Greg,
I think you are on to something about the better quality cards might be real. Like you said, the forgers would need a "model" to create their fakes and these better quality cards might be them. The one card you showed (the #2 card with the grey back) I think is fake also. My #6 better quality card has a beige/brown-ish back not a grey back like that one.
I put the cards side by side and scanned them at 1200 DPI both front and back. The #6 card (better quality one) is on the right in all of the photos. The 1st photo is the front top corners. Photo #2 is the front middle of the cards. Photo #3 is the front bottom corners. Photo 4 is the back bottom corners and photo 5 is the back middle of the cards.
I also did your "smell" test and both cards smell like an old book. I smelled one of my reprint Exhibit cards and it has a totally different smell to it. I see what you mean by that now.
I think that card in the PSA 2 Good holder is mine. I think the original owner broke it out when it was sold. I read the description in the auction and it said the lower grade cards were downgraded due to a very light crease near the bottom of the card. I looked at my card with a magnifying glass and there is a very very light horizontal crease at the bottom of the card just like the write up says.
I will be leaving to go over my mom's house for Mothers day but I will be back around mid afternoon. Thanks!
Howard
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