Yep.  I'm with you guys.  Look back at my previous posts.  I only own one Cost short box.  But I've eaten and digested every detail I could from quite a number that I have looked at.  I was convinced 2 or 3 of the auction boxes had too many inconsistencies to be authentic.
But.......... Apparently, Neil did not always....or maybe even quite often.....follow the "playbook".  At least, not as much as I (as well as many others, I think) had lead myself to believe.