Fake 52 Mantle- Maybe you can educate me.

[Tim Kindler]

There is a 52 Mantle reprint on ebay. Now to the seller's defense, he has listed it as a reprint because he says he doesn't know for sure and didn't want to list it as authentic if it wasn't, so I certainly don't have a problem with him selling it as "AS IS". My problem is that it looks REALLY GOOD, ALMOST EXACTLY like the REAL DEAL!! I spent about an hour really examining it closely and trying to find all of the things that are red flags for a reprint. The back really looked perfect. I finally spotted why I think it isn't real. It is a Type 1 and it doesn't have the missing pixel at the bottom left corner of the black lines that make up the border. Instead, the black line at the bottom goes past the side line which is wrong to an origional. The bad thing is, (whether or not he is being honest in not knowing for sure if it is real or not,) is that the bid on it is up near $175. It is in a screwdown holder in the pic on ebay.

****MY REASON FOR THIS POST is to ask those who are experts on the 52 Mantle is this: Are there other red flags that should alert me right away that this a fake or is it just a really good, and really scary reprint? :eek:
Tim

[pwilk17]

I would not buy any 52 topps Mantle raw unless I personally knew the seller or
the seller has high (in the thousands) impeccable feedback. Stick to graded #311's from psa, sgc or Bvg. If there is a I am selling this as a reprint blah blah blah pursuant to eBay rules blah blah blah, you can be certain it is a reprint. You do not need to learn what to look for in the hopes of finding a real one - if it is the real deal the price will be in the thousands and it will be either graded or listed as authentic by a reputable seller.

[hcv123]

"Not sure if it is real.....blah, blah blah" = it IS fake!

[novakjr]

According to ebay rules, you're not even ALLOWED to sell that card raw. Real or not. Same for a few other cards. There's a list on ebay somewhere of cards that aren't allowed to be sold raw. It includes the t206 Wagner, Cobb, Plank, Magie error, 1951 bowman Mantle, 1952 topps mantle, any Goudey Ruth and a few more that I can't remember.

[fkw]

If this is the card.....
http://cgi.ebay.com/MICKEY-MANTLE-1952-Topps-Rookie-311-No-Reserve-LOOK-/220743227135

Its a reprint, and an easy one to spot if you look at the right spots.... take 1/2 second to tell.

The first thing that jumps out is the whole image is washed out looking (light) when compared to the black line around the image.

....best place to look is at the bottom border where the "R" on Mickey uniform touches the black line. Authentic cards the "R" and line are basically the same exact color.

http://cdn2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/187/577/998/1952-topps-311-mickey-mantle-rookie-sgc-70-ex+-479b4.JPG
authentic card (google image)

[FUBAR]

the seller id CampusPolice .... he is even a fake cop!

[Tim Kindler]

Frank,
Thanks for the expanded information on how to spot a fake. As I stated, I wasn't interested in buying this card, but wanted to educate myself on what to look for on 1952 Topps Mantles, besides what I found on a site about spotting fake 52 Mantles. The link is the card that I was talking about. Thanks, but unfortunately, someone is being burnt for over $200 now.
Tim

[a761506]

$200 is small potatoes, back when I wrote the guide originally, people were being taken for thousands a crack left and right and eBay didn't do anything about it. It was a scammers paradise. Subsequently, they have cleaned most of it up.

That's not even a good attempt at a fake. The newest fakes are so good that you could only tell them apart when you have them in your presence to examine them. And a lot of them are finding their way into phony slabs too that have been cracked and resealed with a fake flip (but real cert. numbers) as well. The card is now virtually untouchable except from trusted legitimate sellers. Buying a raw one online is never going to happen, 100% of those listings are frauds.

[fkw]

I always find that on cards like the 1952 Mantle, I usually look for proof that the card is NOT authentic, ...not proof that the card IS authentic.

Even if the color or the "R" and the border line is the same, it doesnt mean it is authentic. There are many other types of fakes out there that are tougher to spot, that dont have the washed out look and recolored black line.

Like Josh said, its highly recommended to buy graded examples of this card ONLY, and from well known sellers who stand behind their cards with a guarantee of some kind.... or at least see the card in person.

[toledo_mudhen]

2 Hours to go and the card is above $600. Notice that all bidders (save one) have really low feedback scores (newbs). I agree that all raw micks are fake and someones gettin bent over on this one. :confused: