The History of Operation Bullpen

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPERATION BULLPEN

Estimates place the autographed sports collectable Market in the United States as a billion dollar a year industry, and conservative guesses are that at least $100 million of that are fraudulent merchandise. In the 1990’s, the FBI launched “Operation Bullpen,” a harsh crackdown on memorabilia forgeries centered in the hot-market Chicago area, where Michael Jordan and other local athlete’s signatures were being faked daily. In the FBI’s recordings, suspects joke that Mickey Mantel still has one hand out of the grave. 14 individuals were convicted and 13 prominent forgery rings were broken up.

With all eyes turned towards the sports memorabilia market, sports industries tightened their authentication procedures and introduced the witness-authentication policy. For items to be certified as “game-used,” a witness places an individually numbered hologram on the item to verify it and link it to an official database. This procedure is also used by reputable signing companies such as Steiner Sports, Mounted Memories and Upper Deck.

However, with Operation Bullpen a distant 90’s memory and eBay a very user-friendly reality, forged sports memorabilia is once again making headlines and causing headaches. One red flag to check for is the seller’s other auctions. Superstar athletes usually sign with their own agencies, and get paid $150+ per signature. Few legitimate dealers have access to Michael Jordan, who is signed exclusively with Upper Deck, and also to Derek Jeter, who signs for Steinway Sports. So if an Ebay seller claims to have items signed by Derek and Michael, with other difficult-to-get signatures like Albert Einstein and Princess Diana, the odds are good none of it is real. Additionally, if the seller offers their own Certificate of Authenticity, one that conflicts with the athlete’s well-publicized and totally legitimate signing company, don’t trust it. It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on (and often these “certificates” will be just that—cheap home print-outs!)

Occasionally, sellers will claim the item was signed “in the airport” or “in the locker room.” With the commercialization of the sports memorabilia industry, these claims may press some nostalgia buttons, but best to stay away from these too. Athletes do still sign items for fans, but they almost always make sure to personalize them in order to prevent just this situation—the “fan” turning around and selling their treasured memento on-line. Derek Jeter even complains about unscrupulous adults paying children to approach him outside stadiums for autographs, then handing them over to the ebay dealers before the ink is dry. Between pay-pal and various on-line auction sites, it’s never been easier to impulsively snap up a Joe Montana football or a Wayne Gretzky puck. But before you click “BUY,” it’s best to take a deep breath, stop drooling, do your research and make sure you’re buying from a reputable company. At least until another Operation Bullpen comes along.

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