Can anyone tell me if these are refractors or regular?

[cardsnstuff]

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[steve B]

Refractors don't scan well, but I'm pretty sure those are all regular ones. Refractors have a sort of rainbow effect when moved around in relation to a light source.

Steve B

[yanksfan09]

Yea, those appear to be regular. The background rainbow isn't what to look for. The refractors have a rainbow "sheen" that moves in the light, sort of how oil or gas looks when mixed with water.

added Judge refractor scan...

[swarmee]

Agreed; they look like base cards. Turn them in the light to see if they have the oil prism effect. That year was difficult because there is a rainbow pattern on the card itself that leads to confusion.

[Peter_Spaeth]

In a way shows the absurdity of manufactured scarcity

[mrmopar]

Refractor

After viewing the scan, it really doesn't show the refractor effect at all, but I can assure you that it is one.

[brett 75]

Curt how can you tell it's a refractor ? Is there an easy tell tale sign ? Thanks for the insight , Brett

[steve B]

If you move it under decent light it will show the rainbow sheen like the Judge card. I'd surprised that one scanned as well as it did, but it may be the difference between darker and lighter cards or newer refractor stock vs older. The 93 Football were fairly dark blue, and were hard enough to pick out that I found a couple commons in bargain bins when they were new. The basketball were also dark, with a complex pattern. I think after those they started labeling them on the back. (could be wrong about when they started the labeling, but the first baseball and football for sure weren't )

Steve B

[mrmopar]

What he said above.

Originally Posted by brett 75

Curt how can you tell it's a refractor ? Is there an easy tell tale sign ? Thanks for the insight , Brett

I learned some time back that some people can't see refractors. An older lady that owned a show I used to frequent couldn't see the difference when they were side by side. It was definitely an issue either with her eyes or how her eyes/brain process the sights she was seeing.

In my case, I can see them quite easily and to make it easier, this one was graded and marked as such. They will practically jump out from a stack of non refractors when the light hits them just right.