Check out this Bench "Gamer" Wow..just wow

[allstarsplus]

Their "logo" is a basic format you find on microsoft word. Shows how cheap they are

...but they have a custom hologram LOL

[metsbats]

Here's a response I received just now from the ebay seller of this Bench bat.

Dear metsbats,

I Thank everyone for asking questions and I immediately contacted TSA regarding these issues. I expressed my anger with them and stated I have some serious questions to ask. I assure you if this bat is not what they say it is I will remove it immediatley from ebay. I spoke with the authenticator and he answered all the questions, of which I will share when I get the email from TSA with all the details on this bat. The authenticator asked me to post this question to all of you...

TSA Authenticator:
(Quote)"What must first be established here is the year this bat was made. This is done by knowing the different H & B bat factory brandings. Knowing the time frame is important for 2 reasons. One, it may be a store model bat. Two, it may be a pro model bat made for a specific player. What makes this Bench bat a pro model, and not a store model, This is the question that should be asked here. This bat is 34.5 inches long, so before I say anything else, I ask you, were half length bats such as 34.5 inches sold to the general public? I will await your response before I go further with my answers regarding this Johnny Bench game used bat"(Unquote).

Now I know very little about bats, I am no expert. I am curious to what everyone knows this bat to be. I do not like opinions, so please give me the facts only to back up what this bat "IS". Everyone has told me what they say it is not. Please tell me what in fact this bat "IS" and what facts back that conclusion. I have a few questions for everyone. The Registered Trademark symbol on the barrel next to Bench's name, did that not start in 1976? The bat is 34.5 inches long, is that a pro model bat size? not a store model size? Do store model bats come 1/2 number lengths? What model is this bat? Where should the model number be? The "C" meaning "Cupped" bat as everyone states, I have read Bench ordered over 200 models ending in "C" over the years, yet I find no pics of Bench with a cupped bat. Anyone have input? Thanks again.


- nycsportsstore4u

[sayhey24]

Thanks for sharing that letter from the ebay seller. I find the last paragraph very interesting. The seller says he likes to deal in facts, not opinions. That's the same wording used in the TSA guarantee and used in a blog written by the authenticator on the TSA website. By the way, this Bench bat is also offered for sale on the TSA website.

For the record, Bench did use cupped bats -- I'll try to post photos of my 73-75
B278 tomorrow.

Greg

[jbsportstuff]

Just a quick search shows me this Bench bat that is cupped.

The problem with the bat is that there is NOTHING right about it. It's just a store model and someone has faked it to make it a gamer.

For this to be a professional bat, it MUST have the model on it. For this period, the model number should be displayed on the barrell. Before this, the model should have been stamped on the knob of the bat.

This person has NO CLUE what they are doing...and I believe that the seller is one in the same as the authenticator....or atleast has a connection of some kind.

[jbsportstuff]

Let's try this again...here is a MUCH better picture of a Bench cupped bat.

[Vintagedeputy]

TSA authenticators are in Whitestone Queens. College Point the sellers location is the next town over. I never heard of TSA and it's right in my own backyard. I'd love to find out more about them.

Here's one better - the authenticator, Florin Cincu has an address of, ready?

FLORIN CINCU
1804 COLLEGE POINT BLVD
COLLEGE POINT, NY 11356


(from public records)

[allstarsplus]

It gets worse, they authenticate autographs too!



http://cgi.ebay.com/Albert-Pujols-Si...item3ca9eea127

[ironmanfan]

It gets worse, they authenticate autographs too!

Attachment 34798

http://cgi.ebay.com/Albert-Pujols-Si...item3ca9eea127

I'm sure they would hope that the casual collector might confuse JSA with TSA..............

[jbsportstuff]

The bat has been pulled. However, I received this from the seller...


"[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']I Thank you for all your help and for everyone else who helped me with this bat. I called TSA and had a long discussion with the authenticator. Now the authenticator looked over the auction and read the messages I sent him from everyone, and he read the blogs and forums. The first thing he noticed was the COA had typos mistakes. The bat is in fact 32 oz and NOT 37 oz. I weighed it and I know this for a fact. Now as for the "C" being cupped, I have not seen any cupped bats from bench and he ordered over 200 models with a "C" over the years (not just 1979). Again I am not an expert. TSA also told me the "C" meant that the model number had no designation according to Malta's book and H&B records. You state ALL Bench gamers have "5" on the knob, TSA showed me many pics where Bench had a "2" on the knob in a game and a "11" on the knob in a game. TSA has in fact showed me all the evidence, there was just a few typos on the COA, including the model number. NOW as for the KNOB being SANDED down, let me assure you, I DID NOT sand the knob nor could it have been sanded. The bat is in fact 34.5 inches (I measured it). If it was sanded to remove the JB4 from the knob, that would mean it was a 35 inch store model bat (correct me if I am wrong). That would mean you would have shave off an entire 1/2 inch to make it a pro bat. NO knob is that thick and that would be extremely noticeable. TSA showed me pics where H&B used a machine to make those "even" circular scratches on knobs to fine tune bats to precision measurements. I was showed many Bench bats sold from auction houses for Thousands, authenticated by PSA and MEARS, that had the same circular scratches on the knob. Sand paper would leave a more messy and noticeable finish and again an entire 1/2 inch cut off from the bat. I am taking the bat down from ebay due to the typos as I promised. I am NOT associated with TSA and I am not a con as it was stated on blogs. If you need pics I can email them to you, I have some." [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Well the authenticator has no clue and the person selling the bat didn't read everything on this thread or they would have seen the Bench bat that I showed that IS INDEED cupped on the end. The picture is still in this thread.[/FONT] If TSA showed this person "Bench" bats with a 2 or an 11, then someone else wrote them because Bench was always #5. Just ridiculous arguments.

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']I'll let everyone else comment on this e-mail I received. I'm just glad that it is pulled. TSA is a joke.[/FONT]

[Genke]

The bat has been pulled. However, I received this from the seller...


"[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']I Thank you for all your help and for everyone else who helped me with this bat. I called TSA and had a long discussion with the authenticator. Now the authenticator looked over the auction and read the messages I sent him from everyone, and he read the blogs and forums. The first thing he noticed was the COA had typos mistakes. The bat is in fact 32 oz and NOT 37 oz. I weighed it and I know this for a fact. Now as for the "C" being cupped, I have not seen any cupped bats from bench and he ordered over 200 models with a "C" over the years (not just 1979). Again I am not an expert. TSA also told me the "C" meant that the model number had no designation according to Malta's book and H&B records. You state ALL Bench gamers have "5" on the knob, TSA showed me many pics where Bench had a "2" on the knob in a game and a "11" on the knob in a game. TSA has in fact showed me all the evidence, there was just a few typos on the COA, including the model number. NOW as for the KNOB being SANDED down, let me assure you, I DID NOT sand the knob nor could it have been sanded. The bat is in fact 34.5 inches (I measured it). If it was sanded to remove the JB4 from the knob, that would mean it was a 35 inch store model bat (correct me if I am wrong). That would mean you would have shave off an entire 1/2 inch to make it a pro bat. NO knob is that thick and that would be extremely noticeable. TSA showed me pics where H&B used a machine to make those "even" circular scratches on knobs to fine tune bats to precision measurements. I was showed many Bench bats sold from auction houses for Thousands, authenticated by PSA and MEARS, that had the same circular scratches on the knob. Sand paper would leave a more messy and noticeable finish and again an entire 1/2 inch cut off from the bat. I am taking the bat down from ebay due to the typos as I promised. I am NOT associated with TSA and I am not a con as it was stated on blogs. If you need pics I can email them to you, I have some." [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Well the authenticator has no clue and the person selling the bat didn't read everything on this thread or they would have seen the Bench bat that I showed that IS INDEED cupped on the end. The picture is still in this thread.[/font] If TSA showed this person "Bench" bats with a 2 or an 11, then someone else wrote them because Bench was always #5. Just ridiculous arguments.

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']I'll let everyone else comment on this e-mail I received. I'm just glad that it is pulled. TSA is a joke.[/font]

I haven't read seen this much horsesh!t since I visited the stalls of Churchill Downs before the big race.

Yeah, I know that when they stamp a knob with whatever it is they stamp into it, that the stamping goes into the wood 1/2".

Does this tool think everyone is retarded? And what does that say for the authenticator that he has "typo's" on his pictured letters? Now THER'S a company I want to do biz with.

The seller is the authenticator, it's obvious. VintageDeputy's post pretty much cleared that issue up. And he's really bummed he's been outted. I hope he spent a bundle of money on having all of those worthless holograms made up for his upcoming garbage run.

Why not just call it as it is: TSA = "Total Sh!t Authenticated"