[drcy]

When a collector becomes experienced enough, including by handling cards in person and following legitimate online auctions and catalogs, most fakes and reprints can be identified in an online image. Most reprints are clearly different than the original, even in an online image. The experienced human eye and rational mind are the collector's most useful tools. You can identify many scammers just by the language used in the auction description ("Looks real to me, but am selling as an old reprint" and assorted other bs).

And, of course, dealing with reputable dealers, collectors and other sellers you trust, makes it all the easier. Two reason why it's good to deal with a reputable, experience seller, in particular when you're not experienced with the card issue: 1) They know what they are talking about, and are knowledgeable about what they are selling and 2) They're honorable about dealing with mistakes, accidentally selling fakes, etc. When you know you can get a refund if it turns out to be a fake, judging whether the item in the online image is real or not is no longer a life or death decision. As opposed to when the seller has 0 feedback, otherwise sells only computer parts and is in Bangkok.

Even as an expert in photographs, I much prefer buying expensive, higher end photos online from an experienced photo seller. This is because online images can only tell you so much, and you can never be 100% sure what you get (including clarity, attractiveness of image-- which is a big part of value and desirability) until you physically have it in hand. I definitely prefer dealing with a seller who I know is experienced and knowledgeable about what he or she is selling. Though, if you aren't an experienced photo seller and you're putting up cabinet cards or wirephotos, quality images always help! As I already said, for the experienced collector, most reprints and fakes can be identified in an online image Big, clear images do give the potential buyers a lot of information, whether you're selling a photo, card or autograph-- including that you're confident and honest enough to provide big, clear images. For the beginner seller, big clear images is always your best friend.

On occasion, I've had non-collectors/non-dealers send me very large and detailed images of a unique and very valuable item-- where you can zoom in and see the person's eyelashes in the picture and even the printing pattern, and where there are no online picture examples, or at least detailed images, for the emailer to have taken it from-- and where I've concluded 'There's no way this thing in the photo can't be real' and where only a person who physically had the original item in hand could make such a large and detailed scan. Often, the emailer had no idea whether or not the item was real or valuable, of even what it exactly is, which is why he or she emailed me with pictures.

There was a less than knowledgeable woman who had a unique (never before seen or heard of, no other examples online) oversized studio cabinet card of Christy Mathewson in minor league uniform. Pre-rookie! Part of the background mount was missing but with a perfect, crystal clear image of a young Matty. Just from the big, clear images she provided, it was clear to me it was real (and I told her so) and that only someone who physically had the item could provide such detailed scans. She ended up consigning it to one of the big auction houses and it sold for $7,000 or some such number (my memory clear on the photo, foggy on the final price). I've never seen the photo in person.

A number of years back, someone who said he was the descendant of a turn of the century traveling salesman and was just curious about what he had and was not interested in selling, emailed me huge, detailed scans of 1912 Boston Garter cards, both singles and at least one still attached partial panel. I concluded there was no way they weren't real. In fact, it was the first time I'd seen a picture of the cards in panel form. I told him how rare they were and that they were worth a lot of money, and he said he still wasn't interested in selling because they were family items.