Lilliputian Scanners

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Posted By: Hankron 

As many know, the seller and his wares have a variety of issues that don't need rehashing, but this was a detail I found amusing. Compare the the lower cut/corners of the back and front pictures of the T206 Cobb. They appear to be two different cards. In particular, one front lower corner is rounded, while on the back it is sharp ...One will find that many of his card backs are simularly cropped by the scan, while the fronts are not.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2750861441&category=31719

Naturaly, my posts have to have a moral. First, it is notable that the above inconsistancy could be detected by an observant person who knows little to nothing about T206s or even baseball cards. I submit that my mom could look at those two scans and form a reasonable opinion (Though first one would have to convince her why she should be wasting her time staring at pictures of baseball cards on a computer screen) ... Second, the funky but unmentioned cut of a card is often a quick way to identify many fakes. No matter how beautiful the ungraded 33 Goudey Ruth, if has the funky cut of a scissors, and the sellers says something on the order of 'has only normal edge wear' or doesn't mention the cut at all, stay away ... Third, doesn't it make the current bidders wonder why the seller can't fit an entire T206 in the scan, especially when it's a featured auction? Wouldn't someone about to bid on a high end Ty Cobb card email the seller and say, "Would it be possble to see the entire card?" .... Fourth, notice that all of the previous three had anything to do with being a baseball card expert or expert on early lithography or card stock historian, but had everything to do with being a keen eyed, logical and careful person.