1948 Swell Sport Thrills - fakes?

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Posted By: Andy

About 3 years ago, I bought a large collection that had a lot of junk but also some nice stuff... in in one box that contained, among other things, a stack of (mostly poor condition) 1948-52 football cards, I also found what appeared to be two complete sets of 1948 Swell Sport Thrills baseball.

They do not bear the 'reprint' notation that "genuine" reprints do, and I know that reprints and/or counterfeits may exist without that disclaimer, so I took the card to a few card dealers and they couldn't definitively say. I even called up one well-known dealer and asked him, giving a full description, color, stock, thickness, etc... and he was absolutely convinced that they were real, and offered me 120% of book. Of course I would have to send the cards to him first. Ha.

Did I mention that all these cards are NM/MT or so?

I hate to send them through the mail because I drool at the thought of two complete sets of 1948 SSTs where the lowest grade is a PSA 7 (maybe a 7 OC), and what could happen to them if they go "out there" in the postal system... but I just don't think they are real.

Is there a sure fire way to tell??? Somebody suggested I smell the cards and that would be a dead giveaway... but I've never "smelled" a 1948 SST card. LOL. Besides, if they were kept this mint all these years, what would I expect to smell?

If I were to send ONE of the cards to one of the reputable grading companies (PSA, BVG, SGC) can I safely assume that they would have the knowledge to make the determination, and if it came back slabbed I would know it was genuine? Or is that just sending $20 down the drain?

Seriously, if anyone has a thought, I'd love to hear it. Gracias!

Andy