Fake cards

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Posted By: Ken McMillan

I have seen a number of posts on network 54 regarding fake cards and pose the question how do you know a card is a fake? Some of the cards being sold look like originals and definitely look old. What are the most common Fakes? Curious.

Ken

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Posted By: davidcycleback

As a start, eBay sellers should say what the card is, guarantee the authenticity and have a fair return/refund policy. Most scammers don't do this.

If you're nervous about buying reprints, gather a list of good sellers and buy many to most of your cards from them. Good sellers are discovered by asking others and by making inexpensive purchases and seeing how the deal go through. Many of my favorite sellers are folks I started by buying an item from and was happy with the product and service.

With experience, including looking at real cards and images of real cards, you will be able to identify many reprints online. Many reprints of T206s, for example, are obviously reprints.

For more expensive cards, like a T206 Ty Cobb or 1933 Goudey Gehrig, many collectors will only buy the cards if they are graded by reputable company (PSA, SGC, etc) or if the seller is respected. Even if authenticity is not an issue, the buyer may not trust a stranger to grade correctly and identify trimming and alteration.

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Posted By: Ken McMillan

Thanks for the reply. There is a 1922 E121 Ruth on ebay at this time. The auction # is 150081387493. Card looks good, but the seller appears to know little. He stated that he took the card to a show and people called it a replica, but others said it might be real. I have not seen a reprint set of e121's. There is a reprint set of e120. What do you think of this one?

Ken

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Posted By: davidcycleback

The card is a fake.

The key here is the seller is offering it as a reprint, doesn't guarantee it's original, says it's being sold 'as is' and says he accepts no returns. All red flags that the card is a fake or, at least, you shouldn't bid.

From a common sense point of view, why would you purchase an expensive and rare item from a seller who refuses to say it's genuine and won't allow you to return it for refund if it isn't.

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Posted By: Ken McMillan

Thats what my instinct says also. I appreciate your help on this one. Good looking fake though. Have a good one,

Ken

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Posted By: fkw

The card in the picture may not look fake but the card you get will be. That seller originally had about 5 different cards, all looking authentic but with the same common scammer wording. These guys cover themselves with the wording of the auction, knowing there will always be some newbie who cant resist the temptation that the card looks so real it might be.
The card looks like it will be a homemade one made from the scans of an authentic card. It is not a reprint like a Larry Fritsch reprint.

Like Dave said, always read the description, if there are red flags stay away.

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Posted By: Matt

Once I bought a pair of Triple Folders. They looked questionable, but I only paid about $45 for the pair.

The Auction Title did not say anything about them being reprints or use any verbiage to that affect.
The description did have the statement, "I don't know a whole lot about old cards, so I'm not sure if they are authentic."

I paid using PayPal and paid about $1.50 for Paypal insurance.

When the cards arrived, they were indeed fakes.

I placed a Paypal claim and stated that since the Auction Title did not mention "Reprint", that I had been scammed.

Paypal promptly refunded my money. Not sure if they would have been so generous if the selling price had been $4500 instead of $45.