4. Old Cardboard Editorial: Protecting Scans from Internet Scams
There seems to be a considerable amount of buzz lately about would-be Internet scammers grabbing scans of vintage baseball cards they do not own, then using them in their own on-line auctions. While most vintage collectors are concerned about the practice, there are considerable differences of opinion about how to go about solving the problem, or even how extensive the problem really is.
For some, the solution is adding special code to their auction listings that prevents the viewer from "right-clicking" the image to easily save it to their local hard drive. As Old Cardboard subscriber Josh K. recently posted on the popular on-line Vintage Baseball Card (VBC) Forum, "Maybe when you end up being the person who has his money stolen [as a result of these scams], you will be able to answer that question [of whether or not to add the code] yourself."
Jennifer V., another forum member, no doubt agrees: "Just within the last few days, we decided to start adding html code to all of our eBay listings which makes it impossible for someone to right-click-save an eBay item's photo to their hard drive. The code works
perfectly, but of course there may be a way to get around this little roadblock...but at least it forces them to work harder to steal scans."
Others claim, however, that it is just about as easy to use alternative methods to grab any image, and that the download restrictions will not deter for more than a few seconds a fraudulent user from grabbing scans. In addition, they believe, doing so prevents many users without malicious intent from also downloading the images. When used responsibly, such downloads can be of substantial benefit to the hobby by collectors who want to study such things as commonality and differences within sets, identify card variations, etc.
Further, according to Eric A., "If I can't copy the scan, I absolutely will not bid in an eBay auction. Too much potential for monkey business of a bad seller switching cards on me during the transaction."
The general consensus seems to be that attempting to prevent right-click scan-grabbing does little to deter someone that is intent on committing fraud. In the process, it hinders those who may have legitimate reasons for downloading the scans. In that sense, it's a little akin to the bumper sticker used by Gun Control opponents that reads: "If you outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have guns." Loosely paraphrased: "If you restrict scan-grabbing, then only scan scammers will grab scans."
Perhaps a more direct and productive approach to combat all types of auction scams would be to target and expose the few that commit the frauds. While collectors often believe that complaints to eBay may fall on deaf ears, action by eBay can be and is taken in well documented cases--especially where fraud is involved. And the time spent exposing these practices on Internet venues like the VBC Forum could go a long way toward reducing the problem of fraudulent scan use. While again not foolproof, it might prove to be a more productive approach while not punishing responsible vintage baseball card collectors along the way.
Endnote: On a more positive note, I'd like to add that the vast majority of all vintage baseball card transactions on eBay are successfully completed, especially if the buyer exercises a minimum amount of due diligence before placing a bid. The Old Cardboard list of eBay's Top 50 Vintage Card Dealers is a good place to start your search. We believe all of them to be reputable sellers with very high feedback ratings--and each with over 1000 transactions. Further, we are prepared to assist in mediating any disputes that may arise with these eBay sellers that together account for many hundreds of vintage baseball card transactions each week. --Editor
5. Old Cardboard's Advertisers at National
The 2006 National Sports Collectors Convention (a.k.a. "The National") is now only days away. According to it's promoters, this year's show will be the most heavily publicized in the twenty-seven year history of the event. And with the temporary suspension of the well-attended Philadelphia Sports Card and Memorabilia Show (they're relocating to a new facility), the National takes on even more importance for vintage baseball card collectors.
Many of Old Cardboard's sponsors are setting up at the show. We are privileged to have such a supportive group of reputable sponsors. Without them, the magazine simply would not exist. We encourage our readers attending the show to stop by and check out the offerings of all of these sponsors. For your convenience, their booth numbers are listed below.
| Company |
Booth |
|
Company |
Booth |
Beckett Vintage Grading
Billingsley Sports Cards
Collectible Classics
Collectorlink.Net
CubanBaseballCards.com
Heritage Sports Collectibles
Horsehide, Inc.
Huggins & Scott
Lelands
Lloyd Taylor Cards
Mastro Auctions
Memory Lane
|
Corporate Area
1706
1401
503, 602
1960
Corporate Area
1500
1413
1106, 1108, 1007, 1009
1125
801, 803, 901, 904
1700, 1701, 1602
|
|
Mile High Card Company
Prestige Collectibles
PSA & PSA/DNA Auth.
Scottsdale Baseball Cards
Shoebox Cards
SportsCard Guaranty, LLC
Sports Memories
SCP Auctions
TIK, TIK and NIK
VintageCardPrices.Com
VintageNonSportsCards.Com
|
1743, 1842
1502
Corporate Area
1813, 1912
1513, 1612
Corporate Area
1407, 1506
701, 703, 800, 802
1125
1349
1815
|
You may also want to stop by the booth of Scott Brockelman and Leon Luckey (booth 1343), a popular hangout for pre-WWII card collectors that are active in the VBC Forum.
Brett and I will both be attending the show. If you have articles or other editorial ideas that you would like to discuss while there, or have questions about advertising or your magazine subscription, please let us know. We will both be monitoring our cell phones throughout the show. Our cell phone numbers are 512-466-5358 (Lyman) and 512-466-5372 (Brett). We look forward to seeing you there.
Lyman and Brett Hardeman
Old Cardboard, LLC.
Old Cardboard, LLC. was established in December, 2003, to help bring information on vintage baseball card collecting to the hobbyist. Produced by collectors for collectors, this comprehensive resource consists of three components: (1) Old Cardboard Magazine, (2) a companion website at www.oldcardboard.com and (3) this eNewsletter. The Old Cardboard website contains more than 500 pages of descriptive reference information for baseball card sets produced fifty years ago or longer. Each of these set summaries has a direct set-specific link to 
auctions and a similar link to 
's powerful search engine for further research. The website also includes a Show and Auction Calendar, an eBay Top 50 Vintage Sellers List, and much more. As a result, the Old Cardboard website makes a great "Alt-tab" companion for vintage card shoppers and researchers. Old Cardboard eNews provides current hobby news, upcoming shows and auctions, and updates to the website and the magazine. It is published around the middle of each month. For a FREE subscription to the eNewsletter, or for subscription information on Old Cardboard Magazine, please visit the website at www.oldcardboard.com. If you find this information resource helpful, please tell your friends. We need your support and your feedback. Thank you.
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