1930 Goudey- Babe Ruth- questionable authenticity?

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Posted By: scgaynor

I remember the first thing that raised a red flag with me was the fact that Ruth's name was on it, but there was nothing else related to Ruth (remember mine was blank backed). If it had stats printed on the back or a slogan like "Babe Ruth chews..." it would have made sense, but his name just floating for no apparent reason seemed odd. Also, the type and style of Ruth's name is similar to that on 1933 Goudey cards, but three years before they were issued.

Also, on the one that I saw, the black printing was shiny, while the background was dull. In college I worked in a copy and printing shop so I can usually pick up on the difference between a xerox copy and an item that has been printed. Toner from a copier tends to be very shiny and appears to sit on top of the paper, while printing is dull and, especially on a vintage piece, is sort of "in" the paper (it is kind of hard to explain, but pretty easy to see if you are holding the item in your hand). For me, It just had too many red flags to take a chance on it.

Something else I just noticed, everything on that piece can be photoshopped from another piece. The Ruth name from the back of a 1933 Goudey, the Goudey logos at the bottom from a Goudey wrapper, the calendar from anyplace on the internet. My guess is that any 8th grader with a basic working knowledge of photoshop could produce that piece in a few minutes.

Scott