Question on authenticity of T206 Mathewson which leads to a rookie grading dilemma...

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Posted By: Ignacio

I'm seeking some wisdom, so I have a question(s) concerning a T206 Mathewson dark cap I purchased on ebay recently as part of a lot of lower grade T206 cards. The T206's were purchased from a dealer who guarantees authenticity. The dealer shall remain nameless since I have yet to contact him/her and this question is not really about a dealers integrity. To my untrained eye the card looks okay but at the same time strange which obviously raises a red flag.

It is slightly discolored on the front (which is not the main issue); but the problem I have is the shine the card has on the front. I wouldn't say gloss, just some shine on the front (especially the white areas) not the back. This one looks good under the magnifying glass and passes most of my simple tests (I don't have a back light, but I might go out looking for one this weekend..). Plus, I have another T206 Mathewson dark cap which I purchased 15+ years ago, and side by side they both look identical (other then the discoloration). Like most, I am pretty good at spotting the obvious fakes but I'm in no way an expert. I am left to "assume" the card somehow came in contact with something that made it shinny and the discoloration can be explained by light exposure, since it does have pinholes indicating it was displayed somewhere. So after that long winded story, here is my dilemma.

I am going to submit this card to SGC for grading to determine whether it's authentic and hopefully, receive some sort'a grade. This is my first experience with the entombing companies (err, I mean grading companies) and "ASSUMING" the card is authentic, will it come back graded or will SGC/PSA or XYZ grading companies (err..I really mean entombing companies) reject it as "tampered" or "altered" because of the shine??? Which will put me back at square one. Any input will be greatly appreciated and of course any insight on whether its legit or not will also be highly desirable? By the way, if someone wants to turn this tread into a Seinfeld episode, well... that would work for me as well...

-Lovely Day, Iggy in Miami...


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Posted By: Dave S

The shininess doesn't really stand-out in the scan, card looks to be authentic and even with the pinhole i think SGC would grade a "10"..UNLESS the card has been trimmed, top and lower borders look a bit eneven to me, especially the lower on the reverse's scan. Does it measure correctly?

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I don't have a T206 on me (checked pockets), but I suspect the white part of the front can have a bit of a gloss. The white border is both whiter and smoother than the back. Before printing, a smooth white substance (ala white wash) was applied to the front, to help the player images look better. The printers knew it would look brighter to print Matty's image on a bright white surface rather than a dingy white surface. So the front will be different than the 'wnwhitewashed' back.

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Posted By: robert a

Hi Ignacio.

Well, you don't have to worry about the authenticity of the card. It's real.

But, a grading co. would probably only authenticate it rather than give it a number grade due to the miscut borders.

Best of luck.

Robert

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Posted By: peter chao

Robert,

Why do you say the borders look miscut. It does look like the wear around the card is uneven, but I would think that's normal for a 100 year old card.

Peter

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Posted By: Ignacio

Wow, you guys are good, your reputation is well earned! Thank yuz to all... It is a little bit short top-to-bottom not side-to-side. Probably wear, since this card has been around the block a few times but who knows. I would be happy with an "SGC A" grade/classification; because at some point in the future I will put it back on evil-bay.

-Lovely Day, Iggy in Miami...

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Posted By: robert a

Peter,

I think it's more "normal" for a t206 not to have wavy borders like this matty, but why they use the term "miscut" is a mystery to me.

I agree with you though in principle. When I think of miscut, I think of an unaltered card with a shorter border or more space on the top than bottom.

Now let's talk about how the grading companies use the word miscut.

I've sent in cards that have "normal" wear like this on the borders. Perhaps the card was in a rubberband stack. Either way, the card appeared to be unaltered by humans and untrimmed. SGC returned them with their default one word explanation of "miscut."

Maybe "miscut" is their way of saying "we're not sure" if it's been trimmed, altered, or what, but we know it's authentic.

Robert

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Posted By: dennis

i'm not an expert on t206,or even close.but,i have seen more than a few t206s that have what i would call a dull shine and only on certain front parts of the card.there's a lot of people on this board who have handled tons more t's than i and i'm sure someone can tell you why certain cards are this way. i never gave it a thought that they were tampered with. i would guess the card will grade a 10.

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Posted By: Glyn Parson

Though clearly not the case here when a wrinkle is rubbed from a T206 it often leaves a shine. particularly on the background areas.