Is Lampson in hiding?

[CollectGU]

He is no better or worse than MEARS, but for some reason no one on this site talks about their mistakes. Their retail model Berra mask fiasco is as bad as the Lampson St. Pat's..Maybe worse because it sold for $17K and they had a financial interest in the item...

Dave

[BoneRubbedBat]

Who knows if Lampson has a financial interest in any of the items???

Maybe he is the person submitting all the crap getting "authenticated"????

[kingjammy24]

"He is no better or worse than MEARS, but for some reason no one on this site talks about their mistakes."

hello dave. i think this forum (and the old one) is filled with accounts of mears/scda/bushing/troy errors. in fact, i know it is because i've commented on many of them. while i'm not a huge fan of mears, i have to say that i think lampson is undeniably and substantially worse. it's one thing to lay out all of their respective errors and go down the line subjectively comparing which ones were worse. ultimately though, i feel lampson is far worse because:

- any day of the week, i can directly email, write, or call bushing or troy. i can also post on their forum and receive a prompt reply. in fact, you yourself have had extensive discussions directly with troy about the berra mask. if anyone has a problem with a mears authentication, we all know that bushing or troy will at least give you the respect of discussing it like a couple of grown men.

lampson, on the other hand, hides like some sort of petrified schoolgirl. nobody is able to discuss any of his authentications with him. it took eric weeks of effort just to get a message passed on to him via a third party, as if he's in some sort of witness protection program. if i came across a sloppy mears authentication, i could pick up the phone right now and discuss it personally with troy or dave. can i do that with lou? can i call him right now to discuss the st.pats jersey? if so, please share his phone number. i won't hold my breath.

according to one of his employers, mastro, "Mr. Lampson does not want his email address given out". even you have to admit that bushing and troy don't have 1/4 of the cowardice that seems to be lou's trademark. right or wrong, at least troy and dave can be contacted. lou must have a tremendous amount of confidence in his authentications if he intentionally makes himself nearly impossible to contact. it's almost as if he's fully aware he's tossing out bombs because he goes to such great lengths to make sure he's completely safe from the eventual explosions.

- if a mears authentication is proven wrong, they will buy the item back. while they don't always admit all of their errors, the fact is that they actually have bought some items back and admitted some of their mistakes. again, while i'm not a huge fan of mears, this policy seems to be leaps and bounds above anything offered by lou. when lou makes an error, you can't even get a reply or explanation, much less a refund. has lou ever bought an item back? in all my years, i've never even seen him personally issue an apology or admission of error. have you?

in short, i believe that mears has a genuine interest in the hobby (you couldn't produce the amount of research or write the articles that they do if you were just in it for a quick buck). i believe they inherantly have care and concern for the hobby and have a genuine desire to help. i also believe they genuinely want to properly authenticate items and fight fraud. i also realize that, for various reasons, these intentions aren't always realized. the thing is, i can't say any of the same for lampson.
everything i've seen from lampson simply indicates an individual who believes that his ability to pump out as many worthless LOAs as possible is a bottomless goldmine and he's intent on squeezing every penny he can from it while dodging any responsibility, accountability, and due diligence like he's some sort of human Frogger.

rudy.

[akatz]

Have you guys ever heard of www.zabasearch.com? Check it out. I think that you will find the information you're seeking.

[allstarsplus]

Does Lou Lampson have a website to check jersey grading criteria like MEARS has? Does Lou have a phone # or email address? Does Lou have a guarantee system? Does Lou have a conflict of interest statement?

I expect all the above answers to be "yes" to be considered at the least competent in just the customer service area of the authentication business not even commenting on his knowledge or expertise. Those to me are at a minimum a must have.

For MEARS, http://www.mearsonline.com/services/jersey.asp you have well written explanations of what the jersey grades and here are their policies: http://www.mearsonline.com/services/policies.asp

If you go to the current Vintage Authentics auction, you get Lampson graded jerseys all over their auction with no concise explanantion of grading systems. How does a Terry Bradshaw get a Lampson 8.5 rating with no provenance? Repairs and signs of wear can be done by a kid that has good sewing skills.

http://vintageauthentics.at.truition...aunbr=80432697



The outer tail contains the Medalist SandKnit size 46 label with stitch remnants visible above for a removed exclusivity label as well as remnants of a year swatch. The game use evidence is consistent and quite solid with a visible minor team repair, light puckering of the numerals, and strong NOB wear. Overall this quality Bradshaw game representation is not to be missed and earns a final high grade of 8.5.

Here is a copy of sweet Lou's LOA: http://pics1.edeal.com/images/p2/wl/vintageauth/docs/bradshaw83gujerslou8-5.jpg

Here's a Bettis jersey with a 9.5 rating from Lou:



http://vintageauthentics.at.truition...aunbr=80432698

Here is the LOA w/ a 9.5 rating with no provenance:
http://pics1.edeal.com/images/p2/wl/...jersLou9-5.pdf

[sylbry]

At least with those two LOA's he didn't conclude his findings by saying "Lou Lampson LOA!" like he does on others you see. How tacky is that?

[Utopian2630]

Just a note on the Bradshaw jersey. While the auction listing says it is an 'early 80's Steelers home jersey', the Lampson LOA says that the jersey is a 1983 Steelers home jersey. However, in 1983, the Steelers wore a 50th season patch on the front of the jersey. The LOA mentiones nothing about remnants of a patch being there.

[rose14]

Lou Lampson will always find work as long as Vintage Authentics, American Memorabilia and Mastros among the others continue to use this guy for their authenticating. These auction houses are the main problem in putting these bad items in the hobby. They have the control over those items but the allmighty dollar clouds their thinking. Mastros is considered the best in the business but I can't explain why they continue to use this guy with all the baggage that Lampson carries. Mistakes are going to be made with anyone but Lampson's go beyond mistakes. His authenticating could be considered criminal as he has signed off on so many bad items. Any auction that comes up now I look at two things. The title and the authenticator. If it comes with just a Lou Lampson COA I stop and move one. Sure he may have authenticated alot of legitimate items but as of lately more often than not that does not seem to be the case.

There used to be a time that if Mastros had something I was interested in I would have never questioned the authenticity of it but now I wouldn't trust a single thing that they auction without doing extensive legwork myself.

[hblakewolf]

[quote=Utopian2630;34668]Just a note on the Bradshaw jersey. While the auction listing says it is an 'early 80's Steelers home jersey', the Lampson LOA says that the jersey is a 1983 Steelers home jersey. However, in 1983, the Steelers wore a 50th season patch on the front of the jersey. The LOA mentiones nothing about remnants of a patch being there.[/quote]

If it was possible to ask Lampson about this, one can only guess what his repsonse would be:

1. "Bradshaw did not like the look of the patch, and the team never affixed it to his jersey"

2. "It was common for quarterbacks to remove the patch, as they viewed them as distractions"

3. "The equipment manager was told to cut-back on the post game spread, and as such, could not afford to add the patch to every jersey"

4. "It is common practice for jerseys to be used in following-seasons, and this is the case with this particular jersey"

5. "The patch was most likely ripped from the jersey during play, and the stitch holes have amazingly closed over the last 14 years".

Did I miss anything?

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[allstarsplus]

If it was possible to ask Lampson about this, one can only guess what his repsonse would be:

1. "Bradshaw did not like the look of the patch, and the team never affixed it to his jersey"

2. "It was common for quarterbacks to remove the patch, as they viewed them as distractions"

3. "The equipment manager was told to cut-back on the post game spread, and as such, could not afford to add the patch to every jersey"

4. "It is common practice for jerseys to be used in following-seasons, and this is the case with this particular jersey"

5. "The patch was most likely ripped from the jersey during play, and the stitch holes have amazingly closed over the last 14 years".

Did I miss anything?

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

Howard & Utopian2630 - He gave that jersey an 8.5 Rating based on use and a repair? We all know that a kid that took a home economics course in 8th grade could figure out how to dummy that up.

My guess is MEARS would rate it an A5 since it lacks provenance and the questionable patch (per Utopian2630 research). Can anyone find any photo evidence?

The amazing thing to me is the prices that buyers are bidding on these items. These aren't the eBay $1,000 specials---these are going for over $5,000 with Buyer's premiums.

Take the criteria listed on the Bettis jersey which he gave a 9.5 Score. Perfect score 4 points for Jersey Characteristics/Identifiers. Perfect score 2 points for Aesthetics/Customizations. Perfect score 2 points for Range of Wear. The last criteria in the 10 point scoring system is for Provenance/Rarity and he gives a 1.5 out of 2. There is NO mention of Provenance. How does he define Rarity? It mentions fabulous game wear. Can't see it in the pictures.

The tagging looks crisp to me. I just don't get it. Fabulous wear? He played in all 16 games in 1993 so this jersey I would think was used for more than 1 game. He also averaged with carries/passes almost 20 touches per game.



http://pics1.edeal.com/images/p2/wl/...jersLou9-5.pdf

Andrew