Signed Ty Cobb Tobacco Cards

[Fred]

Paul,

Please DO NOT interpret this wrong.

I think signed cards are one of the coolest collectibles, especially from the T206 era players. You seem very on top of everything that is T206 signed. I don't think I can recall anybody that is as passionate or into the signed card niche as you are with these cards. That said, in the past couple of years we've seen a huge influx of tainted signed cards.

If you were to guess, what percentage of signed T206 cards do you believe/think are forged?

Has this changed the way you collect?

Do you take any special measures when reviewing these cards for purchase?

I see a signed T206, especially if it is fountain pen ink, and just about melt. I used to look at signed contracts, checks, documents as a method of collecting signatures but recently I've been shying away from them because I've seen a huge influx of certain signatures that makes me uncomfortable. I realize that in some cases there have been a few large collections of signatures that hits the market and typically I'm good with buying something from those collections, but overall, this environment has made me re-think collecting signatures.

I'm sure a majority of your signed T206s are legit and am grateful that you share your knowledge and scans of your cards along with things like the catalog excerpts.