It's a shame that's the first thought, this is just a scammer testing his work for opinions. I don't disagree that's likely the case.

Assuming he walked into a card or antique shop and thought this might be real 200 is not an unreasonable gamble. If this card is worth 4 or 5k if authenticated he only has to be right 1 in 20 or 25 times.

[QUOTE=JollyElm;1892539]Dude, I don't know you from a hole in the wall, but you have to see how your quote (above) now puts you in a very suspicious light. If you got ripped off by a scammer for $200 and you're just going to chalk it up to experience and do nothing about it, I imagine every single one of us is wondering if the 'fake' has been, in fact, yours all along and you posted the pics here to see if it was good enough to fool people. You can just throw $200 away?? This type of thing happens on the autograph side, where (probable) forgers will ask for opinions on big name signatures they are "thinking of buying" for the sole intent of seeing if their handiwork is getting good enough to trick the experts on the board. Again, to be clear, I don't know you, so I may be way off base, but I guarantee this is what most people are thinking at the moment.[/QUOTE
I'm glad you guys got me figured out. I'm new to the old card hobby and naively figured this place would be a good place for help with a card I just bought and honestly had reservations buying in the first place due to price. I bought the card in an antique store from a guy that sells civil war weapons and stuff. He only had a couple cards and none of those. Thanks for a great welcome to this forum.

Welcome ---don't let the "want a be" experts bother you. The example showing the print pattern is a excellent example to help you authenticate.

If your card doesn't show the dot pattern then the moderator's suggestion to try return the card is valid.

But I must add there are experts whom made a mistake on a photo I own.

Anyway let the comments roll off your back, what's life without taking a gamble.

Nothing matters if you like the card.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

what's the name and location of the antique store? when did you purchase it? why not seek a refund on a fake item? these aren't unnecessary probing questions. they are helpful for context.

if you came here seeking opinions from some knowledgeable folks i think you received that -- the consensus from the more knowledgeable folks here is that it is fake, and it isn't even equivocal. you have been provided some pictures and reasons why it is fake. you can get additional support for that by spending more money if you wish, but even many of the "real experts" have questionable competence (see virtually every other thread on this board). perhaps tom can point us to the truly real experts and you can get their opinion.

in any case, please let us know the answers to the questions above.

Heavily Reprinted Card
 

Maybe it was bought by someone -- not making a judgement on who the original buyer was -- off of Etsy for $4.95: https://www.etsy.com/listing/2812922...esome-vg?pro=1

One can buy a quantity of 3 that have the "perfect vintage look." The seller, "julianmayle," has a whole store of fake cards and over 3,000 feedback. Yay!

Rags to riches in Harrodsburg,Ky. I bought it Sunday. I am not sure if a refund is even an option at this point. I was aloof about the money only because what else can I do after being such a fool too buy it in the first place. I have never called into question anyone's competency to judge a card and appreciate the insight provided greatly but when I am personally attacked about my I integrity it really gets under my skin. Perhaps that was mo ones intent but it sure started heading that way fast. Thanks again for your help.

Thats “curious!”

ok. let us/me know if you want some help getting your money back. feel free to send me a direct message with your contact info.

there are a lot of indications that the card is fake. the biggest giveaway in my opinion is the tone and composition of the stock used to make your fake card is nothing close to that of a vintage card. the tone is much too dark on the back versus real e102s (google search for more back examples) and the "breakage" (how the card shows wear over time) on the back is very different than how a vintage card would show breakage. there are giveaways on the front too without even using a black light, but there is enough on the back that even a non-expert could spot a fake.

as you may be beginning to see, there is a whole cottage industry designed to produce fake vintage and other cards. the etsy store with a quantity of fake e102 cobbs is just one example.

VWruss, what I think you're missing or don't understand being a new guy here is many have come on this site, and others, over the years looking for opinions on their cards in order to see if they can fool us.

Many 1-2 posts from newbies exist looking for opinions. Imo, these "doctors" are just looking for tips/thoughts on how to make their fakes better.
Many collectors on here, unknowning to them, give opinions that are only helping the forger get better at their craft.

If one were to say, like it has the wrong font, etc, that gives the doctor an idea what he needs to improve on.

Also, in light of the recent scandal currently going on, many on here are a little more vocal/angry when someone new comes along looking for opinions on a card that is clearly fake to them.

I honestly don't think anyone was overlly harsh/critical of you but rather just up front, as they should be.

I can surely understand that. Guess best bet for me is to only collect slabbed cards at least for the near future. Not looking for perfection just authenticity.

Slabs are no guarantee of safety as you will see if you peruse the boards. The biggest thing you can do is read up on the boards, share a little from time to time and not disappear at the first "challenge." If you stick around you'll get a lot more benefit of the doubt going forward, and we really do like growing the membership of the board. It gives us more people to show-off to, sell to, buy from etc...