real or fake t206?

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Posted By: <b>steve</b><p>how do the pro"s tell the difference between the real 1909 t206 cards and the reprints if they look identical to the naked eye the reprints from the 50"s or 60"s? do not say reprint on them and look the same as the originals. i collect t206 cards and enjoy the fun of finding and collecting them. is there a way to tell the difference or do the experts tell by the dots. thank you and if anybody can answer my questions, please reply.thanks again,<br /> steve

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Posted By: <b>fkw</b><p> There are usually differences in reprints and originals. BTW I dont think there are reprints from the 50's and 60's, T206 originals were cheap back then (most well under $1 ea.), why make reprints. Most of the reprints are from the 1980's-now. <br /><br /> Most reprints have at least one of the following. The caption has a slightly different font and the spacing of the letters is different, also many will have a caption printed in black ink while the authentic cards caption is not black, its more of a grey-brown color. Also many have had the photo area cropped slightly so the thin black line around the photo is missing. Also many reprints have borders that are too wide. The backs on many reprints will be printed in the wrong ink color or have the Factory District # missing at bottom. <br /><br /> The only fakes that sometimes look good and can fool someone in a scan or picture is one of the homemade fakes, the ones where they use an inkjet printer and print out a front and back of the card from scans of an authentic card, then they glue them together. These would be obvious in person, but when you see them on eBay they will sometime fool an expert.<br /><br /><br />Frank

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Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>I agree with the previous post. In addition, when you know what to look for, the reprints simply do not "look identical to the naked eye."<br /><br />Also, if you are purchasing a Cobb or a Wagner on ebay, no matter the condition, and the price is under $200, it is 100% -- always -- a total fake. There are thousands of ebayers out there that will bid the price of the authentic stuff up to where it should be.

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Posted By: <b>Zach Rice</b><p>I think what Frank said was very true and well put. However, the statement about you will never find an authentic Cobb or Wagner on ebay for under $200 just isn't true. A Wagner yes it is true for but I managed this Cobb on ebay about a year ago for almost $100 even. I know it doesn't happen often at all but there is still a slight chance it might.<br /><br /><a href="http://tinypic.com"><img src="http://i2.tinypic.com/zlof9s.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

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Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>...in knowing how that Cobb was listed. In any event, that Cobb is the functional equivalent of winning the lottery. People who pay $100 for Cobbs on ebay will 99.9999% of the time find themselves holding worthless reproductions. The stories of the fortunate lottery winners keep them playing the game...

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Posted By: <b>drc</b><p>Relevant to the original post, the below linked booklet goes through all the methods and theory of card dot/printing patterns, ink, paper stock, etc.<br /><br /><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Early-Baseball-Cards-Authenticity-Guide-Booklet_W0QQitemZ8809862438" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://cgi.ebay.com/Early-Baseball-Cards-Authenticity-Guide-Booklet_W0QQitemZ8809862438</a><br /><br />As the author of the booklet, I agree with others that if a collector avidly collects T206s (or 1933 Goudeys or 1971 Topps), almost all reprints will be obvious, as they simply won't look right.<br /><br />Knowledge of modern verus old printing patterns and such is important when the collector is looking at an issue he is unfamiliar with.

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Posted By: <b>steve</b><p>do all the t206 reprints have the factory # missing from the back of the cards