Thorpe - ebay auction- authentic?

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Posted By: leon

This is a featured item in the correct category so it's not like it would be missed. Sure does look like a big white space between the border and picture?

http://cgi.ebay.com/1916-M101-5-JIM-THORPE-176-BLANK-BACK-HOFER_W0QQitemZ230253120768

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Posted By: Mark T

not showing the back....you would think he would since it only cost 15 cents more.

oh...sorry, it says blank back in title.

Edited for correction

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Posted By: leon

Regardless of the back all you have to do is a search on M101-4 and you will see the very narrow white margin on real cards. This one and the other he has listed are reprints. He usually sells newer cards and should probably stick with them....

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

Fake and trimmed to boot. I like his comment

THIS IS NOT A REPRINT

NONE OF THE 1916 M101-5'S ARE REPRINTS

All of his listed m101-5s are reprints and are trimmed on the bottom, where the word reprint would show.

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Posted By: Jay

Good work Leon!

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Posted By: Matt

Leon - I spoke with the seller last night about all the fake-looking M101s he put up. In all capital letters he assured me he bought them from a very reliable dealer which causes him to believe they are legit . I'll see if I can dig up the email. Perhaps if more email him, he will see the light.

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

ive always wondered why thorpe's cards brought such premiuims. i know he was an olympic hero and a native american, but he was a pretty lousy baseball player.

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Posted By: Matt

some consider him the greatest athlete of all time.

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Posted By: Marc

The fact is, no one has ever accomplished what Thorpe did, which makes him one of the best athletes ever. He played professional baseball, basketball, and football. He was also an Olympic hero as someone mentioned above. When thinking of the top 10 athletes of alltime, Thorpe is probably in the top 3, if not #1. Other guys like Bo Jackson, and Deion Sanders would also have to be on the list as well.

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

maybe, but babe didrickson's cards aren't worth nearly as much as thorpe's and many would argue she was the best athlete of all time.

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Posted By: Marc

I'm not trying to be sexist here, but let's face facts. Unfortunately, female athletes aren't respected nearly as much. It is wrong, but it is just a fact. How many people watch the WNBA? Not nearly as many as the NBA.

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Posted By: boxingbaseballgolf33

Card made to look old, really bad trim and I would think you would never see a real one online ungraded.

Jimmy

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

good point but in this case i dont think it holds. in her day babe didrickson was hugely famous and not marginalized at all like say, lisa leslie or sheryl swoops. i think it just has to do with thorpe having played baseball and the collectibility of baseball cards. if thorpe had only say, track and field cards, i dont think they would be worth anything either. didrickson's sport kings card still carries a pretty good premium but not like thorpe's because its a track and field card.

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Posted By: boxingcardman

Just an average one. He had a .252 ML BA. Not great but not a Mendoza either.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: Rhett Yeakley

With all due respect Ali but many would argue that women have only become regarded as legitimate "athletes" within the last 40-50 years or so. It's not that I (or anyone else) disrespect womens sports or anything, but women playing sports was largely looked down upon in this country for a VERY long time. They were viewed almost more as oddities than they were legitimate athletes.

Seems like a wierd stance to take that the guy rated as the best athlete of the first half of the century should be valued so much less because he wasn't a great baseball player (note: he wasn't terrible either--and it was only one of his MANY athletic endeavours). Then you go one to say you think the lady viewed as perhaps the best womens athlete should be valued higher? How many female card collectors do you know?

(no offense to Joann here-but even she would admit she is in the slight minority here)
-Rhett

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Posted By: Bob

With a .252 batting average he could start in the outfield for the Twins.

As far as Thorpe being the greatest athlete of all time, maybe, but what about Dave Winfield, he was drafted by the NBA, was an All-American pitcher in college, is a Hall of Famer as an outfielder and was condered good enough to have been a top pro football draft pick as a tight end.

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Posted By: Marc

What about John Elway? He was a hall of famer in football, drafted by the Blue Jays for baseball, and I THINK he was a great golfer as well. You could even add in Tom Glavine, he was also drafted in the 2nd ROUND of the NHL. There are many guys, but the fact is, if you play at least one professional sport, you are probably good enough to play another if you wanted.

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Let's not forget Jordan... Greatest basketball player ever (arguably), from what I understand, a great golfer with a 1 or 2 handicap, couldn't hit an offspeed pitch but a decent baseball player too.

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Posted By: dan mckee

ALL ARE BLATANT FAKES

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Posted By: Jim VB

Dave Winfield was drafted by four different sports leagues coming out of the U of M.

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Posted By: leon

Emmitt Smith won Dancing with The Stars.....so I vote for him......

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

rhett take a second to do a quick google on babe didrickson. she wasnt viewed as a freak at all or looked down upon. she was beloved. didrickson was the first woman to ever compete in a PGA event and won her first 17 amature events, which is a record that still stands. not only that but she was a founding member of the LPGA and won an AAU basketball championship in addition to her olympic feats.

jim thorpe may be viewed as the best athlete of all time but really he only excelled at track. sure he was a great football player for his day but he never got the opportunity to play professionally and he was at best an average major leaguer and at worst a journeyman minor leaguer.

i wasn't saying didrickson's cards should be worth more i was just drawing a parallel between her and thorpe because it seems as though thorpe's cards are valued so highly because of his "best athlete ever" title. i just find it interesting such a mediocre baseball player would have such a huge premium placed on his cards because of his excellence in other sports. and the argument that women were looked down upon or marginalized in the past doesn't make much sense when we're talking about the value of cards today.

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

But don't the Sports Kings cards of Thorpe and Didriksen sell for comparable prices? One reason that many of the other Thorpe issues sell for so much is because they are so darn hard to find period, and belong to sets that are chased.

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

thats a good point todd. the m101-4 and zeenut sets are highly collected. i didn't think of that. and you really dont see too many thorpes. good point.