Ken Goldin whining about conflicts of interest and double-dealing is hilarious for its shocking lack of self-awareness. Thanks for the Sunday morning chuckle.
The final sentence in the journal entry is "I am 11 years old, so pulling this card is a dream come true." Sounds like something out of a bad fake suic-ide note or something a hostage writes with a gun to their head. What 11 year old, out of the 200 worldwide who keeps a journal, writes that they are 11 years old in said journal? 😅
His is just crazy stuff. I have no idea where I stand on the Skenes cards. As a parent, I would not want my kids name or face out there. But, I’m not sold as this is the real reason in this case. In this case, I don’t trust Fanatics or Topps with anything. There have been too many instances and accusations of banger cards going to certain people/breakers. Very interesting stuff altogether. I’m glad those people were charged in the fake autos. Thanks for the video and thanks for sharing!
I might be my naivety, because outside of a few TH-cam creators, I am incredibly unaware of the news and happenings of the current card collecting community, but the people who believe the conspiracy theories in regards to the Paul Skenes card, come off to me as people who are WAY TOO online (and this comes from someone who is pretty online himself). I will say, them releasing the images of the journal is kind of bizarre to me though.... Thanks!
My hot take on this: TOPPS/FANATICS planned this. They're the ones auctioning thier own card. No way did an 11 year old pull it. This journal was created in-house as a tug at your heart strings kinda story..Topps/fanatics KNOWS they ship all the best cards to breakers in loaded boxes. They are trying to save face plain and simple. The card NEVER went into circulation period. It was held until they made the journal and submitted to PSA same day. One day this is gonna surface and Fantaics is gonna be in DEEP SHIT. 100% RIGGED.
Wasn't it also reported that the proceeds of the auction would go to an LA charitable organization? So the 11 yo kid and family are giving up possibly over a million $$$? Or is that just the buyer's fee Fanatics is donating? I haven't been able to find out much information but the story is young.
@@in2rock275 Fanatics proceeds go to the charity. We don’t know what their proceeds might be. 20% of final sale price? Depends on what they negotiated.
Sounds like the McDonalds Monopoly situation expect the FBI to investigate ad other federal organizations with possible lawsuits and fines for Topps/Fanatics
Mike, thanks for including my tweet in today's video. As someone who doesn't participate in the modern market outside of Red Sox cards and the occasional pack rip, I find the entire hysteria over the Skenes pull to be absolutely hilarious and overall extremely entertaining. The possibly-faked journal pages of an 11-year-old is just the cherry on top of a perfect sundae of absurdity.
I completely agree with everything you said. Every single take, scratch of the head and opinion that you have is exactly how I feel. It's forever buyer beware. I hope you enjoyed your weekend buddy
You left out the best response on the amount of time PSA looks at a card to grade it. Ryan Hoge responded "Sometimes 35 seconds". David King added, "Ryan also uses this philosophy in the bedroom". 🤣
There’s just far too many conflicts of interest with fanatics owning the cards, the redemptions, card lottery’s, the breaking platform, (probably) the breakers, influencers in their back pocket, the marketplace/auction house, soon to be the repack and the narrative for the whole journey. Only thing they don’t have is grading which in itself already has a stranglehold over the market/hobby. They can essentially play their customer and addict base however they want now.
I honestly believe that card companies need to be audited annually by a reputable third party. There is way too much money and temptation for us to “just believe them”
I believe Topps offers "white glove treatment" for these rookie debut cards. Meaning they will walk it through PSA. If I remember correctly they announced this last year.
This smells totally wrong to me, feels as though it was either a breaker, or an employee, either way, this was not pulled by an '11 year old'. What do people expect the hobby has basically become unlicensed gambling, with such huge money at stake it's only to be expected that there would be widespread shenanigans going on.
They need to come up with a system similar to a scratch off ticket. You can look up what hits remain in what products so you aren't chasing hits that aren't there
I like chasing hits that aren't' there. It just like taking 5 hits to get stoned 10 minutes. It stops working after a while. Hence, 1 should not chase hits. Or bangers with a hanger and/or a blaster
36:21 I don’t think they are photoshopping sleeves on him, I think the photos are from a photoshoot were he wore an undershirt. If you notice, he’s also wearing earrings, which NBA players aren’t allowed to wear during games. Still funny though
The owner of the Pirates Bob Nutting extended his offer to let the kid meet Paul Skenes and the team either in Pittsburgh or when the team comes out to LA. No kid is turning that offer down so let’s see who shows up.
My in-laws asked me what was so special about “that card the 11-year-old found”? I pulled up a story about the Paul Skenes card, showed them a photo of it, and explained why it was so special and valuable. Then I mentioned that the kid hasn’t been seen in any photos with the card. They both saw him holding the card in a news story last week. They didn’t remember which channel, though. The plot thickens?? I hope the Houdini auto doesn’t disappear from that card. 🤭
11 year old kid…in California…whose heartwarming public, elaborate (and stereotypical) journal entries…1 box on Christmas morning…the card sold via a charity auction for the red cross…Even the most gullible kool-aid guzzler cant possibly believe…😂. Oh, &only after the oddest, most attention seeking, energy and resource exuded “promotion for a chase card” I’ve ever seen!!!
The PSA Do Not Holder is an issue I just shared as a comment on one of your newsletters. The card was a Warren Spahn Exhibits card that I got signed in person, at a card show back in the late 80's, early 90's. I contacted support and they said it was because of the same issue, not able to verify. Since Warren Spahn died in 2003, I suspect they think the signature is fake but if they are that bad at authenticating a signature, why waste money sending anything to them? Then they don't tell you what they weren't sure about. Irritating for sure. If you can't grade something, let us know exactly why you can't. I don't understand the mystery.
I agree with most of your thoughts on the Skenes card debate. A couple thoughts to add. Sorry in advance for the length! 1. I personally look at this like someone winning the lottery. Some/many people want to remain anonymous. As you said I wouldn't want my kid plastered over social media. Concerns could be all the way from someone showing up at the house to heavy criticism/pressure on what to do with the money, to family and friends reaching out for money. Its their right to stay private. 2. IF Topps/Fanatics offered to hand deliver the card for grading, pay the grading fee for them and gave them a piece of the buyers premium at auction, why wouldn't they accept? That's a good deal for the family, once a decision to sell was made - which may not have been immediate. Opening it up to others, for example, Goldin, would have highly increased the likelihood of their identity getting out. 3. The only problem I have with the journal, is the use of that word by Topps. If they would have simply said here is the kid's accounting/recounting of the events leading up to and after pulling the card, people wouldn't be so damned hung up on the "journal/diary" angle. People want to dissect the details without just understanding its a kids description of the events. 4. Timing... You mentioned you didn't like the timeline and think Topps held out to sell boxes. That's an assumption on when Topps was made aware. That detail is unknown. Lots could affect the timing here, none of which are nefarious. - Holidays - Not everything happens immediately when family have plans around the holiday. Maybe they teaveled? - Decision - Its entirely possible they didn't immediately decide to sell, so the whole process could have taken a few weeks to come to fruition. - Counsel - Maybe (if it were me, absolutely) they sought out an attorney or financial advisor after doing a little research on possible value? Seeking the best way to stay private, to know how selling could affect their tax situation, etc. would all be pertinent to know before taking the next step. Again, I go back to comparing to a lottery winner. Rarely are lottery tickets of value claimed the very next day. I don't know why it is so hard to think there may have been a process that took some time. 4a. Timing - Topps has sold all of the cases, correct? Can Topps accounts still buy the product direct from Topps? I understand the angle of keeping interest high, but at this point higher prices don't really help Topps directly. I may be wrong on this part, but I know Topps isn't still printing extra boxes. 5. LCS - IF the box was bought at an LCS, its plausible they don't yet know. Again, it could go back to privacy and the family not telling them, mom not remembering where she bought it (less plausible, yet lots of LCS's in the LA area, I assume). The journal said she found it for $320, so she may have had to call around to several shops to find one. Remember she was buying an Xmas present in advance. My wife may not have kept a receipt on something like that if she bought a box for me. - Its possible Topps knows the LCS, but agreed not to give out any more info until the process is complete. The LCS may be notified they sold it after the card is sold at auction. - I absolutely believe Topps wanted more publicity. But this screams to me of a family wanting to stay private and possibly having someone negotiate detail w/ Topps on their behalf. 6. I'll wrap this up by saying all of this could have happened. Or maybe it didn't. But the reaction to this is no different than the mob mentality that convicts someone beforen details of a situation are known. Its premature, yet par for the course in our society. All of the conspiracy theories are based on assumptions, not facts, which is really dangerous in general. And I believe you referenced this, its likely many of those same people would have been shouting just as loudly if the card was pulled by a Breaker on Fanatics Live. Some people just can't be happy.
If my son had pulled this card I would have done the exact same thing as this family. Keep it quiet, get the redemption, fly out to PSA headquarters, and auction off via some third party. No press, stay private. There is virtually no benefit in putting your name out there for all to see. I would not want my 11 year old’s name or pic out there.
I don't think anyone is upset the 11-year isn't being paraded around. I feel like a picture of the hand/wrist holding the redemption is what I'd expect to see though. Very easy to keep the kids identity safe that way
Happy Sunday! I gave my wife and children 3 rabbits over the years. Funny thing is when you let them hop around the house is they don't get lost. Just follow the little cocoa puff trail and you'll always find them lol😂😂😂
I could see an 11 year old pull this, it’s a lotto ticket. But…That journal is not written by an 11 year old boy. Unless he took ten tries after writing a rough draft. No errors. I taught middle school for close to a decade. 5th grader boy writing this on first try about as possible as pulling the card in the first place. Never received writing with no errors with legible writing and nice punctuation and capitals etc. This kid is going places. Maybe Luka’s mom wrote it.
The Skenes saga says more about the crazy world we live in than anything else…1) there is no way in hell I would expose my 11 year old son to this madness and the slew of deranged middle aged men living in their mothers basement obsessing over sports cards all day 2) pulling this card is no different than hitting on a lottery card worth $1M and the winner quietly and anonymously collecting their winnings, which is common 3) Do we really believe that a company worth $30 billion, who already basically has a monopoly on sports cards, would go through all of this drama (that is so predictable in this industry/hobby) for a small percentage on being the ones who sell the card???? The publicity alone and product they’ve sold just by creating these patch cards is worth 1000x that measly amount. COME ON PEOPLE. While Fanatics will absolutely learn better ways to do this in the future and may have made some poor decisions, this hysteria is comical. Let’s all put the cards down for a few hours, take a nice long walk outside, get some deep breathing in and check our priorities in life please. 😂😂😂
IMO. Leave the wax breaking to the gamblers, breakers and pick up the singles you want. The only exception is if you make enough money to not care or are trying to make a set. Singles are always cheaper.
Something up with the Matrix at the end of your video. This is the state of the hobby today with the chase cards. Fanatics I believe started they wanted to 10X the hobby when they acquired Topps. Apparently they’re already at 4X. Good for them. I’m staying out of the modern lane for baseball. Only collecting modern hockey at the moment. I’m sure the Skenes thing could be legit, but Fanatics definitely milking it past Christmas to get more product sales and now they’re getting more traffic to their auction site. They have some smart people. Cool about the Cooper Flag kid from Maine.
Was going to say “why such a big deal over this 1/1 card” but then realized because I don’t open packs of course I don’t care. However, if I did open packs and was chasing the card, I guess I would be cautiously concerned about how this all played out. Totally agree this looks very bad for Fanatics!!!
Card collecting today is often gambling. So, this is comparable: The Florida Lottery lists on its website for scratch off cards, what amounts have been won so people buying the cards know what the remaining values on the scratch off cards are. It would be very easy for redemption cards to be listed on the Topps/Fanatics website if transparency was considered important. There are relatively few redemption cards so this information would be easy to publicly report on its website promptly upon redemption. It is essential that the Florida Lottery not be perceived as rigged. Not so much with sports cards apparently. The timeline is critical on when Fanatics knew about the redemption. There are records on that - certainly more than "a kid's journal." It is hard for me to take the big hobby seriously. There is just so much amateurish thinking abounding. I just quietly do my thing with the NYY, the Miami Hurricanes and hockey. The jerks cannot touch me. - Heather in the Sunshine State
21:42 If it were a sham, it makes sense it's someone from far away from Pittsburgh. That way would of course not accept the Pirates deal. Guess we'll see if the 11 year old takes up the offer to meet Skenes when he's on a road trip to CA.
Does anyone think that they DON'T send breakers the best cards, because I never see anyone defending it whenever people bring it up. If they can send them the best pulls, and someone in Topps said "well, we can't let the Skenes go to a breaker, lets make it where we can act like a little kid got it, and sell it ourselves since it could be a 7 figure card, and we could market the hell out of it going to a kid" that makes sense that it happened like that, to me, but I'm open to it being legit. It's not like this is gonna stop Topps from scamming ppl out of money in other ways, but the fact that it's such an issue, and that topps is auctioning it themselves- .
@@JunkWaxHero thank you for saying so. Your opinion holds a bunch of weight to me, so yeah, maybe it's just a matter of probabilities... no one film captures more box openings than breakers, so they really should be the ones with the most big hits on camera.
All FANATICS proceeds go to the fire relief funds. Not the 11 yo that owns the card. The Fanatics fees and earnings get donated. I see a lot of people conflating that issue.
Delaying announcement of the pull of the card and its redemption may not fall on Fanatics but, instead, on the kid's family. It certainly helps Fanatics/Topps. I'm as cynical as the next person but what I see are a lot of people who probably spent the $500 or $600 for a hobby box of Chrome upset about the card that they thought was "theirs" getting pulled by someone else.
Great video 👏🏻. Fanatics is a marketing machine. They have deep hooks into media outlets and the athletes. This is BIG business. Hobby is secondary.,The hype this is creating certainly feeds that “10x” talk. It does seem too good to be true…the Wonka story amidst the modern hobby driven by distributors (breakers). Consumers simply don’t pull big cards anymore. I just hope we don’t uncover a real scandal here.,Integrity will factor into long term perception and could have a reverse impact on the hobby (business) growth.
Mike, if anything your reasonableness and rationality have only increased. This was a very clear presentation of the issue. With all of the drama that goes on this hobby, nobody should trust the big companies. There’s too much money involved for it to be trusted as one of the most pure scenarios “a young kid pulling a huge card”…reminiscent of Charlie pulling the golden ticket. I certainly don’t trust it
I’m not as skeptical as some. The privacy on behalf of the family makes it more believable to me. I’m sure the family took time to get legal advice and guidance on how to proceed, no different than big lottery winners. And I think the journal is just promotional stuff by Topps agreed with the family.
I would not have made anything public until it was up for auction. My son and I rip cards on our channel, i would have kept it private as well. I know we live in an age of posting everything but given the perceived value of the card i would have waited to post anything. Do we know if it’s financially more advantageous to use Fanatics over a goldin or such? Im sure alot of questions but the privacy of the child i think is smart until they get rid of the card.
Of course that’s a Steph Curry autograph. Who doesn’t know those scribbles are Steph Curry’s. These days it is so critical that they have good record keeping for each autograph, as essentially none of them are readable. Lmo
I think the parents are smart for keeping it under wraps! Too many whack jobs out in the world. But it sure does seem fishy with all the different media going on. Alot of folks trying to make a quick ton of cash. So many crooks. I enjoyed this episode Mike! Thanks!!
I read that the Pirates offered 30yrs of season tickets and a bunch of other stuff for the Skenes card but the family turned it down. Seems to further indicate that the 11yo is real? Still completely mishandled either for bad reasons or out poorly anticipating the effects.
Did they say that it was redeemed 30 days ago? I thought it was pulled, redeemed, and graded all in the same week? After redemption and the phone call from fanatics wouldn't it have been taken directly to psa and then back to fanatics? what would be the point of sending it to the kid?
The story is still in its youth, give it more time. The skeptics love this stuff! & we never went to the Moon & the Earth is flat & on & on it goes.... P.S. Boo Hoo for Ken Goldin living on his 4 acres & a golf course LOL
The upload I look forward to the most each and every week. Great episode as always. NO Family in 2024, other than the Amish, give their kid a $800 hobby box and then don't take a picture or video when said kid pulls a likely 7 figure card. No one says they have to put the kids picture out, but why can't they release a video or pic and blur the kid's face and mute the background showing him holding the redemption? Also, Topps knowing this card was redeemed around Christmas and not releasing the information for a month later is probably the shadiest part of this story in my opinion. PS- we have two rabbits. Cleaning their cages every week is the bane of my existence. Nothing smells worse than rabbit urine!
I would have liked more disclosure on this Skenes pull, I don’t see parents pulling this off on their own. Personally had I pulled this I would have gone to you or Chris Sewall or Mike Moynihan for expert advice. Auction is the right choice.
My granddaughter is one of the few who has a diary. I don't see boys writing journals this day in age. As soon as I read that "journal story," I knew something was up. It just sounds so made up and fake. I really hope it is true that a legit 11-year-old pulled the card, but I really have my doubts. 11 year old kids can't keep secrets if their life depended on it. All his friends and family would know about it and it would be leaked by now.
Been following this whole skenes debut patch thing and it’s bizarre. Maybe it’s true that a kid pulled it, but that letter clearly was fake or the dad likely scripted something for his child to write. What kid cares if a hobby box increases in price… as noted in the letter. I like how Topps used red underlines for a TLDR lol. Family made a mistake directly working with fanatics/Topps to resell it. I would’ve vaulted it and gauge/take offers for best platform to resell
To be honest, if there is any money to be made, I expect shenanigans to happen. Fanatics will 10x the hobby and they’ve already 4x the hobby (well, their bottom line) according to your chart. Gambling will get them to their 10x goal ultimately. Finally, I am surprised that Eric (ThoseBackPages) didn’t admit that he wasn’t the 11 year old who hit the Skenes card. Eric’s takes are about what an 11 year old would have. Just makes sense……
I know people enjoy gambling but I can't understand why people open boxes when you are left with a bunch of junk. Even if you hit something it is probably of a player that will amount to very little. I collect singles exclusively and I have accumulated an impressive and interesting collection in only three years. I just think it's smarter and funner to buy singles when you know you can have a great collection.
The journal is a little suspect. But im telling you if my boy pulled such a card it wouldn't be seen anywhere. Same if i pulled the card. I dont have social media. Part of all of this just shows what i already know, people are so ego driven they cant fathom someone not wanting to post photos of themselves with a big hit.
Great vid ! Couple takeaways. I’d love to know more about that Pele auto! That auto looks like hundreds that are in current products. How did they determine it was fake (not directing this toward jwh, I’m just curious). Also, I wonder why you said why would you list an expensive card on eBay. Their fees are extremely low after 2500$, get the most eyeballs, and their authenticity guarantee protects sellers. I have sold expensive cards on eBay, was just wondering why you said that. Happy Sunday and thanks for the morning vid
@@jbhatts610 eBay doesn’t protect sellers from scammy buyers. And the authenticity guarantee has a lot of loopholes that people exploit. For an $85k card I’d go through an auction house.
@ understood - I’ve sold a handful of 5 figure cards, but not 85k. I’d mostly agree that BEFORE the authenticity program, I wouldn’t sell a card above 1k! Definitely eBay just sides with buyers, but since authenticity program I’ve sold quite a bit on there. They clearly understood sellers needed to be protected or they’d choose other platforms or sellers
I really do wonder if a 11 yr old pulled the card because people who have kids know if there child got something they want there not letting it go!!!! Besides that it is crazy for Fans/Topps to not tell the public the card was pulled soon I guess that’s where greed comes in.
If any card pull smelled fishy, it would be the Volpe Debut pull. I mean, the white gloves combined with hand gestures and no audible reactions.....inside job.
You obviously have no idea what lewis hamiltons auto looks like. That was his auto, and yes its also steph currys auto as well. They pay the same person to sign their cards.
I vote no to ken gold in using ct scanning to verify. Don’t you have to check each card to make sure they have not been replaced. Maybe you can tell if the packs are there but to be sure you got to look at the cards. He strikes me also as a very greedy person. You might as well open them at this point. Ken would never tell a friend or relative to bid on something.
Tye identity being hidden is just as bad as the udentity being hidden on the one viter who didnt vote for ichiro.. dont care what age this is. Im taking claim and ill throw in that my 11 year old pulled it.. not the other way around.
Fanatics could have put a little more effort into the transcendent cut autos. How about a small picture of the actual person who's cut auto it is. This is the lazy shit Fanatics will continue to do and still call their products high-end, yeah high-end garbage.
The entitlement of people wanting to know the who, what, where, why, and how over the Skeenes card is nauseating. Add that to people whining because they only got $20 worth of cards out of a $500 box. Life ain't fair. Move on. I apologize for letting my Boomer side out.
the “donating for charity” aspect of this is disgusting. the city, county, state and insurance companies have heaps of resources and money. that we all pay for in heaps of taxes and insurance prices already. stop with the the pandering it’s making me queasy
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@@JunkWaxHero saw it on another Sportscard show he said it was in the Topps odds sheet for the release
Ken Goldin whining about conflicts of interest and double-dealing is hilarious for its shocking lack of self-awareness. Thanks for the Sunday morning chuckle.
lol
The final sentence in the journal entry is "I am 11 years old, so pulling this card is a dream come true." Sounds like something out of a bad fake suic-ide note or something a hostage writes with a gun to their head. What 11 year old, out of the 200 worldwide who keeps a journal, writes that they are 11 years old in said journal? 😅
@AJH-m9z right! There are a few strange things in there
His is just crazy stuff. I have no idea where I stand on the Skenes cards. As a parent, I would not want my kids name or face out there. But, I’m not sold as this is the real reason in this case. In this case, I don’t trust Fanatics or Topps with anything. There have been too many instances and accusations of banger cards going to certain people/breakers.
Very interesting stuff altogether. I’m glad those people were charged in the fake autos. Thanks for the video and thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
I might be my naivety, because outside of a few TH-cam creators, I am incredibly unaware of the news and happenings of the current card collecting community, but the people who believe the conspiracy theories in regards to the Paul Skenes card, come off to me as people who are WAY TOO online (and this comes from someone who is pretty online himself). I will say, them releasing the images of the journal is kind of bizarre to me though.... Thanks!
@@Lyrici17 the journal is very bizarre coming from Topps
My hot take on this: TOPPS/FANATICS planned this. They're the ones auctioning thier own card. No way did an 11 year old pull it. This journal was created in-house as a tug at your heart strings kinda story..Topps/fanatics KNOWS they ship all the best cards to breakers in loaded boxes. They are trying to save face plain and simple. The card NEVER went into circulation period. It was held until they made the journal and submitted to PSA same day. One day this is gonna surface and Fantaics is gonna be in DEEP SHIT. 100% RIGGED.
@@ObsessedCollector they certainly haven’t done themselves any favors with this
Wasn't it also reported that the proceeds of the auction would go to an LA charitable organization? So the 11 yo kid and family are giving up possibly over a million $$$? Or is that just the buyer's fee Fanatics is donating? I haven't been able to find out much information but the story is young.
@@in2rock275 Fanatics proceeds go to the charity. We don’t know what their proceeds might be. 20% of final sale price? Depends on what they negotiated.
@@in2rock275 The fees
Funny to see how much is donated. To give this card to fanatics, I would imagine the sellers would negotiate a 100-105%% of the hammer price.
Sounds like the McDonalds Monopoly situation expect the FBI to investigate ad other federal organizations with possible lawsuits and fines for Topps/Fanatics
Haha good analogy
Mike, thanks for including my tweet in today's video. As someone who doesn't participate in the modern market outside of Red Sox cards and the occasional pack rip, I find the entire hysteria over the Skenes pull to be absolutely hilarious and overall extremely entertaining. The possibly-faked journal pages of an 11-year-old is just the cherry on top of a perfect sundae of absurdity.
It really is so absurd
@@JunkWaxHero It's par for the course.
This is why lotteries and other forms of gambling are regulated.
I completely agree with everything you said. Every single take, scratch of the head and opinion that you have is exactly how I feel. It's forever buyer beware. I hope you enjoyed your weekend buddy
@@stevezeppieri thanks Steve!
You left out the best response on the amount of time PSA looks at a card to grade it.
Ryan Hoge responded "Sometimes 35 seconds".
David King added, "Ryan also uses this philosophy in the bedroom". 🤣
@@dannyb.3924 lol
i always take the side of "innocent until proven guilty", but i agree that it seems a little shady on Fanatics part
Same here
There’s just far too many conflicts of interest with fanatics owning the cards, the redemptions, card lottery’s, the breaking platform, (probably) the breakers, influencers in their back pocket, the marketplace/auction house, soon to be the repack and the narrative for the whole journey. Only thing they don’t have is grading which in itself already has a stranglehold over the market/hobby.
They can essentially play their customer and addict base however they want now.
They don’t have grading YET
I honestly believe that card companies need to be audited annually by a reputable third party. There is way too much money and temptation for us to “just believe them”
You’re not alone in that thinking
Long video but it’s really worth it to stay until 38:55. Best content you’ve had in a while.
lol
What did it say? I stopped video 1 min before that
@@TheCardDeal the video died and it was silent
I believe Topps offers "white glove treatment" for these rookie debut cards. Meaning they will walk it through PSA. If I remember correctly they announced this last year.
I haven’t heard that before, but it definitely sounds possible.
Kids don't write in journals anymore its sketchy
I’m sure some do but it’s definitely a very strange thing for them to send out
This smells totally wrong to me, feels as though it was either a breaker, or an employee, either way, this was not pulled by an '11 year old'. What do people expect the hobby has basically become unlicensed gambling, with such huge money at stake it's only to be expected that there would be widespread shenanigans going on.
Yup
The avg person is more poor than ever. No way a baseball card company can reap such huge profits in this economy unless they are scamming.
it's scamming broke idiots
They need to come up with a system similar to a scratch off ticket. You can look up what hits remain in what products so you aren't chasing hits that aren't there
@@johnnypopsicle gotta be a way
@@johnnypopsicle if it’s similar to a scratch off ticket, wouldn’t that make it gambling?
I like chasing hits that aren't' there. It just like taking 5 hits to get stoned 10 minutes. It stops working after a while. Hence, 1 should not chase hits. Or bangers with a hanger and/or a blaster
36:21 I don’t think they are photoshopping sleeves on him, I think the photos are from a photoshoot were he wore an undershirt. If you notice, he’s also wearing earrings, which NBA players aren’t allowed to wear during games. Still funny though
Interesting observation
My daughter got two bunnies last year. They're a bit of work, but they sure are cute and my daughters adore them. Enjoy the new adventure 😁
@@bearcards3497 thank you!
The owner of the Pirates Bob Nutting extended his offer to let the kid meet Paul Skenes and the team either in Pittsburgh or when the team comes out to LA. No kid is turning that offer down so let’s see who shows up.
Yes! Great point
Actors would show up. Dude threw all white parties with the likes of diddy and associates
EXACTLY! Best news I saw all week
My in-laws asked me what was so special about “that card the 11-year-old found”? I pulled up a story about the Paul Skenes card, showed them a photo of it, and explained why it was so special and valuable. Then I mentioned that the kid hasn’t been seen in any photos with the card. They both saw him holding the card in a news story last week. They didn’t remember which channel, though. The plot thickens?? I hope the Houdini auto doesn’t disappear from that card. 🤭
Hmmm
11 year old kid…in California…whose heartwarming public, elaborate (and stereotypical) journal entries…1 box on Christmas morning…the card sold via a charity auction for the red cross…Even the most gullible kool-aid guzzler cant possibly believe…😂. Oh, &only after the oddest, most attention seeking, energy and resource exuded “promotion for a chase card” I’ve ever seen!!!
It is definitely an unusual story.
Hope Skenes has a great career but this whole scenario is gonna be so cringeworthy in a few years if he ends up being Ben McDonald 2.0
Yeah but McDonald never had a single season as dominant as Skenes had for a rookie season.
@ Yeah I just mean coming in with lots of hype and ultimately having a mediocre career
The PSA Do Not Holder is an issue I just shared as a comment on one of your newsletters. The card was a Warren Spahn Exhibits card that I got signed in person, at a card show back in the late 80's, early 90's. I contacted support and they said it was because of the same issue, not able to verify. Since Warren Spahn died in 2003, I suspect they think the signature is fake but if they are that bad at authenticating a signature, why waste money sending anything to them? Then they don't tell you what they weren't sure about. Irritating for sure. If you can't grade something, let us know exactly why you can't. I don't understand the mystery.
100%
I would have auctioned it with a much larger, more reputable auction house like Heritage Platinum Night Auction or REA.
Exactly. At least shop it for competing offers.
@@JunkWaxHero sure it was all part of the deal. How much did PSA get for thaqt service? Who paid it? The fake 11 year olds family?...YEA. REALLY....
I agree with most of your thoughts on the Skenes card debate. A couple thoughts to add. Sorry in advance for the length!
1. I personally look at this like someone winning the lottery. Some/many people want to remain anonymous. As you said I wouldn't want my kid plastered over social media. Concerns could be all the way from someone showing up at the house to heavy criticism/pressure on what to do with the money, to family and friends reaching out for money. Its their right to stay private.
2. IF Topps/Fanatics offered to hand deliver the card for grading, pay the grading fee for them and gave them a piece of the buyers premium at auction, why wouldn't they accept? That's a good deal for the family, once a decision to sell was made - which may not have been immediate. Opening it up to others, for example, Goldin, would have highly increased the likelihood of their identity getting out.
3. The only problem I have with the journal, is the use of that word by Topps. If they would have simply said here is the kid's accounting/recounting of the events leading up to and after pulling the card, people wouldn't be so damned hung up on the "journal/diary" angle. People want to dissect the details without just understanding its a kids description of the events.
4. Timing... You mentioned you didn't like the timeline and think Topps held out to sell boxes. That's an assumption on when Topps was made aware. That detail is unknown. Lots could affect the timing here, none of which are nefarious.
- Holidays - Not everything happens immediately when family have plans around the holiday. Maybe they teaveled?
- Decision - Its entirely possible they didn't immediately decide to sell, so the whole process could have taken a few weeks to come to fruition.
- Counsel - Maybe (if it were me, absolutely) they sought out an attorney or financial advisor after doing a little research on possible value? Seeking the best way to stay private, to know how selling could affect their tax situation, etc. would all be pertinent to know before taking the next step. Again, I go back to comparing to a lottery winner. Rarely are lottery tickets of value claimed the very next day. I don't know why it is so hard to think there may have been a process that took some time.
4a. Timing - Topps has sold all of the cases, correct? Can Topps accounts still buy the product direct from Topps? I understand the angle of keeping interest high, but at this point higher prices don't really help Topps directly. I may be wrong on this part, but I know Topps isn't still printing extra boxes.
5. LCS - IF the box was bought at an LCS, its plausible they don't yet know. Again, it could go back to privacy and the family not telling them, mom not remembering where she bought it (less plausible, yet lots of LCS's in the LA area, I assume). The journal said she found it for $320, so she may have had to call around to several shops to find one. Remember she was buying an Xmas present in advance. My wife may not have kept a receipt on something like that if she bought a box for me.
- Its possible Topps knows the LCS, but agreed not to give out any more info until the process is complete. The LCS may be notified they sold it after the card is sold at auction.
- I absolutely believe Topps wanted more publicity. But this screams to me of a family wanting to stay private and possibly having someone negotiate detail w/ Topps on their behalf.
6. I'll wrap this up by saying all of this could have happened. Or maybe it didn't. But the reaction to this is no different than the mob mentality that convicts someone beforen details of a situation are known. Its premature, yet par for the course in our society. All of the conspiracy theories are based on assumptions, not facts, which is really dangerous in general. And I believe you referenced this, its likely many of those same people would have been shouting just as loudly if the card was pulled by a Breaker on Fanatics Live. Some people just can't be happy.
Great comment. Thanks for the sanity.
Last few minutes was cut out due to connection issues. Love the small stories wrap up style
@@RossSlots sorry about that. Nothing big during that time
If my son had pulled this card I would have done the exact same thing as this family.
Keep it quiet, get the redemption, fly out to PSA headquarters, and auction off via some third party. No press, stay private. There is virtually no benefit in putting your name out there for all to see. I would not want my 11 year old’s name or pic out there.
Exactly Brent
Love the lottery ball cards! So cool! Great episode Mike!
Thanks Theo!
I don't think anyone is upset the 11-year isn't being paraded around. I feel like a picture of the hand/wrist holding the redemption is what I'd expect to see though. Very easy to keep the kids identity safe that way
@@kevinscache lol I assure you, there are many upset about not having a photo of the kid with the card
Happy Sunday! I gave my wife and children 3 rabbits over the years. Funny thing is when you let them hop around the house is they don't get lost. Just follow the little cocoa puff trail and you'll always find them lol😂😂😂
That is funny!
Lots of interesting thing here. Great episode, thanks for sharing the news in the Hobby!
@@redrum2612 thanks!
@JunkWaxHero You're welcome!
I could see an 11 year old pull this, it’s a lotto ticket. But…That journal is not written by an 11 year old boy. Unless he took ten tries after writing a rough draft. No errors. I taught middle school for close to a decade. 5th grader boy writing this on first try about as possible as pulling the card in the first place. Never received writing with no errors with legible writing and nice punctuation and capitals etc. This kid is going places. Maybe Luka’s mom wrote it.
lol
Keep it simple...WE ARE NOT STUPID...But many think we are...
The Skenes saga says more about the crazy world we live in than anything else…1) there is no way in hell I would expose my 11 year old son to this madness and the slew of deranged middle aged men living in their mothers basement obsessing over sports cards all day 2) pulling this card is no different than hitting on a lottery card worth $1M and the winner quietly and anonymously collecting their winnings, which is common 3) Do we really believe that a company worth $30 billion, who already basically has a monopoly on sports cards, would go through all of this drama (that is so predictable in this industry/hobby) for a small percentage on being the ones who sell the card???? The publicity alone and product they’ve sold just by creating these patch cards is worth 1000x that measly amount. COME ON PEOPLE. While Fanatics will absolutely learn better ways to do this in the future and may have made some poor decisions, this hysteria is comical. Let’s all put the cards down for a few hours, take a nice long walk outside, get some deep breathing in and check our priorities in life please. 😂😂😂
@@mcarp2271 lol well said
@@JunkWaxHero What about people that have a house, or 2 or 3 houses and money? Is that ok?
@@TheCardDeal of course, Arnie. I have a house too.
@JunkWaxHero But aren't you in the basement when you do the videos 😁😁⚾️
@@TheCardDeal lol yes, unfortunately
I'm just here to see if the cards in the background are in order. They are!🎉
lol
@@JunkWaxHeroI just wrote in my journal that you "lol'd" my comment so I have high hopes that today is going to be a good day!
@@LetsStormTheTeaCupRide lolol
IMO. Leave the wax breaking to the gamblers, breakers and pick up the singles you want. The only exception is if you make enough money to not care or are trying to make a set. Singles are always cheaper.
100%
Yup it's cheaper that way
Something up with the Matrix at the end of your video.
This is the state of the hobby today with the chase cards. Fanatics I believe started they wanted to 10X the hobby when they acquired Topps. Apparently they’re already at 4X. Good for them. I’m staying out of the modern lane for baseball. Only collecting modern hockey at the moment.
I’m sure the Skenes thing could be legit, but Fanatics definitely milking it past Christmas to get more product sales and now they’re getting more traffic to their auction site. They have some smart people.
Cool about the Cooper Flag kid from Maine.
@@kenscardboard good comment, Ken. Yeah my video glitched near the end.
Yeah Cooper Flagg good for him. Went to high school with his mom hoping he is 1st great NBAer from Maine.
@@johnbaumgardner8325 that’s cool!
Was going to say “why such a big deal over this 1/1 card” but then realized because I don’t open packs of course I don’t care. However, if I did open packs and was chasing the card, I guess I would be cautiously concerned about how this all played out. Totally agree this looks very bad for Fanatics!!!
Yep
No picture of the redemption proves it was kept by topps. No conspiracy, just greed
I don’t think it proves it, but the whole thing is very odd
I think this was a very reasonable and rational assessment 😅. Great show as usual!
@@SconnieTradition haha thanks Scott
Card collecting today is often gambling. So, this is comparable: The Florida Lottery lists on its website for scratch off cards, what amounts have been won so people buying the cards know what the remaining values on the scratch off cards are. It would be very easy for redemption cards to be listed on the Topps/Fanatics website if transparency was considered important. There are relatively few redemption cards so this information would be easy to publicly report on its website promptly upon redemption. It is essential that the Florida Lottery not be perceived as rigged. Not so much with sports cards apparently. The timeline is critical on when Fanatics knew about the redemption. There are records on that - certainly more than "a kid's journal." It is hard for me to take the big hobby seriously. There is just so much amateurish thinking abounding. I just quietly do my thing with the NYY, the Miami Hurricanes and hockey. The jerks cannot touch me. - Heather in the Sunshine State
I love the idea for the website. Thanks Heather!
@@JunkWaxHero 😃.,
That is why I say yes to bring on the regulation. Wonder how most feel about that.
Whenever I think about buying a hobby box of whatever I remind myself of the singles I could pick up for the same or less money and walk away.
Yes!
Sketchy? The hell you say 🤣Just remember who has been the KING of Sketch since DAY 1. Mike Petty and the CardBreakers. That's who.
lol I love the name, Petty
21:42 If it were a sham, it makes sense it's someone from far away from Pittsburgh. That way would of course not accept the Pirates deal. Guess we'll see if the 11 year old takes up the offer to meet Skenes when he's on a road trip to CA.
Good call
Does anyone think that they DON'T send breakers the best cards, because I never see anyone defending it whenever people bring it up. If they can send them the best pulls, and someone in Topps said "well, we can't let the Skenes go to a breaker, lets make it where we can act like a little kid got it, and sell it ourselves since it could be a 7 figure card, and we could market the hell out of it going to a kid" that makes sense that it happened like that, to me, but I'm open to it being legit. It's not like this is gonna stop Topps from scamming ppl out of money in other ways, but the fact that it's such an issue, and that topps is auctioning it themselves- .
I really don’t buy into the “breakers get loaded boxes” stuff for the most part
@@JunkWaxHero thank you for saying so. Your opinion holds a bunch of weight to me, so yeah, maybe it's just a matter of probabilities... no one film captures more box openings than breakers, so they really should be the ones with the most big hits on camera.
@@basketballhistory6151 yeah I’ve talked about this a lot. They also buy a huge percentage of the available hobby boxes and breakers delight.
Nice work.
These weekly recaps are always fun.
Thanks!
All FANATICS proceeds go to the fire relief funds. Not the 11 yo that owns the card. The Fanatics fees and earnings get donated. I see a lot of people conflating that issue.
Right, and they may have agreed to give a lot of their fees to the kid.
I’d be doin a chargeback on the Archives… such BS!
Yeahhh
This is why I stick to low grade vintage :)
Walk in service, topps probably hand delivered cause this card is hyped beyond belief
Delaying announcement of the pull of the card and its redemption may not fall on Fanatics but, instead, on the kid's family. It certainly helps Fanatics/Topps. I'm as cynical as the next person but what I see are a lot of people who probably spent the $500 or $600 for a hobby box of Chrome upset about the card that they thought was "theirs" getting pulled by someone else.
@@tonylehman2417 don’t you think Topps should announce it though? There should be a way for people to see
I would imagine Topps graded the card the moment they printed it and started the program no way this wasn’t getting a 10!
Great video 👏🏻. Fanatics is a marketing machine. They have deep hooks into media outlets and the athletes. This is BIG business. Hobby is secondary.,The hype this is creating certainly feeds that “10x” talk. It does seem too good to be true…the Wonka story amidst the modern hobby driven by distributors (breakers). Consumers simply don’t pull big cards anymore. I just hope we don’t uncover a real scandal here.,Integrity will factor into long term perception and could have a reverse impact on the hobby (business) growth.
Good comment
Mike, if anything your reasonableness and rationality have only increased. This was a very clear presentation of the issue. With all of the drama that goes on this hobby, nobody should trust the big companies. There’s too much money involved for it to be trusted as one of the most pure scenarios “a young kid pulling a huge card”…reminiscent of Charlie pulling the golden ticket. I certainly don’t trust it
Thanks Russ!
I've never been on twitter
Smart
Same…..
I’m not as skeptical as some. The privacy on behalf of the family makes it more believable to me. I’m sure the family took time to get legal advice and guidance on how to proceed, no different than big lottery winners. And I think the journal is just promotional stuff by Topps agreed with the family.
Yeah that makes sense but the journal is so silly for Topps to release
I would not have made anything public until it was up for auction. My son and I rip cards on our channel, i would have kept it private as well. I know we live in an age of posting everything but given the perceived value of the card i would have waited to post anything. Do we know if it’s financially more advantageous to use Fanatics over a goldin or such? Im sure alot of questions but the privacy of the child i think is smart until they get rid of the card.
Yeah that makes sense
Of course that’s a Steph Curry autograph. Who doesn’t know those scribbles are Steph Curry’s. These days it is so critical that they have good record keeping for each autograph, as essentially none of them are readable. Lmo
Yes!
I think the parents are smart for keeping it under wraps! Too many whack jobs out in the world. But it sure does seem fishy with all the different media going on. Alot of folks trying to make a quick ton of cash. So many crooks. I enjoyed this episode Mike! Thanks!!
Yep. Thanks Warren
Hi Mike, great Clearing the Bases episode. I like to think that 11-year-old pulled that card and its true story. Keep up the great work.
I hope so too!
Nice video. Keep up the good work
Appreciate it!
He showed the maps as a timestamp for when the card got there and when it left if i remember hearing right
@@astrowerm okay thanks
I read that the Pirates offered 30yrs of season tickets and a bunch of other stuff for the Skenes card but the family turned it down. Seems to further indicate that the 11yo is real? Still completely mishandled either for bad reasons or out poorly anticipating the effects.
@@ClintMechEng I’m not sure how that indicates that the kid is real, but yes it was declined.
@@JunkWaxHero I guess I was thinking there had to be some interaction but I guess anyone repping the family could have rejected it.
They live in California. They're not going to move to Pittsburgh for 81 games of the Pirates lol. Barely, better than watching the Washington Wizards.
Did they say that it was redeemed 30 days ago? I thought it was pulled, redeemed, and graded all in the same week? After redemption and the phone call from fanatics wouldn't it have been taken directly to psa and then back to fanatics? what would be the point of sending it to the kid?
They have not released that detail.
@@JunkWaxHero I see from NEO's thumbnail that they knew on 3 January, so very scummy by Topps, in my opinion.
The “eleven” year old was born on February 29, 1980. A leap year baby.
@@jmy5966 lol
His dad probably drove him to psa in santa Anna not to far from l.a.you guys are over thinking give him a break
But he didn’t. As I said, a third party dropped it off at PSA.
The story is still in its youth, give it more time. The skeptics love this stuff! & we never went to the Moon & the Earth is flat & on & on it goes.... P.S. Boo Hoo for Ken Goldin living on his 4 acres & a golf course LOL
Favorite episode!
Thanks!
The upload I look forward to the most each and every week. Great episode as always. NO Family in 2024, other than the Amish, give their kid a $800 hobby box and then don't take a picture or video when said kid pulls a likely 7 figure card. No one says they have to put the kids picture out, but why can't they release a video or pic and blur the kid's face and mute the background showing him holding the redemption? Also, Topps knowing this card was redeemed around Christmas and not releasing the information for a month later is probably the shadiest part of this story in my opinion. PS- we have two rabbits. Cleaning their cages every week is the bane of my existence. Nothing smells worse than rabbit urine!
It is definitely a very strange story!
I would have liked more disclosure on this Skenes pull, I don’t see parents pulling this off on their own. Personally had I pulled this I would have gone to you or Chris Sewall or Mike Moynihan for expert advice. Auction is the right choice.
Thanks Randy. Definitely would have shopped it with all the major auction houses to see what they could give me.
My granddaughter is one of the few who has a diary. I don't see boys writing journals this day in age. As soon as I read that "journal story," I knew something was up. It just sounds so made up and fake. I really hope it is true that a legit 11-year-old pulled the card, but I really have my doubts. 11 year old kids can't keep secrets if their life depended on it. All his friends and family would know about it and it would be leaked by now.
@@jakestoe exactly
I wonder where the triple team USA auto is?
Been following this whole skenes debut patch thing and it’s bizarre. Maybe it’s true that a kid pulled it, but that letter clearly was fake or the dad likely scripted something for his child to write. What kid cares if a hobby box increases in price… as noted in the letter. I like how Topps used red underlines for a TLDR lol. Family made a mistake directly working with fanatics/Topps to resell it. I would’ve vaulted it and gauge/take offers for best platform to resell
Exactly! So bizarre
Great video.
Thanks Orlando!
To be honest, if there is any money to be made, I expect shenanigans to happen. Fanatics will 10x the hobby and they’ve already 4x the hobby (well, their bottom line) according to your chart. Gambling will get them to their 10x goal ultimately. Finally, I am surprised that Eric (ThoseBackPages) didn’t admit that he wasn’t the 11 year old who hit the Skenes card. Eric’s takes are about what an 11 year old would have. Just makes sense……
Great video, except the end seems like the internet was actoin up
Yep, sorry
The black parallel is out of /10 now in flagship
Really? Do you have a link saying that?
I know people enjoy gambling but I can't understand why people open boxes when you are left with a bunch of junk. Even if you hit something it is probably of a player that will amount to very little. I collect singles exclusively and I have accumulated an impressive and interesting collection in only three years. I just think it's smarter and funner to buy singles when you know you can have a great collection.
@@jeremyd2212 100%
The journal is a little suspect. But im telling you if my boy pulled such a card it wouldn't be seen anywhere. Same if i pulled the card. I dont have social media. Part of all of this just shows what i already know, people are so ego driven they cant fathom someone not wanting to post photos of themselves with a big hit.
@@dominatorbooze8381 right, I’m with you there. It’s just the entire story put together is very odd
@@JunkWaxHero yes that journal doesn't sit right does it.
Great vid ! Couple takeaways. I’d love to know more about that Pele auto! That auto looks like hundreds that are in current products. How did they determine it was fake (not directing this toward jwh, I’m just curious). Also, I wonder why you said why would you list an expensive card on eBay. Their fees are extremely low after 2500$, get the most eyeballs, and their authenticity guarantee protects sellers. I have sold expensive cards on eBay, was just wondering why you said that. Happy Sunday and thanks for the morning vid
@@jbhatts610 eBay doesn’t protect sellers from scammy buyers. And the authenticity guarantee has a lot of loopholes that people exploit. For an $85k card I’d go through an auction house.
@ understood - I’ve sold a handful of 5 figure cards, but not 85k. I’d mostly agree that BEFORE the authenticity program, I wouldn’t sell a card above 1k! Definitely eBay just sides with buyers, but since authenticity program I’ve sold quite a bit on there. They clearly understood sellers needed to be protected or they’d choose other platforms or sellers
@ did you have any thoughts on that Pele auto? Thought that was weird for sure
@jbhatts610 for a couple years now, psa has questioned (refused to holder) several leaf autos, specifically Pele.
Something is fishy about it. 11 year old with money for a hobby box is a lie just to keep the lie that cards are for kids still
I highly doubt it's a whole 35 secs per card. I'm sure 15 secs of it are slamming a Monster and waiting for their minimum wage check to hit.
So do NOT buy sealed wax from Golden auctions...got it.
I really do wonder if a 11 yr old pulled the card because people who have kids know if there child got something they want there not letting it go!!!! Besides that it is crazy for Fans/Topps to not tell the public the card was pulled soon I guess that’s where greed comes in.
If any card pull smelled fishy, it would be the Volpe Debut pull. I mean, the white gloves combined with hand gestures and no audible reactions.....inside job.
@@MGsac98252 I’m not sure what this refers to
You obviously have no idea what lewis hamiltons auto looks like. That was his auto, and yes its also steph currys auto as well. They pay the same person to sign their cards.
I vote no to ken gold in using ct scanning to verify. Don’t you have to check each card to make sure they have not been replaced. Maybe you can tell if the packs are there but to be sure you got to look at the cards. He strikes me also as a very greedy person. You might as well open them at this point. Ken would never tell a friend or relative to bid on something.
Good morning JWH
Good morning Drew!
Tye identity being hidden is just as bad as the udentity being hidden on the one viter who didnt vote for ichiro.. dont care what age this is. Im taking claim and ill throw in that my 11 year old pulled it.. not the other way around.
Fanatics could have put a little more effort into the transcendent cut autos. How about a small picture of the actual person who's cut auto it is. This is the lazy shit Fanatics will continue to do and still call their products high-end, yeah high-end garbage.
Probably didn’t have the rights to use their likeness
You can be a normal people, but why do you gotta try and drag me into that mess.... Im going to keep standing over here talking to my crazy self.
The entitlement of people wanting to know the who, what, where, why, and how over the Skeenes card is nauseating. Add that to people whining because they only got $20 worth of cards out of a $500 box. Life ain't fair. Move on. I apologize for letting my Boomer side out.
@@carlmohr9941 lol thanks Carl
I am waiting on Paul Skenes to be the next Strasburg. Tired of hearing about Skenes and his girlfriend.
At least Strasburg helped the Nationals win a World Series. But I agree. The prices of Skenes cards are bonkers. The gf can stay.
the “donating for charity” aspect of this is disgusting. the city, county, state and insurance companies have heaps of resources and money. that we all pay for in heaps of taxes and insurance prices already. stop with the the pandering it’s making me queasy
What 11 year old wouldn't want to be on TV? And why would he give all his money to charity?? Sounds like fake news to me
He’s not giving any money to charity. Fanatics is giving THEIR proceeds to charity.