Ty Cobb Big head strip and auto Question
 

So I picked this and a few other cards up at an auction, since they were not authenticated it was listed as a "reprint". Before I spend time and money getting it authenticated, I wanted to get some opinions. Thanks

What I have done:
I put the bighead strip card under magnifying glass, and the background looked like a solid color so it would lead me to think that it was original there were no dots of color like in modern printing.
https://i.imgur.com/dV6NHE1.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FyCLk1n.jpg

Pretty sure that's a reprint.

If they list the item as a reprint in their auction description, you should believe them :eek:

It was a live auction. So all they said was "Old baseball cards"
What are things I can look for to identify a reprint>

Here's a real one.

https://live.staticflickr.com/2730/5...880df080_z.jpg

Definitely not an authentic card. If you looked closely at the signature on the back I think you'll find it's been printed and not written. I see cards like this for various players on eBay from time to time, always "signed" on the back.

If you look at the crafting website etsy, these "signature on blank back" reprints are fairly common. It looks like it was dipped in tea and then lightly baked to give it the crazing lines - a highly likely sign of a fake. Plus, the seller noted it was a fake.

100% fake due to artificial aging on back of card.

Hi CrazyJoe!

Based on your join date and number of posts, my guess is that you're new here, and maybe fairly new to vintage collecting. Welcome!

I myself am fairly new as well. After a long time away from the hobby, I sort of fell back in love with vintage baseball cards a couple years ago, and over the last two years have really had fun learning and collecting...mostly post war, but a few pre war cards here and there.

One of the first things you will notice is that there are MANY auction listings that state the authenticity of the card is unknown or "per auction rules, since the card is non authenticated I am listing as as "reprint"". I would say that if you see those phrases, there is pretty much a 100% chance the card is fake.

Unless you know the seller very well, you need to be really cautious about buying ungraded hall of famers and high dollar cards.

And if you do prefer to buy raw cards, definitely start with some cheaper, low grade commons to become familiar how they look, feel, and even smell.

Also, spend some time searching this board...there are many knowledgeable and seasoned collectors here (with some amazing collections) and you can learn a ton just reading about their experiences (and enjoy looking at their cards when they post pictures).

Take care,

John

+1 Our hobby is caveat emptor.