threatened by people and I am planning
>on removing myself from the EBAY community altogether over this.
>
>
>
>Needless to say, the bat will not be re-listed and will remain in my
>collection where it belongs.
>
>
>
>Have a nice day.
>
>
>
>-Peter
>
>
>
>PS: If you read my listing, I even say it is a 36" bat!!

[nate]

I'd like to see a similar photo in two weeks proving he didn't ship it to the recent buyer.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Fraudfinder!
Thanks for posting the photo. So she did wear Armani...WOW!

[sportscentury]

More stellar work by Fraudfinder!! The most positive sentiment expressed by the seller is that he is thinking about removing himself from the eBay community. I think this thread should get a sticky to remind forum members to review this seller's auctions on a regular basis. If he doesn't remove himself, it will just be a matter of time for forum members to collect enough evidence to have him removed. I realize he makes money for eBay, but how long can they let this guy get away with this kind of thing? Don't forget his infamous "side-written" bats. Great work here on the part of all contributing GUU members. Nice team effort.
Reid

[nate]

I thought Fraud Finder had opened and pasted the message from SICollector.........Same message just to two different people. The story about the bat above the fireplace is classic. Great work by all.

[earlywynnfan]

Help me, I'm confused!!

Where did the story of the bat "hanging over the fireplace" enter into this?

Was fraudfinder the buyer at the 12 grand price? And all this came down after that??

Ken

[nate]

Ken,

The original story that was told to buyers "...that this bat was a consigned item and was being sold by a gentleman who had received it from his father and it had hung over the fireplace for the past 40 years!" Fraud Finder was the buyer and the seller will no longer sell the bat.

Best Regards,

Nate

[bat_master]

Hi Everyone,

It's back. Remember this bat that CSI attempted to sell a few months ago to one of our very own?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Babe-Ruth-New-York-Yankees-Game-Used-H-B-125-Bat_W0QQitemZ230074928612QQihZ013QQcategoryZ60596Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The Joe Jackson "side-written" bat has returned as well.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Shoeless-Joe-Jackson-White-Sox-Black-Game-Used-Bat_W0QQitemZ230074926205QQihZ013QQcategoryZ60596Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

*sigh*

[earlywynnfan]

he's back again trying to sell another bat:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Shoeless-Joe-Jackson-Game-Used-Bat-Black-Sox-1917-1921_W0QQitemZ230099428488QQihZ013QQcategoryZ60596 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you look under "completed auctions", he sold this exact bat for 19000 last week; I wonder why the buyer didn't complete the deal?

Ken