1920's Ray O Print

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Posted By: David

There have always been theories that many of these could be or even were reprinted, as multiples could be made using the old negative and new photographic paper.... For those unfamiliar, the Ray O Prints were sold to kids as kits, where the kid could make his own little photo of Ruth, Gehrig, Lindeberg, Dempsy, etc.... As a lot of them are in strong grade, it makes one think. However, I haven't seen facts that they were reprinted and assume most on the market are legitimate. I owned one set a long time ago, so don't have any hands on experience with the cards.

Other than on overall appearance and intuitive opinion from someone familiar with old photography, the following tests are important:

* Black Light: Most but not all modern photographic paper will fluoresce brightly under black light.

* Silvering. If there is light silvering in the dark areas (noticeable by changing the angle of the image to a light source), the card is definitely vintage. The Orbit photo cards, for example, have strong silvering. As the Ray of Prints often have underdeveloped (light images) any silvering might be hard to detect. Also silvering is more likely to appear in earlier photo cards. If there is no silvering, this doesn't prove the card a fake, but if there is silvering it is genuine.

* General signs of aging on the back of the paper, even if light. This can include light toning, fraying of the edges, etc. Mint edges and corners on an old photograph are more than unlikely. There are instances where a vintage photo will have no or little toning or wear on the back (due to the way it was stored), but this is the exception not the rule.

* I would be happy to look at the card, but I know you usually take these issues to SGC.