1948 Leaf Babe Ruth - Help please
 

So I got this Babe Ruth as a gift when I was a kid. I was recently looking at it to try and figure out if it was real. The red back ground goes down by his shoulders and I thought it was a fake. I have done some reading and it seems there was a 2nd printing and the red going past his shoulders was common in this printing? Also if you look at the back, since the card is not cut well, you can see the card before on the top which makes me feel like this came from a sheet and the card is real. I am confused. Can anybody shed some light and let me know what you think and maybe what the value is. Thanks.

I'm not really familiar with what to look for on fake 1948 Leaf cards. However, I doubt a fake would have that miscut back with part of another card at the top. I vote real based on the back.

Well, if you were a smart fraudster, you would make a well centered front with a horribly off-centered back. If it has an obvious flaw that does not hurt eye appeal on front, it will net a high price with the idea it "must be real" due to miscut on back. It explains why you would not have it graded. If it looked like a PSA 4-5 front and back, it would raise more questions about authenticity.

Cheapest way to know for sure is send it to SGC. It will take less then 5 minutes to do it and box it up.

Typically (not always though, but a majority of time) there's no gaping between Ruth's shoulders and the boarder, in your example you can see slivers of the red background on each side. The red background color looks off, almost pink. The outline of Ruth's face/forehead near his hat doesn't seem consistent with real examples. Also, the card stock doesn't seem consistent with that from 48 and 49 examples. Lastly, I've never seen a miscut Ruth like this one with another card's text at top. Agree to send in, hope it's real as is a great card (big bold Ruth name on front, NY emblem on had, looking into the inevitable future that awaited him at such a young age, great portrait). Good luck.

It looks to be likely authentic, to me. If you have any high resolution scans/photos that would help.

If real I’s ballpark close to $2k but hard to tell for sure without a grade.

This was moved from the correct section to the front page to get a few more eyes on it.
I vote probably authentic but could definitely be a really good fake...
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Couple more pics if it helps.

I stole a scan of a PSA 7 and put it next to it.

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I'm no expert on the set, but I assume it's authentic.

I think it's good as well.. There are several with the same extra red border appendages in PSA holders. One attached.

Agree. I have seen some red ones like Rizzuto be more pink. Definitely a debate whether there’s a premium attached to pink but from what I can tell the answer seems to be no.

There is a thread on Net54 that discusses the space between the shoulder and the edge of the card.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?p=877861

Have you tried loupe examination (evidence of modern or ink jet printing)? Black light (does it fluoresce?) Does light from a lamp go through the cardboard (it shouldn't)? Does it feel like old, dense cardboard? Does it smell like something old?

No light goes through it and it feels like cardboard

I think it is authentic and I hope it is authentic it is a nice looking card

:(+1 agree with Jeff. It is a nice looking card. I too believe it is authentic, looking at it from afar

I'll take the risk and trade you my sure-to-one-day-be-ultra-valuable Gregg Jefferies rookie card for it. A big win for you, my friend. :D

Not going to say I am an expert, but I have collected leaf cards for 10+ years. If I was a betting man, I would say it is authentic and right in line with the somewhat "loosey goosey" Quality Control standards of leaf. The sheen of the front looks right, gloss=reprint. Although some printer errors make it on to the reprints, off registration backs is something I have never seen, which leads me back to authentic.

Regarding the color, there is a spectrum of red inks used by leaf, from the more traditional bright red, to a red that leans more toward Magenta, which is what you have here. I agree with the others who have encouraged you to send it in. Whether your intention is to keep it, or sell it, having it graded, even low, will increase the value and decrease the doubt.

I love it, fantastic card by the way.

Who should I got to get it graded? How much will it cost? Don't love the idea of mailing my card and trusting the post office and how do I know the graders aren't going to mess with my card? Paranoid I know. There is a show coming to town next month with people who will grade it. Should I trust them?

SGC is a good one, I think their rates are around $20-$30. They won't mess with your card, that's what they do. If you can go to a show and get it done, that works too, but the bigger graders are there for that exact reason. Insure the hell out of it if you send it through the mail, and it will all turn out. I had to do the same thing with my '48 Leaf Jackie, though I was concerned, it all worked out well.

There are two schools of thought:

If you intend to sell the card, or if you plan to pass it on to your wife or children (yes, if it is indeed authentic, it's worth some money), or if you're an investor, then by all means have it graded.

If you are a hobbyist, interested in cards and the history of the game, then keep it ungraded and enjoy having a Babe Ruth card. You might want to consider placing it, and any other valuable cards you might have, into a safe deposit box.

looks good to me...quite a bit of variability in color, registration with these leafs.

Here's mine.

It’s fine

Do you think it's worth the 2K someone here suggested or more?

Yes

I am in the "real" camp also, if the plan is to sell it I would take all the previous grading opinions as gospel.

The consternation in these differing replies is a good enough determination to tell you that not grading will certainly hold back your final sale price.

I say it is real and spectacular.. Plus get it graded with SGC it's easy..

Yes, it's definitely authentic. You're probably looking at a 1 or 1.5 grade. It's worth about $2500. Might get $3000 at auction if you're lucky. You can probably grade it at SGC for $30 if you put down a declared value of $1499, otherwise they'll charge you $85 to grade it if you put a $2500 valuation. PSA will charge $100 to grade it at a valuation of $1499 or $150 at a valuation of $2500 (which they may force you to pay either way). Sale prices will be similar, but you're likely to get $100 to $200 more for it if it's in a PSA slab.

Either way, nice card!

Edited to add that I think SGC is more likely to give you a 1.5 than PSA is on this card. I would choose them for that reason and hope for a 1.5 (while expecting a 1) if I were you.

SGC without question.

JSA will be at a show in my area. Has anybody heard of them for authentication?

That's James Spence Authentication which is for autographs.

Ok, sending to sgc

100%
 

That card is 100% authentic.

Send me proof if it does not pass and I'll send you $100 via paypal.

(It will pass at SGC as a min Authentic)

100% real.

Awesome card. Thanks for sharing!

Mike

looks real....

send to sgc...

Beckett is going to be at a show in my town, are they trustworthy to grade my card?

Yes, Beckett is trustworthy, but it will be worth more in a PSA or SGC holder most likely.

PSA or SGC only
 

DO NOT use Beckett for a card like that. SGC would be my 1st option followed by PSA. My 2 cents - it looks legit.

Maybe a Becket raw review? I'd think that they would know that it's legit.

Leaf have the worst quality control of any set I can think of. Color variations, image shifts, off center or even wrong backs, they have it all. I believe the card is genuine.

^^THIS^^ Then if they pass it you can send it to SGC or PSA to get it into a more valuable plastic slab if you are going to sell.

Here's a nice easy way to tell authenticity of Leafs:

Look at the card from any side (the thinnest part of the card) - you should see two different colors of card stock - white towards the front and grey towards the back.