Fake or real?

[ASF123]

We all seem to agree that the 68 is fake, so I’m trying to find out if anyone thinks the border width on the other two is wrong? If it’s just the 68 you’re talking about, then yes, that may be another sign. But I’m more concerned about the other two at this point.

[swarmee]

I think you should be able to tell the other ones with a loupe/magnifier in the solid sections (purple on Mays, black bottom section on Mantle). Both look real to me from the scans.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by swarmee

I think you should be able to tell the other ones with a loupe/magnifier in the solid sections (purple on Mays, black bottom section on Mantle). Both look real to me from the scans.

I just double-checked both of the solid sections - the Mays against a Murakami RC and the Mantle against a 64 Kubek - and they both look 100% legit as far as I can tell. It's strange.

[swarmee]

Why is it strange? That a seller was duped by a fake Mantle and sold all three to you? That seems like it would happen pretty often.

[ASF123]

Yeah, I guess maybe I'm just being too suspicious in thinking that if one is fake, the seller is unscrupulous and the others must be too. It's tough diving back in to the hobby waters after so long, with so many good-intentioned warnings that fakes and trimmed cards are everywhere.

[hcv123]

68 sounds 100% fake. Definitely would make me uneasy about the other 2 from the same seller. That said - I am with the consensus that from the scans and your description there is nothing obviously fake about the other 2. That said - someone who in a best-case is inexperienced enough to miss the 68 as a fake could miss a number of other potential alterations (trimming, coloring, bleaching, etc) would concern me. In a worst case they knew the 68 was fake and was tried to either pay it forward or intentionally deceive. In all cases the cards you are talking about are relatively common - why not just send them all back, find new ones and rest easy at night.

[JollyElm]

What does the '68 Mantle measure side to side??

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by hcv123

68 sounds 100% fake. Definitely would make me uneasy about the other 2 from the same seller. That said - I am with the consensus that from the scans and your description there is nothing obviously fake about the other 2. That said - someone who in a best-case is inexperienced enough to miss the 68 as a fake could miss a number of other potential alterations (trimming, coloring, bleaching, etc) would concern me. In a worst case they knew the 68 was fake and was tried to either pay it forward or intentionally deceive. In all cases the cards you are talking about are relatively common - why not just send them all back, find new ones and rest easy at night.

Well, the short answer is that I got them for a very good price - which, yes, I know, another flag. I basically made the deal figuring there was a chance there would be an issue and I'd have to return them, which is why I examined them thoroughly upon receipt. But I'm hesitant to let the ones that look good go without any concrete evidence that they're not legit (and in spite of apparently all concrete evidence that they are).

If they are trimmed, they must have been too big to begin with, because they're right on par with cards I've had since I was a kid both horizontally and vertically. I don't know the specific signs of coloring or bleaching, but I don't see anything suspicious on the surfaces even under a loupe.