What's up with the pic in this eBay auction?

[nearmint]

Clearly a badly photoshopped image in this auction...

 

Batman #27

 

And here's the pic...

 

[Green]

frankenscanzorz

[grandz-migration]

Wow: that's a pretty bad job. Another report to Ebay.

[greggy]

Looks like a shadow to me.

 

Perhaps he has a light source shining in on the sides so he won't have to use a flash and have any reflections on the slab.

 

His low grade raw scans seem to have the same type of shadow.

[grandz-migration]

Just sent this question to the seller.

 

Hello,

I am interested in the Batman comic, and have a couple questions. I'm confused as to the shipping cost. You say the winning bidder only pays $2.20 handling and you will pay the shipping, but you list the shipping as $11.20: please clarify. Also, the comic book image, and CGC blue label look a bit odd. Are the laying on the plastic sub? Thank you for your time.

[Point Five]

For what it's worth, I've seen this seller auction off tons of GA books over the last six months, and feedback has been solid when I've checked back. Grading occasionally a bit loose perhaps, but I don't think they're a scammer.

[nearmint]

Here's the pic in the auction again...

 

 

 

And here's a scan of the same book from the Heritage archive. Note how the CGC hologram extends beyond the right edge of the CGC label in the Heritage scan, but not the auction pic.

 

[P Keel]

I agree with point five,they just took a bad pic.

[Superman2006]

Here's the pic in the auction again...

 

 

 

And here's a scan of the same book from the Heritage archive. Note how the CGC hologram extends beyond the right edge of the CGC label in the Heritage scan, but not the auction pic.

 

 

 

I agree with Greggy that it looks like the pic might be explained by a shadow (appears to have a light source beyond the lower right side of the slab, casting a shadow to the left and upper sides of the slab).

 

Looking at your heritage vs. eBay scans, it looks like the CGC label is slightly different, so perhaps it was reslabbed? (In addition to your comment about the label, I noticed that the part below the 9.0 is slightly different in the two pics). Since you posted both scans, I will point out that I noticed that the bottom right of the Heritage copy appears to have a minor ripply or something, while the other does not, so perhaps it was pressed since the Heritage scan...

[nearmint]

To me it looks like two separate photos, one of the label, and one of the book, have been placed over an image of a slab. The photos are overly cropped, explaining the differences you mention. I'm not sure I even see the inner well present in the auction pic, while it's clearly evident in the Heritage scan.

 

I'm not accusing anyone of anything. It just looks wrong.

[Superman2006]

To me it looks like two separate photos, one of the label, and one of the book, have been placed over an image of a slab. The photos are overly cropped, explaining the differences you mention. I'm not sure I even see the inner well present in the auction pic, while it's clearly evident in the Heritage scan.

 

I'm not accusing anyone of anything. It just looks wrong.

 

True enough - cropping like you have described might explain the black line I see on the top of the eBay photo, and the lack the curve on the lower right of the book / lack of interior pages shown on the lower right of the book / especially crisp looking cut on the lower right of the book...

 

That's it for me tonight - have a good one!

[P Keel]

I agree after looking at the scans a little better, somethings definately wrong.

[BrianR]

Its a bad photoshop. If you save the picture and blow it up the pixels are different from the two photos on top of each other.

[Sal]

Looks like a chop to me. Upper right corner of the label doesn't seem to quite line up with where it's supposed to be...

 

note the curve of the slab corner and compare it to the curve showing on the label. not to mention the label is very sharp in the original pic, along with the BRC and RE of the book itself

[brasseye]

Very very strange, the entire label looks like it's been 'shopped' onto the slab.

 

The book has been 'cleaned' and cropped for it's new scan, and it looks rather fishy considering the right book is sitting in the right slab denomination, with the right serial number.

 

 

RED where are you???

[silverage12c]

This has clearly been photoshopped --- as others have pointed out, the edges/corners of the label (and also the book itself) stand out like a sore thumb. They are misaligned, edges too sharp, etc.

 

Best case scenario: seller doesn't have a legal-sized scanner, and couldn't take a good pic without glare(?). So, they got "creative" and frankensteined the image together for the listing? sounds like much more trouble than it's worth.

 

Worst case: total scam

 

:shrug:

[nearmint]

So, they got "creative" and frankensteined the image together for the listing? sounds like much more trouble than it's worth.

 

Entirely possible. But it would have been a lot easier to just steal the scan from Heritage, like I did.

[brasseye]

Worst case: total scam

 

:shrug:

 

Huh?

The books match... he just prettied his version up... I guess catering to the resub speculator maybe

[Ringfinger]

Fishy to me.

[joe_collector]