How many people on Ebay will be duped by these?

[drcy]

Newbie is slang for a beginner, someone new to an area. "This is your first day on the job? Welcome, newbie."

My opinion has long been that reprints should be significantly and obviously different than the originals. If someone complains that a reprint is too close-looking to the originals, I will most likely agree with them.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by ZenPop

I just checked out his website and the back of the cards are labeled as "reproduction"...

Some scammer could remove that, but he did a great job w/ quality and also put it in small type at the bottom...

Yup, I saw in the older thread that "reprint" was placed on the back of the card. I was concerned initially because we could not see the backs of the cards in the auction, and it was not mentioned.

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

What is a "newbie" anyway ?

Somebody like me, Al, who has collected baseball cards, but does not have a lot of experience with buying vintage cards. I'm a "newbie" to this niche.

Originally Posted by sbfinley

I don't really think this true "threat" to unknowledgeable collectors. You can't post post a Wagner, Plank, or Cobb listed as authentic on eBay that hasn't been authenticated and enough collectors follow the market that if a Young, WoJo, Matty, or other top Hall of Fame star is listed it would be reported almost instantly. Thus you are left with the semi-star/common market and honestly if you can make a living passing off fake Joe Lake cards more power to you.

It's true, collectors do a pretty darned good job of policing the vintage and pre-war portion of the hobby, and for that, I am grateful, believe me. And maybe the "crooks" out there know that well enough so they won't even try. I'm just concerned that a few might slip through, and somebody could end up buying a $1,000 Walter Johnson with "reprint" magically removed from the back, only to discover it was a fake years later. If the technology exists to make cards that are so close to the original, it also exists to alter those same cards. I don't know if it would be some form of bleaching, etc, but anything is possible so long as there is money to be made.

[Zach Wheat]

Bill,

There were some of these listed on eBay. The seller was trying to pass them off as originals but it was fairly easy to pick up on....as when back scans we're viewed there was damage at the exact same spot on every card.

Coincidentally, it happened to be where the "Reprint" should have been on the back. I thought they were fairly easy to spot.

Z Wheat

[the 'stache]

Thanks, Zach. I'm assuming Ebay took those down, no doubt after being flooded by Net 54 members

I'd be curious as to just how they would try to remove the reprint. Do they get a little scraper, or put a piece of tape at the top and bottom, and say "these amazing near-pristine T206 cards were just discovered in my grandfather's basement. They were glued in a book. Sadly, the taped area at the bottom has left a little damage"..

[Zach Wheat]

Bill,

It was actually a combination of things that when considered together led you to believe they were all repros. 3 or 4 had the Reproduction scraped off with a knife, others were missing the bottom portion due to being glued in an album, most had funny corner wear unlike any normally aged T206, and the color of the paper underneath the corner wear looked too white.

With all the evidence taken together it was easy to figure out what the guy was doing. I don't think eBay did anything either but not sure. I do not remember how the auctions ended up.

Z Wheat