Tony Gwynn GU bat

[earlywynnfan]

Did anyone else notice that a Tony Gwynn game used LV bat just sold for $1500 on ebay!!!

Is it me, or did the going rate just triple?

Ken

[bagbig]

I could not believe that.....I thought that bat would go for $375. Leland's recent auctions had Gwynn gamers going for $280-ish. What happened????

[metsbats86]

I could not believe that.....I thought that bat would go for $375. Leland's recent auctions had Gwynn gamers going for $280-ish. What happened????

All depends who is bidding that day. The certificate from the Padres probably helped boast up the price I think.

David

[byergo]

In my experience Lelands doesn't bring good money. I've had good luck with Grey Flannel and American Memorabilia. Others have this experience?

[CollectGU]

I don't think it's a question of one auction house versus another, but more a statement by collectors that they are going weary of authenticator letters as provenance and are now willing to shell more money for an item having team or player provenance.

[trsent]

In my experience Lelands doesn't bring good money. I've had good luck with Grey Flannel and American Memorabilia. Others have this experience?

Are you talking about personally consigning items with these auction houses?

[byergo]

Yes, I was speaking from personal experience. And I don't understand all the negative energy spent on this site against the industries top authenticators. They are human and not fail proof, but I think their opinions help bring top dollar, and are widely accepted in the marketplace. Look at how poorly most game used stuff sells for on EBAY due to the lack of trust factor.

[kingjammy24]

Byergo:

The negative energy spent on this site against certain "top authenticators" occurs because of the sheer number and severity of errors made by these "top authenticators". They are indeed human and and nobody expects them to be perfect. There is the legitimate expectation however they will catch basic errors, which many do not, and that they will not commit an astronomically high number of errors, which many of them do. If I was an authenticator and issued an LOA for a McGwire jersey that was a size 42, then turning around and saying "hey I'm human" doesn't quite cut it. There's an acceptable level of error.
Several of these guys cross that level by a lot. That's why the "negative energy" is often occurs (and is warranted).

Their opinions do help bring a higher sale amount. What does that have to do with them being good authenticators? People pay more for LOA/COA'd items because they mistakenly believe it means their item is legit. I'd offer that these people have misplaced their trust. An LOA/COA from an authenticator on an item has little to do with it being legit or fake. If the authenticator is inept, then the paper is completely worthless. Most of the "marketplace" however has no idea if a certain authenticator is inept or not. That's why their COA/LOA's are widely accepted. (If the public knew enough to know why a certain authenticator is inept, then they'd also have enough knowledge to not need or want a COA/LOA).
Everyone believing you're a good authenticator is not the same thing as actually being a good authenticator. It simply means you've fooled the masses. Not a tough thing to do in this hobby. Unfortunately, this hobby is full of people paying for worthless 'authentications'. If someone bid more on an item, at an auction house, authenticated by Lou Lampson, for example, than one unauthenticated on Ebay, then I'd offer that they wasted their money, misplaced their trust, and did it all because they didn't know any better. The higher sales price is hardly an indication that Lou's a great authenticator or that their item is legit. It's simply an indication that they have more money than knowledge, which I'd say is probably most people. You say their LOA/COA's are "widely accepted in the marketplace". If there is so much fraud in this hobby as to compel the FBI to get involved, then how smart exactly is this marketplace? Wide acceptance in this marketplace hardly indicates anything except, as I said before, most have more money than knowledge. I'd also qualify which marketplace you mean specifically. I really doubt if you posted an item in the "For Sale" section of this Forum with a Lou Lampson COA that the COA would be "widely accepted". Ebay is another story. The difference between the two marketplaces? The level of knowledge.

Rudy.

[eGameUsed]

I have gotten a lot of e-mails asking if I am looking for Gwynn bats as I was the one that was outbid at $1500. I was shocked the other bidder went that high,; I guess I should have done $1501. Oh well! E-mil me if you have a 1999-2000 LVS bat with the filled in logo (red/blue).

Thanks,

Chris Boyd
ccboyd@houston.rr.com
www.eGameUsed.com
713-385-1155

[CollectGU]

Rudy,

You unfairly insinuate that Lou Lampson is worse than other authenticators, (i.e MEARS) which is simply not the case. But, perception is reality and in this forum Lou is perceived to be worse, when the facts show otherwise. Simply go through a Vintage Authentics catalogue and you will find as many mistakes as Lou makes, pehaps even more