Thoughts on 33 Goudey Gehrig
 

Have a chance at getting this for a pretty reasonable price. I'm not a pre-war guy by any means, but just curious to hear what you guys think. Everything look ok to you? The bottom looks as though it was trimmed down and worn a long time ago (the seller pointed it out).

I just asked for more pics outside of the case.

looks real to me...just trimmed and beaten...BUT...if card said reprint it'd likely be where bottom is cut off?

Ahhhh, you make a very good point. Never thought of that. I wish I could get it in my hands to feel/smell it.

To my eye and not holding it in hand it looks okay.

The browns should bleed into the border on the bat and the dirt, and it looks like that is there. The bad part is that the trimming on this is huge, as about an eighth of the card is gone. The trimmed red Big League ad at the bottom is one of the best indicators as you want it to not align with the photo borders and extend slightly past on the left or right side and it should have a slight bleed to the back. Having this missing hurts the ability to do a quick look and the value a ton.

The back looks good in the scan. Take a loupe and check the print, the text should be a solid green and not made up of dots.

If that looks good, I would say you are most likely good but heavily trimmed.

As others have said, I think the card is authentic but heavily trimmed. You see the bat extending into the border as you expect, and the green on the back is the right color and not bright green as on many reprints. I would still want an assurance from the seller than you return it after inspection to check the paper stock, do the black light test, etc.

I don't like it. It looks fake to me. The bottom reverse is how to make if a definite fake, but yours is missing. If bought off Ebay, send it in under the "quick" grading timeframe, that way, if it is fake, you can get your $$$ back!

fake?
 

One of the telltale signs of fake Goudeys is the copyright logo on the front. Check out the graded cards on ebay and you will see that the printing on the logo is very sharp and very fine. Most of the fakes have thicker, uneven lines on the logo. From your photos, the logo looks like a fake to me.

The word reprint is usually located on the back, between Goudey Gum Co. and Boston. Usually that area of a fake is rubbed out. I don't see that on yours. Without holding the card in my hand, I'm not sure. The front looks fake and the back looks like it might be good.

The copyright logo on the back is also an area to check for fakes, but the bottom 3/8" of your card is gone.

Rick

Thanks for all the feedback guys. The price was good, but I passed on it. Too much uncertainty.

Good call on following your gut. That isn't a rare card and there will be, and are, many more in ALL conditions available to you. Besides, the hunt is a lot of the fun.