Many collecting genres experienced a substantial infusion of capital from new hobby participants along with an increase in disposable income during the pandemic. For baseball and militaria artifacts that had seen steady valuation increases over the preceding years, these two arenas experienced substantial pricing upsurges as new collectors joined the fray.

With the growth in baseball memorabilia attention and discretionary funds, previously reasonable prices soared in 2020, capitalizing on the bullish market. The combination of new (i.e., “naïve”) collectors with surging bank account balances are an open invitation for predators. Where there’s money to be made, most certainly the nefarious elements will seek to leverage naivete of these experienced collectors.

By providing resources and references regarding baseball militaria, one of our goals is to assist collectors and curators facilitate pre-acquisition due diligence to ensure the artifacts brought into their collections are bona fide.

Through years of curatorial research and aggregating that of experienced colleagues, we provide our visitors with information and photographs with emphasis on how to determine authenticity.

It should not come as a surprise to folks that efforts to defraud collectors lie within the world of baseball militaria. Several years ago, we discovered a series of online auction listings from a single seller “giscooterjoe,” offering dark brown baseballs bearing enormous stenciled “U.S.” letters on one panel.[1] From March 12 through November 26, 2017, giscooterjoe, located in Marlboro, Massachusetts, sold 25 of these baseballs for a total of $2,106.85. Reviewing his seller’s feedback, we noticed that there were an additional 28 of the same discolored baseballs sold in the previous year for a total of $1,757.80. Some of the baseballs would receive numerous bids taking the final selling price for some exceeding $120. One ball sold for $422 with seventeen bidders in competition. The problem with the items being foisted upon unsuspecting buyers is that they were all doctored to convince buyers that they were game-used, vintage military-marked baseballs.[2]

The listing was quite convincing and complete with an image showing an olive-drab vintage military bag filled with the balls along with two gloves and a baseman’s mitt dating to the 1940s. While we tracked this seller for 2017, we first took notice of the balls in 2012 when one of the listings garnered 10 bids and a closing price of $535. After we published a series of articles detailing the problems with the balls, the seller ceased the run though it is unknown if our efforts to expose the fraud contributed to bringing about that end. When giscooterjoe finally ceased the doctored-baseball operation, 53 of them were sold to the tune of $3,864.65 or $72.92 per ball.

Since giscooterjoe ceased the fake military baseball operation, we have observed a handful of his creations surface on the market with a few of them being re-sold, despite our efforts to convince the owners to keep the fraudulent balls out of the market. In October 2023, another baseball bearing the same characteristics of giscooterjoe’s work was listed in an online auction. Once again, our attempt to provide the seller with the tools to recognize the ball as a fake was ignored. However, this time, the seller, “westporter_87_00,” blocked us from further contact on the auction platform.

As with giscooterjoe, westporter_87_00 listed their location as being in Massachusetts. After westporter_87_00’s auction closed, another similarly doctored baseball was listed, following the same listing, and selling pattern as giscooterjoe. After three consecutive listings and sales, another Massachusetts-based seller emerged with a doctored baseball listing. Based in Uxbridge, “jatav-6011” proceeded with four consecutive listings from December 3 through January 15, 2024, when a different seller in the same geographic region appeared to join the fray.

Nearly three weeks after jatav-6011’s last baseball sale, two more balls were listed and subsequently sold in consecutive weeks. On February 6, the westporter_87_00 account listed a pair of balls in a single auction that promptly sold. Since the production and sales of fraudulent baseballs resumed at the end of October 2023, 13 have been sold for a combined $448.90 at the time of publication of this article.

• giscooterjoe: Marlborough, Massachusetts
• jatav-6011: Uxbridge, Massachusetts; Swansea, Massachusetts
• westporter_87_00: Westport, Massachusetts; Webster, Massachusetts

Considering the listing methodology, the geographic location, and the production of the fake baseballs, it is apparent the seller behind the giscooterjoe account has restarted the fraudulent practice and is presently using two accounts, jatav-6011 and westporter_87_00, to defraud baseball and militaria collectors after a six-year hiatus. Further evidence supporting this notion is found in the auction listings themselves. The background in jatav-6011’s auction listing photos (386400152104 dated December 3, 2023) is the same as can be found in westporter_87_00’s listing, 296014433082, dated October 29, 2023. The seller has taken a few steps to adapt the production process to throw off prospective buyers who may be scrutinizing the items.

As of this writing, neither account has published another listing. Based upon giscooterjoe’s prolific run of the previous decade, there can be no doubt that this production run is in its infancy.

Ohio Valley Military Society’s 2024 Show of Shows
Unrelated to the Massachusetts seller, a militaria dealer at the Ohio Valley Military Society’s 2024 Show of Shows had a stockpile of freshly stamped contemporary baseballs and softballs that were being sold as vintage pieces. Charging $25 per ball, the seller may have been operating under the misconception that the lower priced faked balls would not generate much attention. However, several of our readers reached out to us regarding the operation at the shows. Perhaps the vendor recognized that he was getting too much attention as he instructed patrons not to photograph the balls.

After a seven week hiatus from February 6 to March 26, the seller released a new design that included tearing away some of the baseball’s hide. However, buyers seeking an authentic wartime game-used baseball should pay particular attention to the synthesized discoloration that was performed after the stitches were stressed and the hide was severed and removed. Not only is the skin of the ball discolored, but the stitching and the internal windings have been darkened as well.

References:

• 1945 U.S.N. stamped baseball
• 1945 Special Services U. S. Army stamped baseball
• Wartime Baseballs

[1] “’Skimming’ Your Way to Overpaying for Militaria, (https://chevronsanddiamonds.org/2016/06/13/skimming-your-way-to-overpaying-for-militaria)” Chevrons and Diamonds (accessed February 8, 2024).

[2] ”These eBay Pitch-men are Tossing Spitballs at Unsuspecting Collectors,(https://chevronsanddiamonds.org/2017/06/23/these-ebay-pitch-men-are-tossing-spitballs-at-unsuspecting-collectors)” Chevrons and Diamonds (accessed February 8, 2024).