Lampson's Mantle Pants!

[allstarsplus]

Re: Lamsopon's Mantle Pants!

In how many future Yankee auctions will we see that 1954 letter recycled for circa 1950's Yankee items?

My favorite part of this auction was the Yankees letter and according to the auction---it seems you don't even get the Yankees letter with the pants---you only get the Lamsopon LOA.

Comes with a detailed LOA from Lou Lampson

$4,927 was the winning bid and maybe the bidders know something we don't know. Can anyone show a photo of this style of pants and labeling? If not, then you would have to hope the bidders had the intellect to read the Yankees letter and make an assessment that the letter lends NO provenance to this pair of pants.

I always liked the mathematical logic that if A=B and B=C then A=C. This auction is another example of A may = B and B may = C so in my opinion A=C. Okay, so here is my opinion---this auction doesn't even come close. There is no photo evidence and the letter says nothing pertinent to these pants.

Another one for the Wall of Shame!!!!!

Andrew

[kingjammy24]

Re: Lamsopon's Mantle Pants!

warren,

very nice! you've inspired me.



rudy.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: Lamsopon's Mantle Pants!

It seems that Lou Larcen has an active imagination, not unlike the other L.L.
Lampson's speculative LOA is funny and sad at the same time.

[Eric]

Re: Lampson's Mantle Pants!

Oh yeah, well he's no Lou Sampson

http://cgi.ebay.com/ADAM-ARCHULETA-Game-used-Uniform_W0QQitemZ150101115733QQcategoryZ86829QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Nathan]

Re: Lamsopon's Mantle Pants!

Rudy, that's one of the funniest things I've ever read in my life. I was trying to carry on a phone conversation when I first read that and had to call the person back because I was laughing too hard.

Shame that it's lampooning something so sad and pathetic though.

[EndzoneSports]

Re: Lampson's Mantle Pants!

Don't get me wrong, because this is not an attempt to either defend or bash Lou L, MEARS, GFC, etc., but the bottom line is that, as part of the collecting community, we are all tied into this vicious circle.

• Collectors, particularly new ones, want assurances as to an items' legitimacy. Lacking the experience to research and make this determination themselves, they want/need someone else to reasonably convince them of an items' authenticity. Recognizing the conflict of interest, we are often unlikely to trust the claims of a seller who is positioned to profit from the sale.
• Sellers who recognize the economic impact of nurturing new clientèle will cater to these new and inexperience collectors. They do so by hiring 3rd-party, independent authenticators to provide educated opinions in testament to the legitimacy of the items which the sellers have submitted. From a business sense stand-point, they will forge relationships with recognizable (for better or worse) names, who will (with minimal interference) routinely provide them with accompanying COAs at the most cost-effective price. These sellers really don't care that the COA doesn't add anything of value to the item itself, but only that it makes the item more readily salable, since the word of an unbiased 3rd-party who removes the seller's conflict of interest is what the collective purchasing community is after.
• Authenticators understand this relationship between buyers and sellers, and their craft arose as a result of the potential for conflict on the part of the seller. These folks understand that their livelihood is dependent upon providing a needed service at a competitive price. In oder to best accommodate their clients (who are typically the professional sellers), low cost and the political savvy requiring them not to overly scrutinize items set before them are the secrets to securing that customer's future business.

If as a collecting community, the reality of this arrangement has become bothersome, it is simple to do away with.... Curtail the demand and the businesses/individuals providing this service will go away. Collectively, we must let the sellers know, through our words and actions, that we are no longer interested in this non-value-added service... That we are no longer willing to pay the additional premium for having someone else's opinion attached to the item... That we can trust what the sellers are putting in front of of and/or be able to do our own homework where that trust has not yet been established.

Through our past actions, we have created a demand for these services; good, bad, or otherwise, we have gotten what we asked for. If now the tides have turned and we simply want something else, all we need do is ask. We must, however, exercise care in what we ask for. Just as history has show, we might get just what we asked for.

Regards,