AUTOGRAPHS: Beware Of These Items.

[sammy]

Beware of these two items.

1) Mickey Mantle "signed" jersey. The M&N tail tag was first used in 2001.

Mick died in 1995.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160298951126&ssPageNam e=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

The seller was notified, but the jersey remains for sale.

Here is the e-mail from M&N.

Subj: RE: Tagging Question
Date: 2/14/2007 8:42:56 AM Central Standard Time
From: basenfeldera@mitchellandness.com
CC: info@mitchellandness.com

Hey,

Thank you for your interest in Mitchell and Ness. We have been using that tag for all of our MLB throwbacks since 2001. Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Andrew Basenfelder
Mitchell and Ness
E-Commerce
Toll Free: 866-879-6485
Direct Line: 215-279-9899
Email: basenfeldera@mitchellandness.com







2) Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig "signed bat. The main COA is from the J. (Jim) DiMaggio company. This company was set up by the Marino forgery ring (FBI's Operation Bullpen) to authenticate their forgeries.

The other COA is from Midwest Forensics, a defunct autograph authentication company. I knew of this company back in the 1990s, and never saw anything authentic, in my opinion, with their COA.

They disappeared when eBay cracked down in 2000.

http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220306986997&ih=0 12&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=

The J. DiMaggio company is banned by eBay.

Notification was sent to eBay and seller, yet the bat is still listed. In my opinion, the autographs are not authentic.

Unacceptable Authenticators on eBay

Many eBay members have heard about a federal investigation by the FBI and United States Attorneys' offices into forgeries of sports autographs and certificates of authenticity that may have been falsely issued. As a result of that case, eBay will not permit the use of or reference to certificates of authenticity on its site that have been issued by the following parties:

• J. Dimaggio Co. / J. Dimaggio Company

[bigtruck260]

Good call Sammy - I read Operation Bullpen by Kevin Nelson, and the J. Dimaggio company was set up by the Marino family to dupe customers into thinking that "With a name like Dimaggio, you can't go wrong" - Where is Shelly Jaffe when you need him?

[Danny899]

Beware of these two items.

1) Mickey Mantle "signed" jersey. The M&N tail tag was first used in 2001.

Mick died in 1995.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160298951126&ssPageNam e=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

The seller was notified, but the jersey remains for sale.

Here is the e-mail from M&N.

Subj: RE: Tagging Question
Date: 2/14/2007 8:42:56 AM Central Standard Time
From: basenfeldera@mitchellandness.com
CC: info@mitchellandness.com

Hey,

Thank you for your interest in Mitchell and Ness. We have been using that tag for all of our MLB throwbacks since 2001. Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Andrew Basenfelder
Mitchell and Ness
E-Commerce
Toll Free: 866-879-6485
Direct Line: 215-279-9899
Email: basenfeldera@mitchellandness.com







2) Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig "signed bat. The main COA is from the J. (Jim) DiMaggio company. This company was set up by the Marino forgery ring (FBI's Operation Bullpen) to authenticate their forgeries.

The other COA is from Midwest Forensics, a defunct autograph authentication company. I knew of this company back in the 1990s, and never saw anything authentic, in my opinion, with their COA.

They disappeared when eBay cracked down in 2000.

http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220306986997&ih=0 12&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=

The J. DiMaggio company is banned by eBay.

Notification was sent to eBay and seller, yet the bat is still listed. In my opinion, the autographs are not authentic.

Unacceptable Authenticators on eBay

Many eBay members have heard about a federal investigation by the FBI and United States Attorneys' offices into forgeries of sports autographs and certificates of authenticity that may have been falsely issued. As a result of that case, eBay will not permit the use of or reference to certificates of authenticity on its site that have been issued by the following parties:

• J. Dimaggio Co. / J. Dimaggio Company

Sammy,
The entire jersey is wrong. The authentic Mitchell & Ness Mantle jerseys should be made of flannel and have the zigzag pinstriping. The large picture of the M&N tag is correct. The jersey with the Mantle signature has straight pinstripes and appears to be made of polyester. Ebay is littered with these fakes.

[sammy]

Well, some good news.

Both sellers have ended their auctions after further review.