Seeking some advice...

[drcy]

As mentioned, they are good reprints-- but with abnormal corners sometimes and those brown lines.

One essential aid in these issues is common sense-- such as the guy is offering an ungraded Joe Jackson rookie card worth, what?, a few thousand dollars? You can often identify reprints and fakes being offered by just reading the title and descriptions and no even having to look at the pictures. If you're buying online a Goudey Ruth or Jackson RC from a guy doesn't even say they're real, that's half your problem. My old saying is "If you go into a Three Stooges movie expecting Orson Welles, that's your fault not the movie's."

If you're buying raw cards such as the ones the guy is offering, I'd make sure the seller is a well known expert or veteran dealer or collector. To start off, they will guarantee the authenticity and you'll know they know what they're talking about.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

They are NOT reprints, they are counterfeits.

[prestigecollectibles]

The guy that bought the 1952 Mantle for $13.49 was shocked it was a fake.

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

The guy that bought the 1952 Mantle for $13.49 was shocked it was a fake.

+1

I hate it when that happens LOL - That's Classic

[tschock]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

The guy that bought the 1952 Mantle for $13.49 was shocked it was a fake.

Well, it DID have RP in the title. Which is another pet peeve of mine. Some sellers use it to designate "Reprint", yet it's hard to 'neg' it out of the search (hmmm... maybe -" RP " would help). But in this example there was plenty of room for reprint instead of RP in the title. Bottom line though, the buyer failed on 2 accounts. Expecting to get a real Mantle for under 20 bucks and complaining about a 'reprint' listed as a reprint.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

1983 Topps '52 Mantle is a reprint. These are counterfeits and the buyer has a legit gripe.

[drcy]

I consider counterfeits to be reprints. I also think reprints should be significantly different than the original. For example, the Topps official 1952 reprints say reprint with modern date and different size.

As noted earlier, a way to go after unauthorized reprints and counterfeits is copyright/trademark infringement. That would be up to Topps, but eBay could make the simple rule to remove all other than Topps authorized reprints.