Authenticating vintage cards

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Many computer scan fakes of any white border card is usually simple to identify. The scan of the card will come out as tiny dots everywhere-- even where there should be no dots. For example, the white border and stains or dirt will be made up of dots under magnifcation. Obviously real dirt isn't made up of color dots. And if the darker back is scanned, especiallly on something like a 1951 Bowman or T3, there will be dots all over the back where there should be none anywhere. Real darker colored cardboard and any back stains should have no dots. Even a T206 back is off white and will have a multi color dot pattern when scanned and printed out.

A scanner and home come computer printer can make eye level realistic looking duplicaitons of old cards, photos and prints, but the digital photo translates everything into little tiny color dots-- even when it's an image of a tobacco stain and wood grain.

One could say a computer wiz could go the extra effert and remake the border and text, use real darker looking stock, keep the borders white and add his own tobacco stains. This is true, but when someone starts redoing the text and borders and lines and trying to match stock, the card usually ends up looking bad to people familiar with the card. And I'm talking about the collector looking at the card in an eBay auction, before he even sees it in person. There are 'fancy' reprints of T206s that have solid black borders and names and no-dot white borders, but the cards are obviously reprints in an online image as they don't look like the real T206s. Some have obviously oversized borders and many have the player's name in different font and size. If you collect T206s and look at the T206s in Mastro and REA auctions, these reprints will simply look fake.

The online version of the text Gil mentioned is at:
http://www.cycleback.com/baseballcards