Fakes, Frauds & Counterfiets

1997 Upper Deck "Patch" card was at one time an actual genuine UD Jersey card worth (at the time) nearly $200. But some slick jerk carefully cut open the card, inserted a patch on top of the actual jersey piece, and then re-glued both halves - thereby making it worth as much as $500-800. Luckily, a curious collector noticed it and notified Beckett, who in turn requested Upper Deck verify the existence of such a rare piece. Upper Deck stated that no part of the patch was used for these rare inserts and this particular fraud was exposed.

Fakes, Frauds & Counterfeits

A favorite topic among longtime collectors is the incredible array of fake and phony junk out there. From the shoddy reprints of the early 90's to the very slick digital reproductions of today. Not to mention the twisted jerks who specialize in counterfeiting "multicolor jersey" cards from real jersey inserts (see scan above), or the bizarre display of bogus autographs on everything from cards to so-called "game used" bats, jerseys, gloves, shoes, and helmets.

Among Frank Thomas items there are some infamous frauds like the 1990 Topps NNOF Error that I heard one grading company actually got fooled into slabbing. I won't mention the name because I can't verify the story. But there are counterfeits out there so beware. Beckett once had an article describing the fakes, if I can find it I'll produce a link here. Suffice to say that you should consider buying these rare cards inside a slab from a reputable third-party grading service - my preference is either PSA or BGS. Regarding other grading services please read my comments via "A Word About Slabs And The Alphabet Soup Of Third Party Graders".

ALERT (7/12/06): This is an important alert for Frank Thomas Collectors. An eBay seller who goes under the name of "PhotoKing0313" has once again 'found' another amazing 2005 Prime Patches Game Patch. Incredibly it's yet another 2003 All-Star Game Patch. And again, another fake. Beware and check out these two patches and note the clues to his unbelievable"finds".

Fake 1993 UDA 2-Card Set (made to look like the real Upper Deck Authenticated product)

Alleged fake Star Co. stuff Debatable Star issues that have no value other than looking at Frank's youthful mug.

Okay, now that you had a look at some of the fakes. Remember that there are some legitimate Frank autos out there without proper provenance. Example: A collector puts a card or bat in front of the Hurt, and if he's in the mood, Frank will put his signature upon it - that's entirely possible. Frank also signs at certain charity functions so there's that to contend with.

Finally, given the price drop in certified genuine Frank autos - why go with an uncertified copy? Really sharp examples from baseball card packs/boxes can be had for as little as $30. Even the nicer ones with jersey swatches go for as little as $60. Trust me on this one: Buy genuine and rest easy.

And this stands (to date) as the absolute record-holder for
Most Outrageous Fake Frank Thomas Autograph In The Entire History Of Fakes
(Sad part? Someone actually bid and won this bogus autographed photo)

Just a guess on my part - but I think that's actually the signature of that idiot radio DJ from the movie 'The Fifth Element' --- Ruby Rhod (the fool seen below).

UPDATED (6/7/08): To quote Andy Dufresne from 'The Shawshank Redemption' -
"If you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further."
I'm not infallible. I've been fooled before, and will likely be again. Click here to see how I got suckered.