Posted By:
davidcyclebackI already posted this link in another thread
http://www.cycleback.com/baseballcards/
My recommendation to those are interested in the subject is to read and do the "Five important things for readers." If they do and learn how to do those five things, they will be able to both identify most fakes and identify most vintage Pre-1920 cards.
Collectors can always email me questions or practical problems they have when looking through the guide or trying to apply things to the cards they own. (In case no one has figured it out yet, I wrote the above guide).
The best thing a collector in any area can do is to collect and enjoy looking at the material. Anyone who collects 1971 Topps will identify a counterfeit 1971 right away, because it looks different. Anyone who has been collecting T206s will identify a fake T206 Honus Wagner because it looks bad.
For basebll card collectors, there's no replacement for hands on, in person experience ... In fact, I'm finishing a book on judging the authenticity of photographs and, guess what I write to photograph collectors: "There's no replacement for hands on, in person experience." If I ever write a guide to Ming vases or 1800s paintings, I will likely include the same line.