[Archive]

Posted By: hankron

The identification of counterfeits and modern reprints is straightforeward. With a cheap microscope of decent power (say 25x power minimum) examine the player image area. If the image is made up of a continuous (throughout the image) fine multi color dot pattern (lots of ink dots of different colors) like a modern trading card or magazine picture it is a reprint.

This exact same test can be used on many other early cards and related meorabilia as well-- Old Judges, Allen & Ginters, Goodwin Champions, Buchner, comic trade cards, 19th century tobacco labels, those 19th baseball litho pencil boxes.

Say you go to an antique store and see a beautiful colorful '1867 Broadway Theatre Poster' that, under your handheld microscope, has such a multi-color dot pattern. You may know absolutely nothing about 1867 theatre, may never have been to Broadway and may never before have seen an even a picture of this poster, but you will know the poster is a later reprint.