Howard, thank you for mentioning it.
I'm confident on this in terms of real vs fake with the 1928 George Ruth Candy cards:
Fake: Small card number with sepia image and grey back (deceptive counterfeits mentioned in the catalog)
Fake: Small card number with poor, blotchy black and white image, grey back (deceptive counterfeits mentioned in the catalog)
Fake: Small card number with a poor, severely cropped front image
Real: backs are beige or brownish on vintage paper, or high quality white vintage paper like Leon's (white backs too).
Real: Quality white paper with small card number, beige/brownish back
Real: Haven't located a fake with a large card number
Real: Small card number with correctly colored back, which will have a quality front image
Real: Blank backs or ad backs
Examples of the small card number with grey back, one sepia and one black and white:
Examples of a correctly colored backs, which include an obviously better front image:
For each card in the set, there should exist a deceptive counterfeit that has either:
1. Small card number with a grey back and a very blotchy, dark tinted black and white front image
2. Small card number with a grey back and sepia front image,
(like the two above examples)
Card #2 is the toughest but easy if you consider these (real on top, fake on bottom):
- Bottom left: poor, severely cropped front image (foot all the way to the bottom of the frame, real cards can make it near the bottom but not all the way)
- Bottom middle: small card number, sepia image, grey back
- Bottom right: small card number, pitiful black and white image, grey back
Card #6 is tough but easy considering this (top real, bottom fake):
Card #4 (real on top, fake on bottom):
Card #3 (all real):
Card #1 (real on top, fake on bottom):
Fro Joy's are easier than these