W517s

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Posted By: Paul

I just received three W517 cards that I won on ebay, and they are a little different than the other W517s I own. The three cards all have a rough finish, almost like the R311 leathers. Also, they are about 1/4" shorter than my other W517s. The black dotted line shows at the top and bottom of these cards, so their short size is not due to the way they were cut from the strip. Are any of you familiar with this slightly different type of W517? Thanks.

Paul

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Posted By: dan

Hi Paul, There are "mini" W517s but I thought they were smaller than that. Maybe that is what you have. Bob Bostoff of Empire Sports is the W517 pro, He had tons of them at one time.

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Posted By: Dave J

There are two types of W517 reprints that collecors should be aware of.

The first type were printed in the last 5 years (although the new 2003 SCD Lemke book that just came out mentioned it was done in 2000 but I have seen these before then). They are distinguished by the "w517" printed on the lower right corner on the border. These were printed by a man who found a hoard of the real ones still in strips in PA and had them made up but distinguished with the added "w517" on the bottom. The are on glossy cardstock and the backs are not the usual cardboard color of the originals but a newer modern stock where any collector on this board will be able to tell the difference in age. I have no problems with these reprints since the man who made the "find" indicated they were reprints with the "w517" in print on the lower left. They like the originals were in strip form. The PROBLEM is that dishnonest folks have cut off the bottom border and have sold these as authentic but miscut or crooked cut strip cards.

The second type is a new variant and much more dangerous. They are on contemporary stock also and the fronts have a semi-gloss (the originals had a Matt finish on its surface). BUT these do NOT carry the "W517" on the lower right border. I know someone who has brought a few from a dealer with over 3000 feedbacks on ebay. His case is pending whether he'll get a refund or not and if he doesn't I'm sure he will contact the local authorities and whoever.

Just be aware out there !

So to answer your questions, send me an email and let me know who sold them to you. If the seller matches, chances are you have a problem. (I do not feel its fair to ist any ebay sellers on this board unless he/she refuses to resolve a problem).

If you do have real W517's get them looked at by Derek Grady of SGC. They have graded several authentic examples that I have in my collection.