Start Here: The Short Guide to the PWCC Card Trimming & Alteration Fraud

[3124508 on COMC]

I've had lots of requests for a basic rundown of the PWCC situation and many members seem to only have bits and pieces as they happened to see it on the forum, so hopefully we can hit several birds with one stone and build a decent bulleted encyclopedia page here. I am open to corrections and input, so long as it is reasonably toned and empirical.

1. The major sports cards card grading companies, BGS (Beckett Grading Services) and PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) have consistently shown that they are simply not detecting alterations (such as trimming) to sports cards. Whatever the reason, hundreds of cards have already been proven to have been incorrectly authenticated by PSA and BGS based on their own standards.

2. PWCC was identified to be selling vast numbers of trimmed modern cards graded by BGS and PSA. The sources of these cards are individuals who have long been identified as proven or likely card trimmers. These include, but are not limited to: Robert Block, Kevin Burge (and associates Keith Koenig, Vinny Ho, etc.) and Will Jaimet.

Although there is no proven culpability on behalf of PWCC for selling cards on behalf of these trimmers, each individual apparently converged independently upon PWCC at various times throughout the early 2010s to sell their altered cards. All had their own eBay accounts before this time, but it is apparent that they were all seeking more covert and easier ways to pass off their fraudulent products.

PWCC has taken action to not work with these consignors moving forward, but they have failed to identify any cards that were submitted for consignment by these individuals. PWCC's customers have had to research the provenance of their cards on their own to determine if it is possible that their cards have been altered. This becomes impossible for cards that do not have any distinguishing features, such as a serial number. PWCC has failed to provide any transparency on this issue.

Further reading on trimmed modern cards:

93 trimmed Curry and Harden rookies: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1293843
16+ trimmed UD Ionix Brady rookies: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1295880
Trimmed Lebron James cards: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1296120
Trimmed Connor McDavid SPA RCs: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1295897
There are many, many more. Most, but not all, of the following threads involve PWCC selling altered cards: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1289859

Further reading on modern card trimmers:

Robert Block: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1295881
Will Jaimet: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1288383

3. PWCC released a set of Marketplace Tenets. These tenets more or less outlined cards that were acceptable and unacceptable to be sold on the PWCC Marketplace. They flatly stated that they would not permit the sale of trimmed cards on their platform.

The problem is that PWCC attempted to unilaterally establish a community standard for acceptable card alteration, deeming some types of alteration "conservation", thus making some altered cards acceptable to be sold on the PWCC Marketplace. Moreover, these standards are more relaxed than the standards established by the grading companies (BGS and PSA).

This means that if PWCC is selling a PSA graded card that is shown, via before and after photos, to be altered by PSA's standards, but not PWCC's, they will make no disclosure of this fact. This exact situation played out with a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded PSA 4.5 that was proven to have been altered via pressing and cleaning. Even though cleaning (with a solution) and pressing constitute alteration by PSA, PWCC defined them as "conservation" and failed to disclose that the card was improperly authenticated by PSA.

Link to PWCC's Marketplace Tenets: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1293713

Link to discussion on 1952 Topps Mantle: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1290614

Here's an Interview with Brent Huigens on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f3k5VSqVt4

4. Last is Gary Moser's involvement with PWCC. For the better part of the last 19 years, Gary Moser's name has appeared again and again in online communities as someone who is altering cards, forging cards, being involved with sports card scams, and associating with defunct, fraudulent grading companies.

It was discovered that Gary Moser is a massive PWCC consignor of altered and trimmed vintage cards. He specializes in trimming, especially cards of abnormal size, recoloring, chemically cleaning, and soaking and pressing cards to remove creases and reshape corners. It has been publicly disclosed by reliable sources that Brent Huigens and PWCC have been working with Gary Moser since at least 2007, and likely longer.

It is suspected, although unproven, that PWCC is submitting cards altered by Moser to PSA so they can be sold on the PWCC Marketplace. Many, many cards altered by Moser can be located on the recent pages of the same 52 Mantle thread linked above (and again below). A list of cards in the PSA submissions is also linked below.

Again, PWCC has said they will stop working with Moser. However, they have not informed collectors and customers of what cards he consigned with PWCC. I am receiving messages daily from collectors who are wondering if the cards they bought from PWCC have been altered. PWCC should be proactively answering these questions.

Link to photos of cards altered by Gary Moser: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1290614
Link to list of cards that were in PSA submissions containing cards from Gary Moser: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1296884

The two most concerning parts of the Gary Moser fraud are the following:

A. Gary Moser frequently shilled his altered cards in PWCC's auctions.

Here is a full write-up on that:
http://www.sportscardradio.com/gary-...-bidding-scam/

B. On at least six occasions, PWCC's eBay account pwcc_auctions purchased cards that were later altered and sold via PWCC. On four of these occasions, a card in the same PSA submission was previously purchased (and on three occasions, purchased unaltered) by Gary Moser. This suggests that PWCC was a knowing and willing participant in Gary Moser's decades-long scheme to defraud collectors.

Here is the evidence for this: https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1297351

[StayingWarm]

Great summary. Amazing work. Not sure investigative journalism awards extend to hobby forums but if they did you’d be in the running for one. Just phenomenal critical thinking and heavy lifting in one project. Truly impressive, thank you for your service to the community.

[ThoseBackPages]

Gary Moser

[mjohnatgt]

Bravissimo.

[ucLAkers]

Wow blew the lid right off man! Much easier to read thank you for your commitment.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

This is great! Is the best way to find cert ranges containing suspect cards to search each thread for them or is this going to be the cert clearinghouse?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by IgnatiusJReilly

This is great! Is the best way to find cert ranges containing suspect cards to search each thread for them or is this going to be the cert clearinghouse?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The plan is to pack them in here:

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1296884

[calculusdork]

Fantastic summary! Couple of spelling/grammatical errors in the OP (and I am ONLY even mentioning it because this thread will/should end up being the go-to on this topic):

- "-Next, PWCC released a set of Marketplace Tenents."
- "2. On at least six occasions occasions"

Great work, OP. Can't say it enough.

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by calculusdork

Fantastic summary! Couple of spelling/grammatical errors in the OP (and I am ONLY even mentioning it because this thread will/should end up being the go-to on this topic):

- "-Next, PWCC released a set of Marketplace Tenents."
- "2. On at least six occasions occasions"

Great work, OP. Can't say it enough.

Fixed.

[Grid]

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...altered-cards/

PWCC Marketplace, based in Lake Oswego, OR, released a statement on the Net54 message board Sunday afternoon, stating it would no longer sell cards submitted by dealer Gary Moser, who has been connected to most of the cards brought to light through the forum over the last few weeks.

And now Gary Moser just pays Lenny down the street to sub his cards for him...

[mjohnatgt]

If half these guys aren't in non-extradition countries with their millions right now, they're dumber than they think we are.

[88horsepower]

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

If half these guys aren't in non-extradition countries with their millions right now, they're dumber than they think we are.

Yeah, let’s add flight to evade prosecution to their list of crimes.

[pack9001]

Thank you for the concise update - keep up the good work!

[mondogenerator]

with Oregonlive picking up the story

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/...d-scandal.html

it seems we have a media contact as per the story to feed info to now? Mike Rogoway

[clewis0761]

Originally Posted by 88horsepower

Yeah, let’s add flight to evade prosecution to their list of crimes.

Removing oneself from the area of venue, in this case states or the us whether brought as a state or fed charge tolls the statute of limitations while absent. So if the statute on the crimes are 5 years each. They may be 10 yrs due to possible written contracts. The 5 & q10 yr periods go longer for all the time the person is out of venuu permantly.They likely would carry fraud charges along with them.. if not cosructive fraud would do the same making the losses that buyers end up w due to innocent purchase of a trimmed or trimmed slab card is non bankrupt able. You could really have some nasty litigation here.

[Stifle]

As a realist, our bodies have a expiration date but our souls do not. The only way to create equality is to identify the "End Game", CHANGE. We are not asked to punish but create change and sometimes you must think outside the box. Many times the greatest strength of a adversary, be it a card trimmer in this case, can be their greatest weakness.

These people in this hobby do not wish to sacrifice having a card that was produced with a flaw or more. Guess what, we all have flaws and if you receive a card that is flawed, life happens. I realize it's a business to some but just as in life when certain groups are allowed to collude to create a non-equality, then how far will the collusion spread?

The "End Game" is to have cards judged / graded on how a company produced the card. If a card is altered after production other than by the company who produced it, these altered cards should be graded with altered grades. That is utilizing their greatest strength as their greatest weakness. Forgive them by creating a change in grading equality. If a card has been altered, have the card be given a "Altered" grade. If it's trimmed, grade it as trimmed and slab it.

So many want to identify the selfish who take little but the same people who are colluded with those who allow life to be taken are granted with forgiveness or unequal justice. I would enlighten no matter how people perceive me. We are all in this together and forgiveness / punishment should be equal.

In short, you are dealing with Trimming the same way our govt. did with Marijuana. It took roughly 90 years to realize that the use wasn't going to end and the End Game was to legalize it in their terms. Attempt to do the same. We need to have the grading companies grade altered cards with altered grades. These colluders want to hide how they increased their wealth / selfishness.

[jasonpage13]

Why doesnt Ebay or the Police step in

[corndog]

Originally Posted by jasonpage13

Why doesnt Ebay or the Police step in

There is an ongoing FBI investigation involving many of the names and businesses mentioned.

[aroyjetson]

How much money is being laundered between PWCC and Probstein
Check the serial numbers on lots of cards lately.
Schilling? Yes They are just trying to drive the prices up, and then resell again a month later for higher prices.
Forget the pwcc vault crap.
I have bought only one card from pwcc. A BGS 9.5

[rjp087]

From the Vault: https://www.ebay.com/itm/22453848680...wAAOSwab9g85pu

Didn't even bother trying to remove shaved bits of cardstock from the edges...