First Post...Estate Sale Haul Today

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

This is a misperception. Cards printed on Sheet A* and B* will have a bold 40th Anniversary logo. Approx. 1 out of 3 DS cards will look like this.

When Topps switched to making DS cards some time during their 1991 print run, they switched to using a red ink that includes a brightener. This ink will flouresce under UV light and is a method for eliminating non-DS cards. Both cards printed with the bold red logo and the watermarked version (ie faint version on sheets C-F) will have flourescing logos. It has been discussed in previous posts that a significant majority (99.6%+) of DS cards were printed in this manner - so it is a good way to eliminate non-DS cards. To summarize, shine a black light on the reverse of the card. If the 40th Anniversary logo (bold or otherwise) doesn't flouresce - it is likely not a DS card.

I don't want to hijack the original thread. If anyone wants more info with pics and specific examples PM me and I can start a new thread with all the info., including other things I have learned since the original discussion.

Z

That was indeed my misunderstanding stemming from that previous thread.

In looking through my part set of DS cards, my copies of cards originating on the A, B sheets, none appear to be legit(place holders for now), thus my mistaken interpretation of that previous thread. As I have not added any cards to my set since before that thread, my method for determining legitimacy has simply involved reviewing the logo on the card front and looking for the obvious characteristics of either a legit or non-legit card.

In years past I had purchased multiple lots/part sets of DS cards on ebay as the cards pictured in the scans all appeared to be legit. However, once I had the cards in hand, I found that typically between a third and 2/5ths of each lot contained non-legit cards. In most cases, it still worked out cheaper to buy the cards like this versus as singles based on the price I paid for the entire lot. However, receiving this high of a percent of fakes became frustrating and over the past few years I have only relied on buying cards in hand.

In regards to the Ortiz and Larkin cards pictured in the scan, the scan makes these two cards appear different from the other four cards depicted in regards to the "shininess" and the font of the logo's text. The Ortiz and Larkin both appear shinier and appear to have a more bloated font, both characteristics of non-legit DS cards.

As the DS cards from this thread were part of an estate sale, these cards complete 24 year history is unknown. It is possible that the previous owner attempted to supplement his/her original collection of legit cards by buying non-legit lots/groups or singles on ebay encountering the same percent of legit and fake cards I had in the past experienced.