1928 Fro-Joy Ruth Questions

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Posted By: Paul

My SWAG is that about 5% of Fro Joys are real. The printing process must be photo engraving to have a chance to be real. The only way to know for sure if a Fro Joy is real is to have it in hand, feel the card stock, use a black light, & check the printing with a loupe & microscope. IMHO I think the main reason the grading companies stopped grading these, is that the overwhelming amount of cards they recieved were reprints, so it just got to be a hastle. They should be able to determine authenticity. I think they are great cards, & I especially love the portrait & batting cards. Below are some examples of fakes & real FroJoys:




The most common fake b & w Fro Joy. Notice the grainy appearance & lack of clarity. Also, two print defect marks on the frame below the top right corner. Card will not be photo engraved.


Same reprint with the broken line gaps near the corners.



More modern reprint made by Repli-cards. The image has more clarity, & missing the two print defect marks. Also, there are no breaks in the lines on the back box. The card stock looks & feels like a 90's reprint, & will not be photo engraved.


This is what a real Fro Joy looks like under 60x magnification. Notice the dark rim from the photo engraving process.


Here is a fake fro Joy under 60x magnification. Notice the absence of the dark rim.


Here is a real Fro Joy under 10x magnification. Notice the lightest areas on the image such as the NY logo will be completely covered with printing dots with no patches of white. Other areas to check on the portrait would be his nose & right cheek. Some printing dots usually did not survive the reprinting process on the lightest part of the images. All real Fro Joys will be completely covered with printing dots with no patches of white. The Repli-Card reprints have more of the printing dots intact, but still some white patches. However, it's card stock is not even close to vintage.


Here's a reprint of the Batting pose card. Notice the missing printing dots & white patch on his bat.



Here is a real Fro Joy. Notice the image clarity & vintage looking feel compared to the reprints.

I would like to thank David Rudd & his website cycleback.com for getting me interested in this stuff a few years ago. His knowledge & help is much appreciated. Sincerely, Paul