Fraud Detection
 

Hi Guys,

I could be wrong, but it seems like it would be easy to open a vintage play set and replace the contents with rubbish and then re seal it. Con artists could always claim ignorance and just issue a re fund if discovered. How do you detect that the contents of your MISB Technodrome are authentic?

Do we have a list that says how much each playlet/vehicle should weigh?

thats a good question. Esp because once I bought a German footski and it was sealed. I ended up selling it thinking it was ya know ok, and it wasnt. So now when I get a vehicle I kind of freak out when it rattles around.

Also if I buy something that they claim is MISB and get it and the tape looks sketchy I open it and then re-seal (Question: is this killing the value if at a later date want to resell it?)

How many AFA graded boxed items are full of something else?

Good question. I wonder what portion of fraudulent MISB items make it through their testing.

I wonder how people do it without sending the item to AFA though. Weighing it is a simple test, but not 100% reliable.

Even the AFA items themself can be full of con artists. Check out this discussion over at TFW2005 on fake AFA graded items:

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...ormers-169815/

AFA still has a long way to go before it can be appreciated like CGC for comics. If you suspect your item is counterfeit, try to return the item if possible. Anyway, you should tell a package has been resealed by the tape that's been used.

Just take it with you to your local court house. They have metal detectors there. Pretend you are there to testify and say it's for a case ;)

Or the machine that TSA uses now to see under people's clothes would work too!

I definitely understand your caution, thats something I've wondered about as well. Nowadays you don't have as much of a problem as the vehicles usually at least have some open plastic window into the package so you can see the contents, but stuff from the 80's and 90's is always suspect, especially since they didn't always tape things the best or most professional looking. I've been tempted in the past to open things like my Kenner Super Powers Supermobile MISB to verify thats what is actually in the package :P

Then you will see nude Turtles!

The indecency!

http://www.matrixenergon.com/media/0...c160c7a9_m.JPG