TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Sports card collector Ed Yakich was refunded more than $34,000 after he bid on and won an autographed Michael Jordan rookie card that wasn’t actually signed by the NBA legend.
Yakich, a Florida resident, had purchased the card through the PWCC auction house along with documentation that showed the card was authentic and certified by a firm called PSA/DNA.
After receiving the card, he sent it off to that same firm for grading. They later called back, informing him the signature was fake.
“In our opinion, the aforementioned signature is not authentic and did not pass PSA/DNA authentication,” the grading company said.
“It stopped me in my tracks, and quite honestly ruined my weekend and put the last eight to 10 weeks of my life in a spindle, because it was quite a shock,” Yakich told Nexstar’s WFLA.
Yakich tried for six weeks to get a refund on his own from PWCC. Not hearing back, he reached out to WFLA for help. The station was ultimately able to get in contact with the auction house, which launched an investigation.
“Our biggest priority at PWCC is our customers and trust in our platform,” PWCC said in a statement shared with Yakich and WFLA. “We take claims and issues of this nature very seriously and are actively investigating this matter. In any outcome, we will do right by the buyer and ensure they are protected in this process.”
The auction house ultimately decided to refund Yakich the $34,200 he paid for the card.
“It’s a tremendous relief,” Yakich said. “I got all the money back”
Yakich, too, said PWCC’s actions restored his faith in buying and collecting sports trading cards.
“Has it soured my opinion of the industry? No, not at all,” Yakich said. “It was maybe a hiccup that was unfortunate between both parties that were involved. However, in the end, they did what was right. And that was ultimately all I was asking for from the beginning.”