The Great 1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold Auctions Of 2019 From PWCC

[chris19978]

I was on call last night and had set up a gixen bid for the Bagwell. I have to mention that I have never seen a bagwell listed before. Thinking I was all set to go I didn't check until later in the night when work slowed down. I then find out that my authentication token for gixen happened to expire that night. It was good for 18 months and just happened to expire that night. My bid was significantly higher than what the auction ended for. Super disappointed because I don't know when I will find one again. What luck!

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I feel for you I think back to when I was second highest bidder of around 4K for small traditions Jeter a few years back. Then had another chance for a PAA 9 off eBay for 6k and I felt it was too much now if I ever get it I am looking at 25k minimum but I am thinking higher. It is my only card I want at the moment.


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[Letch77]

I feel for you I think back to when I was second highest bidder of around 4K for small traditions Jeter a few years back...It is my only card I want at the moment.

Cash out that 401k! I have a feeling that when another hits the open market, it'll go for upwards of $40k...look for a couple to be released in his HOF eligibility year.

[banjar]

Thanks. Now 2/3 of the way finished with that rainbow. $100 for all three sounds like something from another century

Congrats! Grace PSA 9 ended at $316 too. Hard to believe I bought the entire rainbow back in 97 for less than $100 ($10, $25 and $60). Probably should get them graded at some point.

[chris19978]

Cash out that 401k! I have a feeling that when another hits the open market, it'll go for upwards of $40k...look for a couple to be released in his HOF eligibility year.

I might have one before then. I know where quite a few are and I make enough money now to be able to save a few months and get it. My problem is I also have plans with building a house. But the house might be set back 5 months.


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[mouschi]

It was extremely fun watching those auctions. The Puckett for over 6k was obviously the most entertaining! Last night's auctions were not just auctions. It was an event. An event that will long be remembered in our hobby.

[K34PuckettAddict]

For me, the Puckett was the most frustrating, only because that’s my PC guy. I tapped out much higher than I wanted to originally. The way the Puckett was going, I figured it would land between $4 - $5k, so $6k was surprising.

If anyone has a Puckett available, I’ll make the same offer. Please let me know.

[Ripkenfan126]

I won the blue Ripken. No gold this time.

But last auction Pwcc did have a lot of golds that were bgs 9.5’s. A lot of different ones then. So I’m assuming they were all from same seller and just did bgs one auction and PSA another.

[bigunitcards]

Golds are rolling in. If anyone else won their guy please do show off.

[nevermore]

Was watching the Yankees. Tino & O'Neill ended for around $100 each which is what I figured, but somehow the David Cone ended for $800!

Congrats to those that picked up their players. Here are my O'Neills. Fortunately, he not as rare as some of the other guys. There are two others listed on eBay at the moment.

[banjar]

I'd love to, but won't be home for a few more months yet. Damnit. It's killing me Smalls.

But! I did get an ebay delivery notice that it was delivered to my house. I should ask my buddy who's renting the place to open it and take some sexy photos of it. Maybe dress it up in some hot frilly 2.5" x 3.5" lingerie!

Golds are rolling in. If anyone else won their guy please do show off.

[bighurt]

My little addition!

[bighurt]

Not quite sure why that posted twice. Guess I am just super excited!!

[bighurt]

Fits in well with the rest of the family!

[cardcop05]

[MENTION=23455]cardcop05[/MENTION], I don't know who you are or the background behind why so many people across different forums dislike you, but your anecdotes (whether true or not) are pretty entertaining. I enjoy reading about the shenanigans of card company employees and their sketchy ways.

Thank you Letch77.
If most people thought like you did, we'd have many more very educated collectors in the hobby. Those who dislike me: I've either busted at one time or another for harming collectors (which I won't put up with!), or are simply sheep making up stories to get attention.

Feel free to email me direct anytime; cardcop04@gmail.com

If you think I have interesting things to say on message boards, wait until you hear THE TRUTH about this hobby that I stopped posting on HORRIBLE boards like blowout whose owner I once busted hurting collectors so he gets his friends to bash me at every opportunity he feels like & has me (and anyone who thinks like me) PERMANENTLY BLOCKED from posting on his site???

James

[cardcop05]

[MENTION=23455]cardcop05[/MENTION], I don't know who you are or the background behind why so many people across different forums dislike you, but your anecdotes (whether true or not) are pretty entertaining. I enjoy reading about the shenanigans of card company employees and their sketchy ways.

Thank you again Letch77!

Deaconblues63 You're an idiot.

As you tell us about all the other people that stole from Pinnacle could you tell us about your own arrest for theft from Pinnacle? What were the charges and what was the final disposition of your arrest for felony theft that was filed in a Tarrant County District Court. Just tell everyone what you were charged with and what you pled to, not the long drawn out story where you were a hero, framed and wrongly arrested while acquiring evidence and yet again saving the hobby from all the villains lurking in the shadows at Pinnacle, Beckett, Topps, Upper Deck, PSA, etc, etc.

To make it easy, I am looking for a simple sentence that says I was arrested for this, this was my plea and I received this as my punishment.

I look forward to your obfuscations, delusions and fictional depictions of your heroic actions. Don't forget to bring up Gary Carter and card donations.

Firstly thank you Letch, at least some on this board have common sense.

To deaconblues63:

To start with I was not arrested for theft at Pinnacle. so this shows how LITTLE you know about anything! I only worked for Playoff and that was ONLY in 2001 (in addition I never set foot in Texas until June, 2001) SO HOW COULD I HAVE WORKED FOR PINNACLE??? >>>DUMB<<< Pinnacle went OUT OF BUSINESS in 1998 and Playoff bought everything from Pinnacle in 1998.

Now since YOU brought it up, you need to hear the entire story which; MIKE PAYNE (former President Of Beckett in 2001), RENEE GREENLEE (Playoff's Manager Of Security in 2001), & the Tarrant County, TX Court knows and can confirm everything I'm about to write (starting with the Playoff "Theft").

To start with, in early 2001; I caused Pacific to lose their baseball licenses (all three) because they used all FAKE "Game-Used" bats and jerseys in 2001 Private Stock Baseball which I fully investigated for months by myself (at my own considerable expense), then turned over the tape recordings to the MLBPA who reviewed my tapes then THEY asked Pacific for LOA's for all their game-used items they used in 2001 Private Stock. This is when Pacific admitted to the MLBPA that they did in fact use FAKE jerseys and bats that the bought brand new from Sports Authority that not one baseball player in that over 100-card game-used set even ever saw any of those items. THEY IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL THEIR BASEBALL LICENSING! I keep repeating things so that I can reach enough people to STAY AWAY from the FRAUDULENT Stuff I uncovered and NO PRICE GUIDE WOULD EVER DO ANY STORY ABOUT FOR FEAR OF LOSING ADVERTISING DOLLARS! This was started so eloquently by MIKE PAYNE in 2001 and if you've been in this hobby as long as I have paying attention to anything important; you'd know there was a time when BECKETT REFUSED TO ACCEPT CARD COMPANY ADVERTISING BECAUSE AS THEY STATED "IT WOULD BE TOO MUCH OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST". However as happens way to frequently in this hobby; GREED OVERCOMES INTEGRITY MORE OFTEN THAN NOT!

I knew Playoff was committing more fraud than almost any other company in 2001 based on the hundreds of hobby connections I had amassed by 2001. So my next investigation was to be of Playoff. It was too bad too, because I had just busted Fleer (red-handed) for not putting Certified Autographs, or serial-numbered RC's of ICHIRO or PUJOLS in any RETAIL BOXES (I was the only person EVER reviewing Retail Boxes on my website from 2000-2004) even though these products stated that these things were in these boxes! To those that remember Fleer made a bunch of different RETAIL baseball products whose boxes stated "LOOK FOR AUTOGRAPHS INSERTED ONE IN EVERY (20) PACKS". You'd be looking forever and never find one because Lloyd Pawlak's boss (the Rite Aid jerk brother who ran Fleer) forced Lloyd to NOT INCLUDE any autographs, Pujols or Ichiro RC's in these products because the third-party wholesaler who bought these Retail Boxes in cases from Fleer DEMANDED that theser cards be removed or they will not buy them. BUT THESE PRODUCTS WERE ALREADY ALL PACKAGED AND SEALED! So the Rite Aid owner of Fleer chose FRAUD over doing THE RIGHT THING! At least I publicized this online everywhere I could.

Then I called Playoff and the person who picked up the phone knew to transfer me to the owner (Ann Powell) the minute I told her my name??? Ann gets on the phone and says "you want to see LOA's for our game-used cards, right? Just name any players you like for any product and I'll have copies mailed to you right away.". SO SHE WAS PREPARED FOR MY CALL! So I flipped it on her and said "it's not necessary, I don't need to see copies of those if you're offering them before I even asked!". But I remained polite. Thus started a month long (all of April, 2001) of Ann Blake calling me around 11 am EST at my home in FL every weekday M-F.
She was asking me questions regarding what her company should do about this, and about that. What she should do to fix this product problem, and that product problem. And she said many times "I have almost 100 employees who cannot answer any of the things I ask you (some things went unanswered for YEARS), yet you give me viable solutions off the top of your head! I don't get it." SO TO THE IGNORAMUSES WHO SAY I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING - I'M SORRY YOU CAN'T GET OVER YOUR JEALOUSY! -- At the end of April, Ann asked me "What do you think all of this freelance work you did for me is worth, and I'd like to add something to pay to keep your website running and get you a new computer?". I made it CRYSTAL CLEAR right then that I DO NOT accept bribes of any kind for any reason, if I am to accept anything it will be to investigate YOUR company just as much as I would if you never paid me anything!". How many people in this hobby would do that, only to improve the future of this hobby? So she eventually said "How does $10,000 sound?", I said "Sounds good to me.". In early May (less than a week later) I had a $10,000 check that I immediately cashed and I DID NOT have to shake up my integrity or honor one bit!
Next she said she wants to pay all expenses for me to see her company and get a full day tour of their operations, then I'd be flown the next day to the National in Cleveland for the day as her MVP. Of course I accepted on the original terms I mentioned above.
During lunch of mt company tour day (with Ann and Playoff's President and Ann's much younger boyfriend Larry Blackwell) they offered me a job to be the Senior Manager of Customer Service and the hobby expert for the entire company. I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to investigate all the rumors of fraud I had been hearing. So when I got with Ann along again, I told her I'll take the job starting in August, but you need to understand that if I see fraud that harms collectors in any way, I'm going to stop it! She said "Good, that's one of the reasons I'm hiring you.". SOUNDED TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE AND IT WAS!

But I took the job anyway. Just the learning experience about how card companies work was worth spending time their; whether short or long-term depending on Ann's honesty. Ann was so hyped to get my working, she talked me into starting in early July. She paid for my hotel until I found an apartment, and she paid for me to have a Rental car the entire 5-months I was there. I was fixing long-term company problems on my first day which never seemed to stop the whole time I was there. Meanwhile Ann Powell was MIA nearly the entire 5-months I was there. She told me she finally felt comfortable taking vacations because I was working there. Her boyfriend and company President was almost a hobby know-nothing. In general he wasn't too bright. So when Ann was gone, I was basically in charge of the whole company.
I had Tracy Hackler (Company Spokesperson who switched working from Playoff to Beckett and back at least SIX TIMES!) coming to me for my opinions on his Press Released he was sending to Price Guides, the Manager Of Security was constantly asking me hobby questions (she wanted to learn but no one ever bothered to teach her), Larry Blackwell kept coming into MY DEPARTMENT stealing handfuls of On Card Autographs. So I asked my Assistant (Noel Linox) the former Customer Service Supervisor "What is Larry doing?". He says "He's the President, he does whatever he wants I don't ask questions.". I told him and everyone in MY DEPARTMENT that anyone coming into MY DEPARTMENT tells me BEFORE they take anything from today on! Then I went to the third in command (DOUG GODDARD) and told him that's the new rule for Customer Service; no one takes ANYTHING unless I am asked FIRST! He agreed with me and said "Finally we may stop all the theft going on here!".

In the next month I had already discovered Lasrry Blackwell stealing thousands of On Card Certified Autographs to sell "OUT THE BACK DOOR" to big direct buy dealers like Dave & Adam's Card World. I literally found boxes hidden on top of the redemption card shelves (over 7-foot high) but because I'm 6'7" tall, from a distance I was able to see the corner of a box which I got a ladder and pulled down. It said "DACW" on one end and "L.Blackwell" (or something close to that) om the other end. I had confiscated around (8) of these 600-count brown card boxes that were being sold to DACW for pennies on the dollar (some were free) for promises to Larry Blackwell that they'd buy more cases of product not yet in production. This made him look REALLY GOOD to his girlfriend (Playoff's Owner). But it left us dry as a bone when it came to have redemption replacements. In August, 2001 I learned that there were still (12) players from 1999 Playoff FB Contenders Autographs whose cards were never returned including Daunte Culpepper (RED HOT in 2001). I asked why were redplacement never used for these cards? Noel Linox told me "We have no cards to use as replacements!" WHICH WAS SO UNTRUE.

While we were still at Grand Prairie, TX strip mall location that was JAM PACKED (my first 3-weeks there) they had a 6-foot X 6-foot Industrial Shredder FULL to the tiop with inserts cards (including autographs and expensive game-used cards) that were to BE DESTROYED! So I got permission from Larry Blackwell & Doug Goddard to use those cards as replacements if they were Mint Condition (of course), and they added "Take as many cards in that shredder as you want for your next few card donations." since they knew in 2001 I had been making large yearly donations to children's charities for over 10-consecutive years. THESE ARE THE ONLY CARDS I EVER TOOK FOR MYSELF TO DONATE! I want that to be crystal clear...

The "straw that broke the camel's back" so to speak with my working there was after moving to the new location in Arlington (a huge building on the "main strip" on E. RANDOL MILL RD.) the first thing I noticed is that there was not one security camera in the entire huge complex. I'd already known of Larry Blackwell huge THEFT at Grand Prairie, with not one camera at Arlington Larry's theft would just get worse! So I took Noel Linx after work one day to try to find a store that sold affordable cameras. I just wanted one or two that I could hook up facing the card cabinets to make thieves at least think twice for the time being. We couldn't find cameras anywhere. A week later a asian Temp. employee in MY DEPARTMENT (not hired by me, and I had no idea who these people were; another one of Larry Blackwell's DUMB ideas) was CAUGHT STEALING at least $500.00 worth of Certified On Card Autographs. She never would have been caught if the card shop she went to in order to try to sell what she stole hadn't called us and described her which easily identified her specifically. Guess what Playoff did? NOTHING! They called some third rate "Private Investigator" who was supposedly a friend of Ann Powell. He got her to write down that she just took $500 worth of autographs that her boyfriend talked her into taking, then they sent her home. THE POLICE WERE NEVER CALLED! WTH???

Then I did a little research and discovered the card shop that called us. So I brought a few of my own Fleer Certified Autographs (none from Playoff) to the card shop that called us. It turned lout that there was an elderly couple that ran the shop, but they had a much younger fat guy with a scruffy beard who was behind the counter??? So I acted nervous and asked the elderly people if they wanted to buy any cards. They said "no" buy you can ask that guy there who does online sales for the store. HE BOUGHT ALL THE CARDS I BROUGHT, TWO OF WHICH WERE EASILY TRACEABLE CARDS serial numbered to /100. A few days later he listed MY CARDS and I found his eBay ID; garcia6996. Over the next couple of months he was listing almost nothing but Playoff product very rare cards! So I told Larry Blackwell that I found the buyer of OUR STOLEN CARDS! He says "That can't be the buyer, the buyer is not hispanic.". I TOLD YOU HE WAS DUMB!

So I had over (7) different cases of fraud practices that Playoff used on a regular basis. One day in October I got into a verbal argument with the Product Manager for Absolute where each expensive one per box insert had checklists with up to 25% of the players listed as "TBD" (to be decided). So I said to this obnoxious Product Manager; "Is it possible or even likely for a collector to open a box and pull redemption cards for both of the ONLY two hits in the box?". He said Yes, that can be likely." So I TOLD him that he's going to provide me with an employee to help MY DEPARTMENT deal with all of the customer complaints that are going to arise from you releasing a product BEFORE it was ready to be released! He ran like a little baby to Larry Blackwell saying I'm threatening him (which I kind of was for the good of collectors) this was nothing new for me the entire time I worked there. I'd have a daily argument with Larry Blackwell about something stupid he did that would harm collectors!

So Ann was called in and she sat me down and said "I'm sorry, but because you & Larry cannot get along I'm going to have to let you go." I WAS SO HAPPY! I had more than enough evidence to END Playoff. Then she said "But we need you to work for a couple more weeks as we need your help that no one can accomplish like you can.". She also said "We don't ever want to lose you as an outside consultant, so we are going to pay you $10,000 to move back to FL, and we will pay you $1,000 a month to be a part-time consultant." I agreed to everything.

I had sent all of the evidence boxes to my father's house in NJ. But luckily I took over $10,000 worth of the best cards I planned to donate with me to FL which I donated the first week I was back in FL. You'd think you could trust your own father who was fairly rich, right? Well unbeknownst to me, he was opening boxes and selling multiple rare autograph cards to the SAME DEALER at the same card show???
A full month after I was back in FL I was arrested because I wouldn't give up my father. I was arrested for a 1st Degree Felony Over $200,000 (the highest theft charge in the state of Texas). They extradited me to Texas and after a month I got bailed out and had a crappy lawyer.

I went to TX at least TEN times for court dates over a THREE YEAR period, yet they never made an "evidence list" which would have cleared me of all charges! The first thing done in any theft case is an INVENTORY LIST of what was "stolen". Anyone with legal skills knows this. But Playoff couldn't have that list made. So they NEVER showed up at any of the TEN court dates. By the third time of no one shoeing up, the Judge said "If no one from Playoff shows up on the next court date, all charges will be DROPPED against Mr. McCay.". I HEARD THIS, MY LAWYER HEARD THIS, THE COURT STENOGRAPHER TYPED THIS, AND PLAYOFF'S ATTORNEY HEARD THIS. The next time I went, no one from Playoff showed up again. THIS IS WHEN I KNEW THE KEY PLAYERS WERE PAID OFF!

So I moved to NY to get medical benefits as I kept getting more and more pain letting the Judge and bail bondsman know exactly what I was doing, why, and it was OK'ed. I went to court many more times and no one from Playoff ever showed up as always. So I tried to talk to my lawyer and he gave me lame BS excuses. So I wrote to the Judge instead explaining that he went back on his word, my attorney turned on me, I'm facing back surgery and I cannot return to TX until I get my back fixed. I never got any reply.
Then I learn it was not only my back, it was Myasthenia Gravis (a severe Neuromuscular diseases and an autoimmune disease) which made surgery impossible- and I had Fibromyalgia too! They put me on the only pain medication that did not make me high: Methadone because I refused to take anything that could cause addiction.

A year later out of nowhere the police show up and arrest me on a warrant. WHAT WARRANT? I was calling the bail bondsman the entire time up to the week I was arrested! The bail bondsmen are the people to tell you YOU HAVE A WARRANT??? So I went to TX, spent two months in jail with no medications at all, I nearly died was hospitalized and given so much saline solution that you could fill your sink with (I was that dehydrated from non-sop 13-days of vomiting from Methadone withdrawal) not to mention the non-stop excruciating pain everywhere and eating NOTHING for 13-days too. I went to court finally, the charges were dropped to as nothing theft MISDEMEANOR and they released me with TIME SERVED.

Playoff took my entire personal card collection which they never returned out of spite, plus they crushed the front of my new computer to "hurt me" more.

But that's all OK, because what doesn't kill me makes me stronger. So I never stopped fighting Playoff (Donruss/Playoff by 2002). I told Ann Powell in late 2001 from FL that her boyfriend was stealing all the On Card Certified Autographs and who he was selling them too and why. She then said "this is the last time we speak." She didn't believe her dumb boyfriend was stealing. But then her Manager Of Security (RENEE GREENLEE) did her own investigation of all my claims and brought the PROOF that I was telling THE TRUTH ABOUT EVERYTHING in Dec. 2001! She broke up with Larry Blackwell in Feb. 2002, and FIRED HIM in November. Then he sued her for 25% of the company & HE LOST EVERYTHING HE WAS SUING FOR INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES! Ha, ha.

Now you have the FACTS from the horses mouth, which I've posted online dozens of times WITH PROOF. But there will always be idiots who will NEVER believe the truth.