T206 Blue Old Mill

[E93]

I examined the card closely today under a lighted loupe and believe it is legit. I compared it very carefully, back and forth, with a regular black Old Mill. There is no doubt it is blue and not faded black. It also seemed apparent to me that ink laid/adhered in the same way on both the black and the blue. In other words, the way the ink looked on the cardboard, other than being a different color, looked the same on the two. Everybody that saw in in person at the National, including many of the most knowledgeable people in the hobby agreed that it looked real.
JimB

[Bocabirdman]

This is the ONLY original. All of the rest of the Old Mill T-206 cards in the hobby are bogus.

[jimross]

This new OM blue back "find" is collectors nightmare since most OM reprints are printed in red, green or BLUE.

Good luck hunting!

[Gradedcardman]

The card is a beauty !! I didn't loop it but have looked at it a few times and would love to own it.

[Leon]

I looked at it about 5 different times. In some lighting I couldn't discern the color difference, mostly due to a bit of color blindness I have, but when over at the Heritage Auction, where the owner and I chatted for quite a while....in that lighting, I could definitely see the blue. I could tell it more on the back, outer border than the letter printing on the back. Every single person that looked at it, some very, very experienced, think it's legit. I think the real question is "does this add to the list of backs or not?"

[barrysloate]

I can assure you the guy who buys is it will say it adds to the known master set of T206 backs.

I'm curious whether this was a deliberate attempt to use different color ink, say a test run using blue, or merely a chemical reaction over time causing the black to turn blue. Now I don't know if that is even possible, but I am by nature skeptical so when a new T206 color variation shows up for this first time at this late date, I have to wonder.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I'm curious whether this was a deliberate attempt to use different color ink, say a test run using blue...

That's certainly possible. I was thinking just the opposite though. Maybe the sheet was ran through accidentally with blue ink. The printer realized his mistake and said, "Oh, crap!" and threw the sheet in the garbage and later sombeody pulled it out and hand cut the cards - thus the extra wide borders on that card. Is that possible?

I haven't seen anybody address the wide borders.

[MVSNYC]

Leon- in order for that happen, a second one would need to surface to confirm its a legit color variation. I'm still skeptical, as others have mentioned, the front including the name looks rather dark. There were some really good fakes/reprints produced (in the 80's I believe), that were very convincing. As a T206 back collector, the possibility that this is legit is exciting, but I'm just not sure. The above blue AB that Chris posted (due to ink oxidation) makes this topic have a major grey area.

Getting on Amtrak in NYC now to head down to Baltimore. See u guys later today.

[E93]

JimB