This seems too good to be true
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

Just hit the BIN on this. It will be my first T3. Yes it's in rough shape, but I'm very excited about it. I'm a little worried about authenticity, but I checked with a reputable source ;) . I figure, worst case scenario, I can return it for a refund as stipulated by the seller. If there's a question about authenticity, I'll be posting very detailed scans when I get it to get more opinions from board members. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. :)

Authentic
 

Nice pick-up!

Nice pick up for sure, especially with the attractive ad back

Too bad it pictures Jack Barry instead of Frank Baker

I don't know about that one. Looks funny to me. Borders seem too light but the image area has deep colors. Seller doesn't have any cards for sale older than the '50's. Just doesn't ring right with me.

haha I didn't know that. So is it considered a Barry card with the name error or a Baker card with a picture error? The graded examples still label it as Baker. I may have to look up some vintage photos of the two players

Looks like a good deal to me. I think you did fine. Hall of Famer and tougher ad back.

There are only 1 kind of Good T3 reprints, the Mike Wheat ones from a few years back. They are full size reprints and If I remember right the back all have the checklist back and the only real difference in design was that he added clef designs in the corners of the back (they can be scuffed off though)

All of the other reprints are modern card size 2.5" by 3.5"

I'd say card is legit, nice pick up! Strange wear on top is consistent with others I have seen. Just have to look closely and see if it was pencil or other marks that have been erased or altered. You cant go wrong with a nice Hof'er

Thanks for all the comments! I was thinking I'd eventually pay that price for a worn T3 non-HoFer so to come across this was pretty exciting for me. Maybe I overpaid a little for the condition, but I'm very happy. I was a bit worried about authenticity so it's nice to hear so many say they believe it's authentic. I pmed Leon about it and got his opinion on authenticity just after I'd hit the BIN. I always feel bad bugging people doing that, but I really appreciate all the knowledgeable collectors on this site. It's really made my leap into vintage a fun and successful start. If there was an easy way to do it, I'd sell 99% of my modern stuff and spend more on vintage. That's just about all I buy now anyway :p

Authentic cards have a "orange peel" like texture to the surface.... the surface wear on this card shows this quite well.

Woundedduck et al....
 

Hi Woundedduck,
Please always feel free to PM me or email me if I can help with anything. That goes for anyone else too. I am always more than glad to help. And it's always better to be safe than sorry. If I don't know something I will readily say I don't know. (actually I know everything but need to put that last line in so I don't sound conceited :)) All in fun. Happy collecting.

Here's a Mike Wheat version (on top) and a real T3 on the bottom.
I wish they would have added "Reprint" on them as well.

http://www.qualitycards.com/ebay/t3duo.jpg

nice Jay-don't know much about T3s-thanks for educating me.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...r%20NFT/t3.jpg

Got it in this week here's the scan :)

Looks like a little fading along the top border, otherwise a nice T3 and the real mccoy!

Real, but it looks like someone may have used some water and/or an eraser to clean the front up a bit. It could be honest wear I guess but it is kinda strange looking.
-Rhett

Yeah it's a bit worn but it brought the price down on a HoF T3 into my price range so I'm very happy! Still a gorgeous card in my opinion. ;)