Posted By:
davidcyclebackIf he bought them 20 years ago, they pre-date the just mentioned fakes. The just mentioned fakes were a conconction of the last about 1-2 years.
The Fatimas are real photographs on thin paper and have no dot pattern in the images. Other than the just mentioned fakes, all reprints have a minute dot pattern in the image-- visible under a magnifying glass.
Also the fronts of the originals are glossier than the back, the backs being matte like regular paper. Glossy front, matte back and thin paper are strong signs a Fatima's original.
Lastly, while there have been reprints, most advertised as 'original' Fatimas on the market 20 years ago were original. Reprints wasn't a big issue to worry about.