Seeking thoughts and opinions.

[Bestdj777]

I would not. Unfortunately, not all counterfeits are exactly the same. There image different printing techniques, different card stocks, etc. So, for example, purchasing a fake 52 Mantle and analyzing wont keep you from buying a fake from a different forger in the future. On the other hand, using my example, you could purchase a low grade low number 52 Topps, analyze it , and be in a better position to recog I've fake card stock, wear, and printing techniques than you otherwise would be.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I would not. Unfortunately, not all counterfeits are exactly the same. There image different printing techniques, different card stocks, etc. So, for example, purchasing a fake 52 Mantle and analyzing wont keep you from buying a fake from a different forger in the future. On the other hand, using my example, you could purchase a low grade low number 52 Topps, analyze it , and be in a better position to recog I've fake card stock, wear, and printing techniques than you otherwise would be.

Agreed. While it may be of some use, owning fakes to compare to potential real cards should never be used as a crutch. Every copy of any given real card will be the same (same stock, printing, etc.), whereas there may be 20 different versions of a fake for that one card out there, all made by different forgers, all of different quality. The better way to go about it is to familiarize yourself with the real cards rather than the fakes. Once you have a good idea of what the real ones look like, most fakes will stick out like a sore thumb.

[drcy]

If it's cheap, I don't see anything wrong with buying a fake or reprint. But, as has already been said here, you learn more from the genuine cards, even if they're cheap low grade commons.

But it's not an either/or. You can do both if you want. In fact, it will be revealing and good practice to have some real cards and reprints for comparison. You'll likely notice that the reprints are obviously different than the real in various ways.

If someone's seriously interested in learning how to identify fakes, I think getting some fakes to examine and test your skills is good idea-- but in conjunction with examining real ones.

I've alway enjoyed real and fake detecting, using my microscope, learning about printing techniques, being a Junior Sherlock Holmes. For me, that's as much fun as collecting. Clearly, I'm not one who wants my collectibles to arrive hermetically sealed in a slab of plastic.