Posted By:
Frank WakefieldThere is a fellow on here somewhere who occasionally gets some little lights, and sells them at a quite reasonable cost... you need him to find this thread and contact you.
And, there's a guy on here who's written about determining authenticity of old cards, a scholarly, well done article. Look back in the old threads and you may well find it. **** I just posted and see that the shortwinded post above mine mentioned Mr. Cycleback, he's the guy!! Smart stuff. Read it. ***
On a simple level, brighteners have been added to paper since just after WW II, to make it look brighter and whiter. Kinda like brighteners in laundry detergent so your clothes look bright white clean. Old paper withought brighteners won't flouresce or glow when illuminated with black light. New paper will.
Most reprints are on "new" paper which will flouresce.
Mr. Lew Lipset published a newsletter, The Old Judge, 20 to 25 years ago. Someone wrote an indepth article about Goudey cards, and the paper on which they were printed. The article ran in 3 parts. The card paper is a sandwich of 3 papers, with the smoother nicer paper on the surface, and a cheaper pulp paper inside. Reprints are of the same consistancy. I keep meaning to "find" that article in my piles of stuff, and then post that I'll send out copies to those wishing it (maybe I'll scan it and email images if I get pc competent).
At any rate, handling a few real Goudey cards goes a long way toward being able to identify the real from the phoney.
A friend of mine once asked to see my cards. We started with Old Judge cards, flipped past the T3s, T201s, 2s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 9s - 15s, 22s, bunches of E cards, and when we got to the Goudeys he slowed down and proclaimed that "Those look like great old baseball cards, that's what I want to collect!" That same bug must have bitten you. Good luck chasing the rascals!