Another T206 Old Mill Blue Back??

[packs]

I know that's what I'm surprised about. It could be real and if it is I would say that's a hell of coincidence. Maybe there are red Old Mills out there too. The reprinted sets were made with that back as well, but it could also be possible someone didn't change the ink out after printing Sweet Cap cards in 1909.

[Jobu]

The difference between the black back and this shade of blue is so subtle that it doesn't surprise me at all that these cards weren't discovered 50 years ago. Plus, lots of people have been looking since the Walsh was discovered and Powell will only be the second one found (if it checks out). So, that makes this doubly not surprising because there are so few of them. These are not neon blue backs with 10,000 examples floating around, they are nearly black backs with two floating around - not hard to believe that they were only recently discovered. Also, don't discount the role of the internet and thousands of scans for comparison at your finger tips -- this was not possible until recently.

Note, I did say "if it checks out". The reprint card that people mention is the Cy Young here:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=156986

That reprint has a pretty good back. There are also lots of reprints with cruddy blue backs that would never be confused with this one. The question is whether someone can take a blank backed T206 (one that is factory cut too --- something that I am not aware of existing), go through the whole lithography process to create a perfect match for an Old Mill back, and then print it on a few cards.

There may be a way to mimic lithographic printing that would allow for the printing without needing to create a stone, etc. (I will leave that to the printing experts - I have no idea). It may also be possible to remove the ink from the back of a factory cut card and then print over that, I am not wise in the dark arts of card alterations.

Ted -- to me the blue looks darker than Piedmont blue. Ron - can you do a side by side with a Polar Bear too?

[obcmac]

How about a high resolution full size scan of the front? Also, as we saw with the great t213 scandal, backs alone can fool the most advanced collector. So we had the double bar overprints (?) that were fake, the t213 coupon backs that were fake, the "missing reds" which are somewhere between 90-100 percent due to adhesives and/or sun, the painted ghost images....and now blue old Mills. I don't buy it, but I hope I'm wrong.

Mac

[packs]

Lack of bids in the original auction seemed pretty telling to me. Even with all the hype and expert opinions re: authenticity only one bid was placed.

[Ronnie73]

I know the Old Mill Blue Back is a controversial topic and that was the reason for making the video. I didn't know what to think when the Walsh surfaced. What I can tell you is I had the card for two years before I noticed the blue ink. Under normal lighting, its different looking but very very little difference than the black ink. Just seems to have a slight tint of blue to the black but under LED lighting, there's no doubt of a color difference. Maybe they were never discovered early on because there was no LED lighting. As far as someone making the card, just to sell it for $65 as a regular Old Mill back in 2015, seems like a waste of time. But I agree, if it looks like a duck... I've seen a lot of ducks in my travels of T206 card collecting, but this one just doesn't look like all the other ducks out there. Time will tell.

[Rhotchkiss]

Ron, Bryan makes a good point - the blue in the old mill seems much darker/richer than Piedmont blue. Anyway you can post a pic of the blue old mill next to the back of a piedmont issued in the same series/timeframe?

[steve B]

Did anyone asking for high res scans even watch the video?


A fake back is a bit tougher than a fake overprint, but it's doable. But I saw enough details in the microscope images to feel confident that it's not fake.


Fronts are much harder, but there's nothing in the detailed look at the caption that's on the intro to think there's any problem there at all.