Kevin Saucier Has Spoken

[Archive]

Posted By: Matt

http://cgi.ebay.com/T206-SCHLEI-WITH-RARE-UNITED-CIGARS-AD-BACK_W0QQitemZ150293183591

More detail from Kevin:

"I received the card today and gave it a very thorough inspection, spending about an hour on it. It is more than obvious that that cigar logo print is under the Sweet Caporal printing. I can go one step further and say that the print is well under the Sweet Cap. I use the term print because it does not seem to be a stamp. If you take a very close picture at an extreme angle you may be able to display it more accurately.

I am no paper or printing expert but having dissected hundreds of T206 cards I can tell you that not only can the front picture be lifted off but the back can as well....although using a much different technique. The cigar logo print appears to be under the ultra-thin layer of paper (or printing layer). Because of this it has the color is lighter in the areas without paper loss. In the section where there is paper loss, the color cigar logo is darker or bolder as a result of being exposed.

The paper loss is deeper in the middle of the card and thins over the cigar print, leaving the print virtually intact but small sections also have minor paper loss. The cigar print logo does not show (even faintly) on the front of the card. My thought is that the front picture was applied after the print had dried.

I will be sending the card back with your check, since I have yet to charge any collector. I am also including a thin paper piece of a Sweet Cap card back I made so you can get a better idea of what I'm trying to explain. Hold this piece into a light or the sun and you can see the print in reverse. Believe it or not, I would consider it a thick piece.

Hope this helps you and/or everyone else who had question about the cigar logo with the Sweet Cap overprint. Feel free to post this email anywhere you wish.

All the best,

Kevin Saucier"