T206 - Is It Real Or A Reprint?
 

So there was an eBay listing for a T206 Ambrose Puttman that to me looked fake. So I decided to reach out to the seller while the auction was still active to address my concern. Was I wrong to do this?

Here was my message...

Hi, I'm not sure if you are aware but your T206 Puttman is a Reprint/Fake. Figured I'd let you know before a sale happens and you lose money on return shipping and other hassles. The main issue with the card is the wrong type size for the name. Second is the unnatural dark edges on the top of the card to give it that old look. You can find me online as Uncle Nacki and I also have many T206 video's to help learn about the T206 cards and set. Ron

Here was the response...

I appreciate your response but this card came from a major auction house and I have sold many more of them in the last 14 years. the top is from smoke damage and all t206's i have got from heritage have been authentic. thank you.

So what do you think? Am I loosing my mind? lol

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1911-T206-B...p2047675.l2557

http://www.unclenacki.com/net54/puttmanfront.jpghttp://www.unclenacki.com/net54/puttmanback.jpg

I assume it's the name and city that's bothering you, but as they're the right color and everything else looks legit I have to assume the press hiccuped and the print got stretched the tiniest bit. I don't doubt it's real.

I thought that could have been the possibility also but just didn't like the look of it. Hopefully it's real and the buyer gets to add a nicely centered card to their collection.

The minute I opened your thread, my eyes went to the lettering and I thought “that’s not right”. The letters are too long/wrong font. I say fake. Also, you don’t see Heritage sell many raw cards, especially common-back commons. So unless this was part of a much larger group of raw cards, I am skeptical of the claim that it came from a heritage auction.

I think it is real but the seller has a crappy scanner/computer and that explains the font. There are a few wonky spots in the scrolling on the back that shows signs of a bad scan.

Looks totally FAKE to me!

Oops! Wrong link posted!!!

It looks like there is a wet sheet transfer of coloring from the hat on the the reverse.

I would therefore side with the seller and say “real”.

Leaning towards real!
 

Agree with previous comment on most likely odd scan.

I'm leaning towards real since it looks like a wet transfer on the back of the players baseball cap. In addition, the size of the first letter in the team looks correct with regards to size.

Patrick

P.S. Frank you beat me to it!

Interesting thought. Not sure how common WST's are on fakes.

I think the card is real. If you look closely at the lettering in the name you will see that it "stretched" in some spots due to printing issues or from a crappy scan job.. Which makes some of the lettering look taller than normal.

That's only judging from the picture provided.

The picture looks legit based on the dotted printing vice what a normal reprint looks like.

Andy

Looks like a scanner issue more than anything else.

Probably just a scanner issue. Look also at the wavy lines in the framing above the "P" in Piedmont.

I am pretty sure I owned that card at one time. If so, it's real. The type didn't look like that.

I think it's fine but just super weird scan. I have a few of the smoke damaged (or whatever) from recent Heritage offerings and it looks the same.

+1 I am with Luke its real no doubt

I am in the "real" camp as well.

I have a similar oversized T206 with some browning on top border...mine is definitely authentic, and it looks like yours is too.

Brian

I wouldn't buy it. The font is too large and spaced too far below the image. Better examples will come along...

Either a scanner or original print issue. Card itself looks legit to me.


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I've seen a few with this kind of smoke damage. They all had a wet sheet transfer. I think that some combination of heat from the fire and possibly some water damage caused the transfer. I don't believe that it happened at the time of printing.

It appears real other than that weird print font. I don't know what caused that.