In Collectors MD
collectorsmd
Jul 17
Edited
Daily Reflection: The Cost Of Trust
Published July 17, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD
News broke this week that a major figure in the hobb—Brett Lemieux, known online as “Mister Mancave”—admitted to running one of the largest fraud and forgery operations in sports memorabilia history. Over two decades, he sold more than 4 million fake items totaling over $350 million, often using forged holograms and fabricated certificates of authenticity. He scammed collectors, infiltrated marketplaces, and corrupted the very trust that fuels our passion.
Let that sink in.
This wasn’t just one bad actor with a sharpie and a scheme—it was a calculated, relentless manipulation of collectors’ hope, nostalgia, and belief in the legitimacy of their purchases. He preyed on the emotional and financial vulnerability that so many of us carry into the hobby. And the truth is, he got away with it for years—because the current systems let him.
While collectors trusted moments like these to be genuine, a massive $350 million fraud scheme revealed millions of forged autographs were pumped into the hobby—often with fake holograms and fabricated certificates—shaking the foundation of authenticity the memorabilia world depends on.
What does this mean for us?
It means we must rethink how much blind faith we place in third-party authentication. It means the hobby desperately needs transparency, regulation, and accountability. And it means those of us who care deeply—who collect not just for clout or profit, but for meaning—have a responsibility to push for better.
Not because we’re skeptics. But because we’re believers.
We believe this space can be better. We believe in protecting the joy of collecting. We believe in keeping the next generation from being misled like so many were here.
Let’s collect with our eyes open—and make sure trust is earned, not assumed.
#CollectorsMD
The more we protect the hobby, the more the hobby protects us.
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