T206 WST vs Bleed Through
 

Looking for thoughts and theories on how to determine ink that is bleeding through or if all are wet sheet transfers?

Included is my Bates card which clearly shows the Sweet Cap WST as it runs across his cap.

On the other hand, my Chance with an Old Mill reverse that I picked up at the recent Cow Palace Show last month for $30 doesn't show the Old Mill running across his forehead. Is this simply just the black ink bleeding through the back?

Thanks for your help....Craig

Hey Craig. I've never seen a bleed through. The darker backs..OM, Tol, Piedmont and Polarbear are quite common with WSTs. The SCs on the front, especially if crooked, I think are transfers from the cards being stored in collections in an unfavorable environment.

Nice cards.

Thanks Chris and Steve B for writing; you both have given me very valuable info that I can now use when purchasing real WST's.

I agree 100% with what Chris has posted.

If the ink bled through from the back of the card to the front, then the same can be said for the ink on the front of the card. With the amount of ink on the front of these cards, if the ink were to bleed, we would see more with ink bleeds on the backs than the fronts

Jantz

Freaker Speaker?
 

Okay, I get it but then again I don't get. Look at this one. The blue on the front is lighter in the areas where there is blue on the back. It sort of looks like a WST transfer of itself. Yes the two images are the same card, so to speak.

Neat Frank,

Speaker would have been located in the same spot on a sheet when these were printed and stacked....another Speaker was laying on top and one underneath this card. Possibly due to pressure (hand, weight..who knows) some of the wet blue background ink transferred from the tops to the back of the card above it...up and up for a few sheets.

Just my theory :D

Yep, that's what happens. Weight on the stack, first sheet gets a nice transfer, and it gets less obvious as you get farther down the stack. How far depends on the stock, how wet the ink is, and how much weight. When I leaned my elbow on the stack of stuff where I worked I wrecked about 2-300 sheets :( That was thin stuff and came off the press about 2-3 minutes before.

Steve B