Gray-backed Batter Ups?
 

I was going to bid on a Batter Up on eBay until I looked at the back. Have anybody ever seen a gray back before? It's high number, for whatever that's worth. I looked at my Batter Ups (low and high #s) and they all have a distinctive light golden brown color. The front of the card in question, by the way, is also B&W, which is curious as well, because I only have B&W Batter Ups in low numbers. All my high #s have subtle green, blue and sepia tints.

Also, it's clear from the scan I posted that this was a color scan and not a B&W scan because both front and back have some very small brown stains or foxing. If this was an Exhibit, it would be called a fake. Does anybody have any opinions or comments? Thanks, Chris

Chris:

You and I have discussed this many times.... Here are my three Grove high numbers.... All three are different colors. The one in the middle looks more B/W than the others, so it may be B/W...

Brad

http://www.bandkgreen.net/lefty_grov...153_colors.jpg

Hi Brad, it's the back of the card I posted that's my biggest concern. Are the backs of your various Grove cards gray or tan? I have about 40 Batter Ups and all have tan backs ...

my few
 

My few have tan backs....and here is a scarce premium and it too has a tan back :)...

Like the 1948 Franklin Half.

I don't normally make back scans of blank-back cards, but if I can find one or two of these this weekend, I will make some scans for you. I can probably put it next to a low number batter-up back to give you an idea of how it compares.

Batter tan-up
 

My collection is almost strictly from 1-80, and all of mine have tan-ish backs.

Brian

Like Exhibit cards, it seems to me that Batter Ups would be easy to fake. The back of the card I posted looks to me just like the back of one of those fake "1950s" Exhibits I see from time to time on eBay ...

Chris,

All of my Batter Ups are low numbers, but they too all have tan backs. One of them does have the tan back peeling away and it is clearly grey underneath, but the card you're questioning doesn't appear to be skinned so I doubt that's the explanation for the entire back being grey.

Best,

AndyH

No gray here
 

Checked my Batter Ups (still need No. 145 Joe Medwick) and all 191 have uniform tan (golden brown) backs. Still, it's possible a few R318s were printed on the wrong stock.