ASM #252 CGC 9.8 Record Sale - something fishy going on? - Holder Tampering Incident confirmed by CGC 50 50

[wiparker824]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:09 AM, mrd160 said:

When I share that picture with a dealer right now he said it doesn’t mean anything he could just be using it to remove stickers. My response was I believe the gun goes to 1000° what the F are you talking about

Well yes, but if you’re doing that you’re a mad man. I’m not talking about Immaculate using it on low end books for educational purposes… using that kind of heat next to a high end comic book is crazy to me to remove a sticker, might not be crazy to all though. 

[mrd160]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:11 AM, wiparker824 said:

Well yes, but if you’re doing that you’re a mad man. I’m not talking about Immaculate using it on low end books for educational purposes… using that kind of heat next to a high end comic book is crazy to me to remove a sticker, might not be crazy to all though. 

Immaculate comics just did a video today saying there is no other use for a heat gun on comics. Check it out 

[MAR1979]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:09 AM, mrd160 said:

When I share that picture with a dealer I know, he said it doesn’t mean anything he could just be using it to remove stickers. My response was I believe the gun goes to 1000° what the F are you talking about

No suprise considering their ilk.

[Sigur Ros]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:13 AM, mrd160 said:

Immaculate comics just did a video today saying there is no other use for a heat gun on comics. Check it out 

And as we all know, people can only have one hobby.  🙄

[godzilla43]

On 1/11/2024 at 2:43 PM, wiparker824 said:

another photo from that shop’s IG that should make the heat gun theorists go wild… note the heat gun casually sitting next to all of these mega SA keys in the background.  

Crime Suspenstories slab also in the picture 

Edited January 11 by godzilla43

[Point Five]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:33 AM, godzilla43 said:

Crime Suspenstories slab also in the picture 

We're going to need magnification on that pink post-it note. Does it say "replace"??   

 

[comicwiz]

 A couple of things nagging at me. First, I'm noticing some modifications happening behind the scene. This:

Has now been removed from the verification look-up:

If you look at the AF 15 that's been called out to be returned to CGC, it has a grade date of Jan 5th

@CGC Mike Are you able to ask the team why are they removing the records of the certs completely, and not just redacting them in some way? And if they have been cleared, and reassigned a new cert, why they couldn't bridge that strikethrough or cleared cert in a way where we know what cert it ended-up with?

Not to mention when I see stuff like this, it makes me wonder if the PIA of having to reformat the hyphenated cert number to run a verification check is intentional.

Edited January 11 by comicwiz

[shadroch]

That's not a heat gun; it's a pigeon roaster.

[mrd160]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:49 AM, shadroch said:

That's not a heat gun; it's a pigeon roaster.

It’s a la-ser 

 

[EastEnd1]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:09 AM, mrd160 said:

When I share that picture with a dealer I know, he said it doesn’t mean anything he could just be using it to remove stickers. My response was I believe the gun goes to 1000° what the F are you talking about

Even if lifting stickers is what heat gun is being used for, we now know it can also be used to easily open holders.. so it definitely means SOMETHING. 

[comicjel]

Is that a paper cutter near the heat gun, or just a table?

[comicjel]

On 1/11/2024 at 10:46 AM, comicjel said:

Is that a paper cutter near the heat gun, or just a table?

Isn't it this?...

https://www.amazon.com/X-ACTO-Heavy-Guillotine-Trimmer-Inches/dp/B0006HVQH8?th=1

 

[EastEnd1]

On 1/11/2024 at 10:57 AM, comicjel said:

Isn't it this?...

https://www.amazon.com/X-ACTO-Heavy-Guillotine-Trimmer-Inches/dp/B0006HVQH8?th=1

 

Oh man, it just keeps getting better for the numbskull scammer(s).  Certainly looks like it... nice find! 

As Monty Python once said, "What a Grand TWIT!"

[BrashL]

On 1/11/2024 at 6:43 AM, wiparker824 said:

another photo from that shop’s IG that should make the heat gun theorists go wild… note the heat gun casually sitting next to all of these mega SA keys in the background.  

Wow.

For all the folks who keep referring to the "scammer" (singular) as if he's some criminal genius, please stop. As more information comes out this group looks like a bunch of buffoons and yet they still pulled this scam (and probably many like it) for years. Now ask yourself, if this insufficiently_thoughtful_person has been this prolific, what have the really smart crooks been up to?

Edited January 11 by BrashL

[lostboys]

Also, that pic was obviously taken in a "work shop" and not a comic book room or comic book store.

 

 

[MatterEaterLad]

If the fraudster(s) are at this comic shop, it's ironic that they post photos on their IG of shoplifters. 

[wiparker824]

On 1/11/2024 at 8:57 AM, comicjel said:

Isn't it this?...

https://www.amazon.com/X-ACTO-Heavy-Guillotine-Trimmer-Inches/dp/B0006HVQH8?th=1

 

Yeah, if you scroll thru their accounts you will see a lot of interesting equipment. Should be noted they run a separate pressing company and often post grade bump before and afters and I don’t recall seeing any going from blue to purple with trimming, some going the other way though… but just to be clear for all the lawyers who may be in here I’m not accusing this shop of anything just posting neat things I find on IG.  

[comicjel]

On 1/11/2024 at 11:13 AM, MatterEaterLad said:

If the fraudster(s) are at this comic shop, it's ironic that they post photos on their IG of shoplifters. 

I think there is a saying - something like...

Thief's are afraid of being robbed

 

[Sigur Ros]

On 1/11/2024 at 11:04 AM, BrashL said:

For all the folks who keep referring to the "scammer" (singular) as if he's some criminal genius, please stop.

The dude took CGC slabs, swapped out for lesser, sometimes incomplete books, then sent them back to CGC themselves, in their own tampered cases and got their approval with a new holder and new label.

The guy was clearly a genius.

[Dr. Balls]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:09 AM, mrd160 said:

When I share that picture with a dealer I know, he said it doesn’t mean anything he could just be using it to remove stickers. My response was I believe the gun goes to 1000° what the F are you talking about

Haha, no kidding. Rubbing alcohol is non-corrosive to plastic, and that is what you use to to remove stickers. You're not going to take a heat gun - that's minimum heat setting is probably 650 degrees - and hold it against a plastic case with an incredibly expense book in it to remove a sticker.

But, I suppose if someone snapped a picture of OJ standing in his backyard with a bloody knife on the night of the murders, and he said "Oh, that? That's just for yardwork." - there'd probably be people who believed him.