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john/z28jd Steve if youre new and looking at t206 cards the first thing you should know is what youre looking at and to do that you have to know what the cards look like. This card has a reprinted front so even if it had a real back on it,the card is a reprint. When taking into consideration whether a t206 card is real or not most people who collect them can look at this card and see the front is fake and that comes from experience with them and usuaully years of looking at them.
Now if this card had a real front and was rebacked with a real back then all it would make the card is,is a rebacked card. It would still be 100% vintage but not an accurate example of what came from the factory.
Most people who collect t206s dont know offhand if this was the correct series for this card because thats a more advanced way to tell if a card has been altered. This particular card however does not have a real front or back,thats 2 strikes against it and that should tell you to stay away from it. You should never buy a t206 with no factory designation unless its because of back damage and youre 100% certain that it isnt a reprint to start off with.
The problem with what Ted pointed out isnt that he is wrong,hes not. Its the fact that he proved it was fake by using a highly expert way when it didnt need to be used. The telltale signs for both experts and new collectors for this card is the front of the card and before you as a new collector try to learn what backs come with which cards,you should first know what youre looking at. If you dont know by looking at the front of the card that its a fake then you most certainly dont need to know what backs are possible.Its like teaching a child algebra before he learns addition and subtraction.
This thread is actually good that it turned out this way,especially if that many people are writing Ted to thank him. I hope they take time to learn why the front is wrong first,thats the most important thing when spotting t206 fakes. 95% of cards that are wrong can be spotted using the front only,and usually from a decent scan.
Then they find out why the back is wrong,sometimes you can find wrong colors that just arent available like a blue Old Mill back or a green sweet caporal.
Finally if you know what youre looking at then you can refer back to the thread at another time and see what Ted wrote about the series and why some backs arent possible with some fronts. The more people who know what theyre looking at as far as what the card should look like the better for the hobby.