1920's St. Louis Stars Team Photo Postcard
 

I just picked up this item on e-bay a few days ago and received it in the mail today:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1920s-St-Louis-S...item2309ca5c13

The team photo itself is pretty clear (I don't have a magnifier to tell if it is a real photo postcard or a printed one), the surface is very smooth with a glossy finish and I cannot attempt to remove it from the scrapbook page because the seller will not accept a return if I do so. I used a black light on it and it does not glow in the dark. Printed on the front of the postcard is "The Spirit of the Times Photos", does anyone know if it is part of a modern postcard issue with others also using "The Spirit of the Times Photos".

What are your opinions on it's authenticity? The piece is quite fragile so I don't want to try to scan it myself at this point.


Thanks in advance for any opinions.

I think it is real / authentic... Is there some reason why you think it isn't? Just from looking, it looks ok.

Frank:

The look seems good to me also, my biggest concern is the very smooth, glossy surface with no cracks in the gloss at all. Also, not sure about "The Spirit of the Times Photos" caption at the bottom of the postcard.

Too hard to tell without an actual scan. Very skeptical, though. Especially with the seller not wanting to take it back if it's removed from the page. Why is it too fragile to scan if it's glued to a page? Also, it doesn't appear to have the dimensions of a postcard. What does it measure? 4 x 6 means it's almost certainly fake or modern.

-Ryan

agreed, impossible to tell from the blurry scans.

I was watching it as well. In fact my maximum bid wasn't even in the ballpark. At the bottom of the auction in the emailed questions he states it measures 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 which is postcard size. If you can get a look at that back it sure would help loads. I wouldn't let the sheen of the surface concern you to much. If it were in a scrap book as the seller states it was well protected from the elements. Please keep us posted. Could be a terrific find!!

stars
 

Phil,
i've tried looking at it with bifocals, trifocals, and anything that magnifies
and just can't seem to get a good handle on the pic.
what a great find you have there, if all is well.

all the best,
barry

The postcard measures 3 1/2" X 5 1/2" and is not fragile itself at all but the scrapbook page which has other African American images glued to the back is breaking apart into pieces and I don't want to damage it any more and risk the seller not taking it back if the piece is not original. As far as getting a better scan of the photo, I am quite certain that the photo appears original and period.

Despite the seller's threat to not take a return if it is removed from the page you should be protected by Paypal, and or your credit card company if that's how you paid. You didn't pay for a scrapbook page, you paid for that postcard. You have every right to do what is necessary to determine if the item is legitimate.

I agree. Getting to the back of that piece is necessary.
Phil send it to me. I'll get it off that scrapbook page for ya. :D

Good news, I brought the postcard to SGC today and it was legit and has already been encapsulated as Authentic. I'll post a scan of it later today when I get home from work.

Thanks for all the opinions and advice, guys!

That's awesome Phil, Congrats again!!!!

Nice work! How did you get the scrapbook paper off?

Why Authentic?

The postcard was very well glued onto the scrapbook page so I made a decision to leave the solid black background attached to the back of the postcard rather than risk either paper loss to the postcard or spots of black paper all over the otherwise white postcard-back. That also accounts for the Authentic grade as well as the scrapbook page was trimmed down to the exact size of the postcard.

A paper conservator can probably get that scrapbook paper off with no problem...I'd want to know what's on the other side of that card.

Phil that's awesome. Fantastic pick up. I to think with just a little bit of effort the back paper could be removed if needed. Personally it wouldn't matter to me.

I prefer not to mess with it. If I choose to sell it one day, the buyer may get a little better deal because of it and I'll leave it up to them to crack it out of the SGC holder and remove the scrapbook paper if they so choose.

Timeline
 

You won the item on Sept 6. It arrived from Illinois on Sept 9th. You brought it to SGC AND had it encapsulated on Sept 10th.

My question is how the hell did u get it encapsulated so ffffast?! Do u live next door to them? And what kind of cash did u throw at them to have them do it same day, or did u stand there as they did it? Next time bring a video recorder, I'd of like to seen this all go down so fast.