1954 Bowman Mays & others
 

I picked this card up at a local show for my personal collection a few weeks ago. Please review the attached scans and let me know what you think of the condition and approximate value of the card. I think 1954 Bowman is an under appreciated set so I will look to acquire other hall of famers from this set. I know reprints of cards from this set were made, however the reprints look remarkably similar to the originals. How can I determine the difference between a reprint and original from 1954 Bowman? Thank you in advance for your input.

What reprints specifically are you referring to? Mays' cards in the 1951 and 1952 Bowman sets were simulated somewhat closely in reprint sets, but I'm not aware of any reasonable facsimiles of the 1954 Bowman set. The only 1954 Bowman reprint set that commonly turns up is the 1996 Topps Chrome and that Mays card is not in any way close to the original. The scans you posted appear to show a genuine card, as far as I can tell. Perhaps some other members have seen some fakes, but I have not noticed any recent posts about them here.

Thank you for your response. I came across a listing (now sold) on ebay referring to a lot of reprints of the 1954 bowman mays (item #: 121681937327). The word "reprint" is not on the card nor is there a recent copyright date or anything else for that matter that indicates the card in this listing is a reprint. My card appears genuine. It feels right and it measures right, however the reprint I came across in this listing looks pretty darn close to the original. Do you know anything about this reprint? What are your thoughts?

I wasn't able to find anything related to that item#, but I did find a current listing for 1954 Bowman Mantle reprints that are very close repros of the original. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-of-25-Reprint-1954-Bowman-MICKEY-MANTLE-65-REPRINT/121681937329?_
The item#'s are virtually the same, so it's likely the same seller. Just a guess, but it must be someone with printing skill who is cranking out realistic-looking copies of starcards and selling them in lots. That's unfortunate because a lot of unwitting buyers will probably get duped down the road. If you have scans of the Mays reprint (front and back), please post it here.

Oh no! Look at what I started. Yikes! The Mays reprint is indeed from the same seller. I do not have any scans, however the original listing can be found here: http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-o...item1c54cf03af The item # is 121681937327 ("Lot of 25 Reprint 1954 Bowman Willie Mays #89 Reprint). Good thing I got my card from a nice dealer at a show. The condition isn't good but the eye appeal is still there and I am happy to have the card as part of my collection.

Actually, you may have done the hobby a service by bringing it up. I wasn't able to open the link to the Mays fake that you provided, but i can imagine it is much like the Mantle reprint - looks very genuine in the scans, but more than likely has obvious flaws and counterfeiting tells when examined up close. That's why it is unscrupulous at best for the guy to be selling these as "reprints," since they could then be offered as genuine to a naive buyer who might shell out a few hundred bucks for one of these fakes.

Just saw that the Mantle "reprints" listing has been taken down, maybe by eBay, or maybe the seller. At the same time, noticed another seller offering what appeared to be one of the same reprints for $4.50 each. At least that seller was plainly describing it as a reprint and asking a reasonable amount. Others could appear in the future offered as genuine cards.

Here is a seller with more of the same. It scares me a little, because I really prefer to buy raw cards if I can, and I would hate to end up with one of these. Of course, since I could never afford cards in this condition, it might not matter.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-Top...item4aedbb261f

In his other ads he has 1954's, Goudeys, etc. Some of them are obviously poor quality, but some are much more realistic.

Wow, good find. Yea, the images on the card look a little fuzzy and the backs look a little too nice. At least this seller (unlike a few others) has a message on the picture of the auction indicating that the cards have been reprinted. I like my Willie Mays card with all of its flaws and all. I also prefer to buy raw cards (I have never purchased a graded card and I don't expect to anytime soon). Thanks for sharing.

I was looking at a few of the sellers other items from the link you posted and I would probably be fooled on a lot of these cards! If he did not have reprint referenced in the auction it would be very difficult to know that all his cards for sale are reprints. For instance, the Nolan Ryan rookie looks so worn, how can you tell that it is NOT the original? People are going to buy these cards and some of them will probably dupe some others in spending a lot of money on what is not the real thing:( here is the link again that Sam came across: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53...item4aedbb261f