Dealer Files Suit Over Fake Reagan Memorabilia : Souvenirs: Laguna Niguel man says he was bilked by a seller who claimed to know a Secret Service agent assigned to the former President.

A Laguna Niguel sports souvenir dealer has sued a man who he says sold him thousands of dollars in fake Ronald Reagan memorabilia, complete with the Gipper’s forged signature and photos of a Reagan impersonator signing the items.

In a lawsuit filed Friday, dealer Michael Standish alleges that he bought 200 baseballs with the phony autograph of the former President, along with 70 bats, 25 footballs, several Notre Dame helmets signed “The Gipper” and a pair of cowboy boots from a man claiming to know a Secret Service agent assigned to Reagan.

Standish’s suit seeks unspecified damages from the man who sold him the collectibles.

Standish alleges that he was duped in an elaborate scam that included forged certificates of authenticity and photos of a Reagan look-alike signing baseballs.

Before Standish realized that the memorabilia was phony, he said, he sold much of it to collectors at prices ranging from $350 to $650. Standish says he has spent at least $150,000 buying much of it back.

A baseball memorabilia dealer in Orange said Saturday that people in the business sympathize with Standish but think the scam was predictable.

“When Reagan announced that he had Alzheimer’s [disease], Reagan memorabilia went through the roof,” said Edward Labate, owner of Edwards Baseball Cards Plus.

“Unfortunately, not just in sports cards and memorabilia, but in all walks of life, when there’s a chance for money to be made, there’s a chance for greed,” said Labate, who is no stranger to fake merchandise.

When basketball star Magic Johnson announced that he has HIV, forged Magic merchandise flooded the market, said Labate, who admitted to having been snookered into buying a fake Michael Jordan rookie card.

“We had heard about it. We just shook our heads,” he said of the Reagan scam. “It’s not surprising. Of course, I feel sorry for this guy. I know people who bet the farm on this kind of thing. It’s an unfortunate opportunist mentality.”

Standish could not be reached for comment Saturday.

The man who Standish alleges sold him the memorabilia, Richard Schwartz, would not comment.

Reagan Chief of Staff Joanna Drake said she knew about the autographs and had referred information to authorities. A Secret Service spokesman, Lt. Marty Ratchford, said there was an investigation that did not involve any Secret Service employees.

Center Field Collectibles, which had advertised the items nationally, suspended sales as soon as it learned there were doubts about authenticity, said Al Curcio, the company president.

Lloyd Brock, a handwriting analyst working for the Treasury Department in Los Angeles, said the signature on the certificate was obviously fake.

“I thought it was a joke,” he said. “It is totally inconsistent with all the Reagan signatures I’ve seen, and I’ve seen hundreds of them.”