[kollectornet]

I love collecting so much that I can't give it up. I try not to pay to much for singles, but I know I have over paid a few times for fake cards. A few years ago, I bought a Chester Taylor auto NFL Logo patch from absolute /50. The card looked clean, no creases, nothing fishy, but I didn't keep it. I still have a Christian Ponder Elite New Breed auto Patch /25 that I know is fake. The jersey is all shiny where all of the other viking patches are not. I just decided to keep it since the auto is real. I do beleive that it messes up the hobby, but I have to much fun. More good then there is bad.

[ugameck]

I still believe that two different people signed for Cam Newton.

Did y'all see how press pass screwed up their racing product? They released "autopenned" cards as certified autographs. There weren't representatives watching him sign - its all the word of the signer.

[jncdrew]

My answer is NO to the OP's origianl question. But then I start wondering and second guessing myself on cards I have bought and some I paid a ridiculous amount. If some are fake I wouold rather not even knowing. That is self defeating in my opinion and this whole topic is kinda depressing.

[charps]

I've thought about leaving the hobby for those reasons and others including:

Pack Searchers and local hobby shops re-sealing packs. In my 20+ years of collecting i have done better at retail and will stand by investing in retail over hobby. I have had lots of great hits from retail.

My local target taking returns of packs of cards that are already opened, and resealed with baseball cards (yeah, i know i have had this happen to me)

People like TS Oconnel and Mr mint screwing people out of their collections. These guys are bottom feeders. And have been told Oconnel has fingers in the fake auto business.

[alanch]

Topps one of the biggest card producers in history can not authenticate the patches in the cards they make!

"The relic contained in this card does not come from any specific game, event, or season."

...but it likely came from the clearance rack at your local Wal-Mart.

IMO...they need to go back to how things were in the 90's as far as getting actual game used items and using them for the player that they came from.