The burden of proof for the Wagner's authenticity absolutely lies on the side that claims it is indeed authentic.
I find its provenance, and its condition, the fact that Mastro was involved, and the fact that it has a Piedmont back to be highly suspect. I also don't lend much in the way of respect for PSA's opinions, particularly in the early stages where mountains of altered cards made their way into slabs.
It very well might be authentic. I'm not saying it isn't. But I probably would have passed on it if it were offered to me back in the 80s and I had the funds to purchase it.
Note - I actually find the fact that the only other Piedmont back Wagner to exist has a ghost on it to be more suspicious than not. I don't think it's far fetched to wonder if whoever might have been making reprints only had access to Piedmont plates and had a limited supply of the original paper stock. Again, I'm not saying it happened, but it's not exactly far fetched either. Perhaps both Wagners came from the same operation? Who knows. But it sure smells fishy to me.
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If it's not perfectly centered, I probably don't want it.
Last edited by Snowman; 11-28-2022 at 03:02 AM.
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