Things are getting a little scarier for collectors

[vintagerookies51]

Originally Posted by packs

Is it the one on the right? I see a lot of Topps cards with the "bubbles" like the one on the left has. That yellow spot on Pedro.

I was thinking the same thing. Do you know what those bubbles are caused by? I used to have a Mantle with one on it and I've always been curious.

[tedzan]

Both of these 1963 TOPPS rookie cards are counterfeit. I acquired the card on the left at the St. Louis National (1982) for $5......before the police
confiscated the fakes and stamped their backs








Follow-up question....how do you identify these fakes from the real Rose rookie cards ?


TED Z

[Peter_Spaeth]

Fakes have a black line around his cap, or a more pronounced one anyhow.

[tedzan]

Bingo.....you got it, buddy.

The real 1963 TOPPS #537 rookie card does not have a faint black trace line around Rose's cap....as is noticeable on these two counterfeit cards.


TED Z

[ullmandds]

wow...that's it? slight...but noticable!

Good to know...thanks for the knowledge!

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

wow...that's it? slight...but noticable!

Good to know...thanks for the knowledge!

Since 1982, I have had these two fakes with me at every BB card show I have set up at. And, if I had charged a $5 fee to the numerous customers
that have asked to see these fakes (in order to note the difference, or compare their Rose rookie), I would have had enough $$$$ to buy me a 1933
Goudey #53 Babe Ruth card (PSA4) to upgrade my set


TED Z

[steve B]

Originally Posted by vintagerookies51

I was thinking the same thing. Do you know what those bubbles are caused by? I used to have a Mantle with one on it and I've always been curious.

They're called fisheyes, or at the shop I worked for hickeys.

They're caused by a bit of debris on the offset blanket.

Short of it-
The inked plate prints the image to a rubber sheet that prints the image to the paper. If there's a piece of something on the rubber sheet it gets dented and the result is a spot of color with a blank ring around it. If there's another color in that area the other color will show.

The debris can fall off after one sheet, or hundreds. Once it's gone the problem is too.

Usually the debris is just a bit of dust or something like that. Once in a great while it's something identifiable like a moth. I haven't found one of those on a card yet, but someday.....

Steve B