Priceguide that helps distiguish real cards from fakes.

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Posted By: Goudey Guy (Eric)

I've had an idea brewing in the back of my head for some time now about counterfeit cards. As a purist in collecting and selling baseball cards, it has become very important to me to understand the in's and out's of counterfeit vintage baseball cards. As I was just responding to the Fro Joy card post, I could'nt help but think of a price guide or book idea I've had bouncing around in my head for a couple of years.
As an internet monster; Ebay has undoubtedly taken over great control of our hobbys quick way of selling. I can only say that this medium for selling has brought too many counterfeiters out of the woodwork.
Now, I understand that the hobby has always circulated fake cards. But before Ebay took over, most buyers purchased their cards face to face with a dealer, holding the card in their hands and looking it over. This allowed for a smaller percentage of forgeries to exist and circulate. With Ebay, pictures do not do cards justice, and in the case of nearly every vintage card, their has been a reprint made of it somewhere along the way, and chances are that their are very good reprints made that would even fool some of vintage card collectors finest.
I have, on numerous occasions, been known to browse through Ebay, only to see a counterfiet for sale. With a Robin Hood mentality in mind sometimes, I have even crossed lines and interefered by alerting bidders about the fraudulent merchandise which they are bidding in. This is why I believe that an extensive guide to couterfeits should be produced. This project would demand an enormous undertaking and time committment, but in the end, would be a very lucritive savior to our hobby. I have amassed my own notes on types of reprints and fakes that I have come across. I have even purchased some to help myself identify them, and to help explain the differences to others.
I don't know that any one person could produce a guide such as this, but if a good team were assembled, the project could proove to be very valuable.

Just think, if a guide existed that was updated on a yearly or semi-yearly basis that described and educated us on known forgeries, counterfeits, reprints, and card altering techniques...would you buy it. I damn sure would!!