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Posted By: davidcycleback

To test paper or cardstock, a paper chemist takes a small piece of the stock and separates it into its tiny pieces and determines what they are. If one of the chemicals or substances or types of wood fiber was invented or introduced in 1950, the stock couldn't be from before 1950. Unlike, judging handwriting, it's all scientific and there are standard textbooks and university courses where you could learn the techniques. Presumably, most people who would do the tests would have a graduate degree in chemistry, paper chemistry, forestry products or something like that.

As is well known to many here, a simple test normal collectors due is to shine a black light on stock. If the stock fluoresces very brightly, it couldn't be from 1930, as the substance that fluoresces was introduced to paper/cardstock in the 1950s.

Printer's ink is much harder to date for various reasons.

As a side note, pen ink is relatively easy to date, in part as most pen manufacturers submit their formulas to the FBI. The FBI could determine which brand of pen you used.