T206 fade from red to orange revisited
 

I was almost convinced that T206 Cobb portraits with orange backgrounds had simply faded from red to orange over time. However, the Cobb below, where a color shift has revealed a layer of orange underneath the red, has changed my mind. It seems entirely possible, if not probable, that some left the factory with orange backgrounds from day one. They never had any red on them in the first place. Any thoughts on this?

Like all the other red background portraits, it shows up in orange sometimes. Most of the portraits with other background colors also have variations like this. As discussed before, nothing to do with fading.

Interesting and collectible, but doesn't demand much of a premium.

I believe it's from glue/adhesive that had chemicals seep through

If that was true it would also remove the red from the card back and that I have never seen.

No, it's a print anomaly involving color passes. Nothing weird or outside of the t206 printing process other than the colors and passes involved. This is well-trod territory.

Glue will definitely turn the red to orange on an E92, but I don't know about T206.

+1

I don't know how just red ink would fade to orange anyway. It would fade to pale red.

That is weird that glue would add yellow to red ink. I don't collect that set could you post a picture of one that this has happened to.

The glue doesn't add yellow ink. There must have been some kind of chemical in the glue that made the red fade over time. I'll have to look to see if I have any scans of my E92s with faded red. I did at one time, but I sold my E92s a while back.

As far as glue making the red fade to yellow/orange on a T206, well I think these scans just proved some people wrong...

(I'm not saying that's what happened to the Cobb - I think it's just an oddity)

And for reference, this is what Charles should look like...

Has anybody experienced much fading with T206 cards? Obviously, Old Judge cards fade like crazy and modern Topps cards also fade readily... however, the lithograph T206 cards are different and I don't recall seeing many faded examples.

Thanks for the picture David. It(glue) don't add yellow ink but it has to be adding a yellow pigment because it is imposible to turn red to orange without adding yellow of some form.

Yes they do fade but it takes a long long time. For me it is most noticeable in the players name and black border first.

I tried it once but was using someone elses cards so even though they said it was ok if I ruined then I was pretty carefull not to hurt the cards too bad.

I did recently buy a lot of beaters to play with and plan on reporting my findings on here(Net54).

Hopefully the fading is slow enough that I'll be dead before it's noticeable. I have the whole T206 Tigers team mounted on a wall in my house but they aren't in direct light and the blinds and curtains are as closed as can be. It's been around four years and my Cobbs haven't lost any vibrancy that I can see.

Fading and/or chemicals can affect cards colors an infinite number of ways it seems.