Collecting Notes: Better Business Bureau Not Pleased with Panini America
The Better Business Bureau of North Texas says it has processed 237 complaints against Dallas-based Panini America in the last three years and took the step of issuing a consumer warning this week.
Those complaints are centered around what’s a long running source of frustration for collectors: unfulfilled redemptions for autographed cards and similar hits that are promised inside products. While trading card companies are often at the mercy of athletes who are sometimes slow to sign what they’re contracted to, it’s Panini’s lack of response that the Bureau says has frustrated consumers.
“In 2017, BBB notified Panini America of a pattern of complaints alleging the company fails to honor promised fulfillment and delivery of products after receiving redemption cards from its customers,” the Bureau stated. “This pattern of complaints has remained unresolved and BBB has seen a recent spike in complaints of this nature.”
The Bureau says there have been an additional 20 complaints received this month that remain open.
“When the BBB is evaluating the trustworthiness of a company, being responsive and honoring promises is critical. Addressing disputes quickly, professionally, and in good faith is necessary in order for consumers to trust a business and in this case the company is not responsive,” stated Monica Horton, President and CEO of the BBB of North Central Texas.
Horton says her office has received complaints from 43 states and two Canadian provinces.
A class action lawsuit filed against Panini by Dallas collector Kevin Brashear over the redemption issue remains open.
Bidding for one of the highest graded examples of Babe Ruth’s 1916 rookie card opened Wednesday and within hours had climbed to $1.45 million.
Mile High Card Company is offering the PSA 7 copy in a sale that runs through November 12.
Meanwhile, bidding on the restored T206 Honus Wagner card being offered by SCP Auctions is closing in on $1 million ahead of this weekend’s close.
2021 Topps Update Baseball arrives this Friday but you won’t find a card of Kris Bryant on the Giants or Max Scherzer on the Dodgers.
It appears as if Topps had to rush Update to the printer a little earlier according to former company employee Susan Lulgjuraj who wrote an insightful piece on why that might be and what could lie ahead.
Topps released Chrome Sapphire Baseball to the public on Thursday morning. It was offered to Montgomery Club members on Wednesday. Each box has 32 shiny cards from Series 1 and 2 including one Rookie Autograph and one colored parallel.
You can check on availability via this page Wednesday morning and check eBay here.
Game-used pucks from the Seattle Kraken’s first win and jerseys from the expansion club’s first home game are on the block through MeiGray Auctions.
Three goal pucks and six game pucks from the Kraken’s 4-3 win over the Predators in Nashville on October 14 are part of a puck auction running through November 11. Included is the puck shot by Jared McCann that gave Seattle its first ever power play goal.
Others from goals scored by Brandon Tanev and Alexander Wennberg join 43 other early season pucks from NHL games that are part of MeiGray’s ongoing contracts to sell NHL game-used items.
The separate home game jersey auction includes 28 lots including gamers from the inaugural home game on October 23 that saw the Kraken fall to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3. Among the listings are jerseys worn by Phillipp Grubauer and Joonas Donskoi.
Bidding in that auction runs through November 4.
As we reported last week, MeiGray is also auctioning the jerseys worn in the team’s first ever game, a road contest against the Golden Knights.
Danielle Mosse/Courtesy Goldin Auctions
A new executive is joining Goldin Auctions. Danielle Mosse leaves her job as Senior VP at Christie’s for her new job as Goldin’s Director of Revenue.
At Christie’s, Mosse oversaw a 50+ person team across 15 sales verticals that managed auctions of everything from art to baseball memorabilia. She also helped oversee the adoption of new collectible categories and led the development of go-to-market strategies and data-driven approaches “that led to measurable and significant growth,” according to her new employer.
“As collectibles such as trading cards, comic books and NFTs are increasingly viewed through the same lens as traditional art, it has become increasingly important to have someone on board who understands customers that are interested in both,” stated Goldin CEO Ross Hoffman.
