things to look for in T206 authenticity?

[judsonhamlin]

All in all, I think that the Cobb is probably a fake. The tear seems recent compared to the aging on the card and the font looks not quite right in the scan. The staining might be plausible, but it seems more likely that is a poor attempt at artificial aging.

[Idiottax]

Having looked at the Cobb Bat on Shoulder for sale on eBay and the Cobb Bat on Shoulder for sale from Gradedcardman, I purchased the latter this weekend.

I was watching the auction on eBay, but just had a bad feeling about the card. The card was sold by someone who did not appear to generally sell tobacco cards, the staining on the card was odd and something about the card just put me off. I'm not saying that I personally thought the card was fake, but I never purchase any card I have any hesitation about, even if someone else ends up with a good deal because of my inaction.

Personally, I felt it was worth it to spend extra on a card like Cobb from someone I've bought from in the past, had good experiences with and was providing a graded card. I think the card on eBay had greater eye appeal, but I prefer knowing that my card is authentic.

Perhaps my worst buying experience is of a card, which passes tests for authenticity (blacklight, loupe), but because of the concerns I had about the card, always gives me pause and takes some of the joy away from owning it.