The seller is accepting my return request, which is of little concern; my primary concern is not only that he'll resell the counterfeit card to another unsuspecting buyer, but with the precedence he is setting for our hobby that I care to see sustained long term. Do we have to pay a "middle man" to grade every vintage card we purchase? I have 1000's (complete 70's decade of Topps, majority of 60's, many 50's, etc.).
Reprints should be clearly indicated in the title (even though this one was really a fake or counterfeit and not a reprint). It is some coincidence that all of this seller's fakes have been artificially aged to look like low grade originals.
It's easy to look at the the link I provided for the listing and other information about the seller to point out how foolish anyone would be to fall for this seller's tricks (hindsight is 20/20). I've also pointed out counterfeit sellers before on these forums, never expecting to fall victim to one.
I've heard that many car accidents occur near a person's own neighborhood when they least expect it. Having completed 97.5% of the 1962 Topps set, I can typically tell the difference between an original and a fake, and have a good sense of the values of the 598 cards in this set. A poor condition #471 typically sells for $15-$25 on ebay, so it shouldn't ring any alarms to see one being advertised in that price range.
When you're bidding on lots of vintage auctions, while trying to list your own items for sale, as well as organize your own personal collection, things like this can happen if you are not carefull. That doesn't necessarily make it your fault as a buyer. I obviously missed the seller's hint.
Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy and other service academies are typically given a card upon entry containing "3 rules of thumb" for determining whether an action is considered honorable or not:
-Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived?
-Does this action gain, or allow the gain of a privilege or advantage that I would not otherwise be entitled?
-Would I be satisfied by the outcome if I were on the receiving end of this action?
I believe that the seller of the fake Mantle All-Star card violated all 3 rules of thumb and should be considered a dishonorable seller. His practices are unethical, and near criminal as a seller of counterfeit cards valued over $1000.
I have reported this seller's active Babe Ruth listing. I will report his Mantle listing while leaving his feedback (after my refund of course). I'm afraid that Ebay may not completely understand this scenario however because the seller "checked the block" by including the word "reprint" somewhere in his listing.