Show professionally graded cards that you consider inadequately graded or in error.

[steve B]

I don't think one would be harder than another because of the borders or lack of borders. But I wouldn't mind hearing the reasoning behind that.

If those are a few of the cards with the large TM or R symbol, I was able to examine one firsthand, and it was really a puzzle.

Short version
It didn't have most of the traits of fakes from the 1990's. In some ways it could be said to have none of the common ones.

But it was- for a 1989 Fleer, definitely non-standard

It DID have several traits that made me lean away from thinking it was fake. Subtle stuff that at the time would require work most counterfeiters didn't/wouldn't do. At least one of those things was not typical for 89 Fleer. I'm still not certain what to think of it.

Just after, I bought a few non- error versions as a small lot. Mostly because they had clear differences on the back of one card. And all of them are just fine.


In the end, I suppose the "fake" label is the easiest, the card is atypical in several ways. But where they aren't ways that are typical for someone making a fake card, I don't think that's 100% certain.

My suspicion is that those particular fakes were done in-house at one of Fleers printers. Maybe legitimately as a "special" for HSN or shop at home.
Fleer is of course long gone, and I'd assume their records got thrown out, so we will probably never know.
It's not a totally crazy notion, the big shopping networks and at least some retailers did get special stuff from other manufacturers, and UD both reprinted their own cards, and faked stuff they were the licensed printer for.