Counterfeit/altered Cards?

[Ladder7]

Good advice above

Buy some raw, beatup commons, for side by side comparison. If a card is still iffy, post here. You'll learn fast.

Buy from the BST here. The prices are fair, in general.

[drc]

A lot of it has to do with who is the seller. There are numerous reliable sellers who know how to identify raw reprints. If you're buying a raw 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth from a guy with 2 feedback, you're taking a chance.

Side by side a reprint or counterfeit and the real card from the issue are usually distinctly different in multiple ways (thickness, gloss, stock color, other). Even if you only have some T206 commons, you should be able to identify a fake T206 Honus Wagner when you compare in person. Commons, stars and Wagner were were made the same way, with the same type of ink and card stock. Same theory and practice applies to Willie Mays and Dan Marino Rookie Cards.

A collector, even an experienced collector, is most likely to be fooled when buying from an issue he's never owned or has experience with. He has nothing to compare it the questioned card to, not even memory. On the other hand, if you've collected 1971 Topps since, well, 1971, a reprint will stand out like a sore thumb.

My printible pdf guide shows how to make such comparisons (what to look for), along with other topcs concerning identify counterfeits of early cards.

[jg8422]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I am always amazed by the amount of knowledge on this site.

DRC- thanks for posting your very informative guide.

[drc]

I remember when an old collector contacted me because he had heard on the internet about counterfeits. He said he had been avidly collecting 1933 Goudeys for many years and was suddenly worried that some of his cards might be reprints and he doesn't realize. I told him that if he had been avidly collecting Goudeys for many years he'd be the first to know if any of his cards were reprints.

[almostdone]

Here is an opposite question. Has anyone ever seen or purchased a card as a reprint and it turned out to be the real deal?
It happened to me years ago and wondered if it has happened to anyone else. I thought I would never own a true Ty Cobb so I looked to buy a nice reprint instead. I found someone who had a bunch of cards he was selling as reprints he purchased in an estate suction. He was upfront about them being reprints and never even hinted that they might be real. He had a nice t-206 red Cobb for a few bucks so I bought it along with a Tris Speaker from the same set. When they arrived I studied them and thought they were not just good reprints but really good ones. Being that I had never owned a t-206 before I took them to someone I knew who had once tried to build the set. Upon closer examination and alot of explanation he determined that the Cobb was a great fake but the Speaker was indeed real. Not a bad pickup for $4.
Drew

[drc]

People misidentify items both ways-- reprints and real and real as reprints. On occasion, I've had a darned hard time convincing a few owners that their items were genuine. One guy had all these shot down theories why the card he bought was fake. I finally said, "I'm sorry to tell you, but you're going to have to live with fact that the card you bought is authentic."

It's fairly common for collectors to have genuine items and not be certain that they're genuine. That's why they post photos on this board and items are are sent to places like SGC and PSA.