1986 Kondritz Ozzie Smith (unlicensed) Baseball Forum

I've joined an Ozzie collecting group, and apparently there has been controversy over these Sample cards for years. One member did some deep research on these when they started hitting the market relatively recently (apparently they were not know back in the 80's and 90's) and determined them to be fakes.  I've copied his post regarding this issue:

“So a card on the checklist that doesn't really exist... 

The Beckett checklist has long been flawed. There are many cards missing from it and a few that are on it that simply do not exist. This is one of them. 

1986 Kondritz Sample 

This ghost card has long been the bane of Ozzie collectors, me included. Over the past several decades since the sets release "SAMPLE" cards have occasionally found there way to auction but something has always bothered me about them. The SAMPLE stamp you find on the back is not always the same font and not always on the same card, which I found odd. 

In 2013 I decided I was bothered by this card long enough. Even though I had purchased one of these cards it didn't set well with me. So, I started doing a little research on the card and found the set was produced, photographed and printed by Fred Kondritz. I did a Google search that didn't yield too much but thought it was a unique enough name that I would see if he had a Facebook account. I found one person with that name and sent a message explaining that I realized it was a shot in the dark but wondered if he was the same person who created these sets. I explained that the SAMPLE card had long been a mystery to collectors and asked him if he sent or produced these cards as a sample. 

He responded to me with the following: " Wade, I am the person who produced the Ozzie Smith and Vince Coleman baseball card set. I did not send out sample cards to dealers nor did I ever produce sample cards." We continued back and forth and he thanked me for my interest in the set and shared he was also the person who produced the Super Star statues of various MLB players. He was very accommodating and asked me I would like him to send a set of cards for both Ozzie and Coleman to me? I said I would and asked if he would mind signing a card from each set. 

I was so relieved that he could put this mystery to bed once and for all. I believe he now is the mayor of a city in Illinois. It is my opinion that some opportunistic collector broke a set of these and simply started stamping the backs to take advantage of the lack of knowledge concerning this set. 

Here are scans of the "SAMPLE" card along with a pic of the autographed card he sent me. If you've ever wondered about this card you can cross it off your checklist, it would be hard to have any more solid proof on this than from the creator.”

Submit an IR and use "Card Does Not Exist" to have the card removed.  Provide a link to this forum thread.

Already did that. They suggested I start a thread and see what people think, and so it will remain in a thread after it is removed. Should that happen.

Thanks for the thread.

Even though I am not a baseball collector it certainly is an interesting read and some good research. Lucky the creator had such an unusual name!

I suggested that he start the thread in the IR section. This info was originally just on the cards comment section and would have been lost when it was deleted. Now that we have the information elsewhere the IR can be sent through. 

Does that mean I need to put another one in?

No, the original one can be used now.

Right on.  One less I gotta pay way too much for. It's off my want list.

Thanks for solving that one, Jeremy!

I cannot find a way to see your scan of the Ozzie sample. I have two sample cards from the Vince set (numbers 5 and 7, if I remember correctly. They are buried in a box somewhere.) Does the Ozzie sample say it was from a baseball card magazine, too?