Is this a fake Walter Johnson.

[RichardSimon]

I usually have differing opinions with the TV star and I have a differing opinion on this one too.
The upward tilting of the Johnson () is harsh and obvious. The slow handwriting is obvious.
Hank Thomas are you there?
Shame to ruin a nice picture on a vintage postcard.

[Hankphenom]

....be very afraid. Here's another one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walter-Johns...item53ece62168

It didn't sell, so of course he did what anyone would do with an item that didn't attract a bid, he relisted it with a doubled minimum:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=251063342854

You'd think they'd at least be smart enough to float one of these at a time, but then who said crooks are smart?

The autographs themselves are scary good, all the more reason to be really careful who you buy from. Few collectors are in a position to try to decide whether these are genuine Johnsons or not. That's why you want a Keating (my pal, for full disclosure), Simon, Corcoran, Albersheim, etc, to give their blessing first. The two big guys know their stuff, too, but I'd feel better knowing that one of the well-regarded "little guys" has actually judged it for himself rather than an employee. One big red flag for me is always a generic item from the right time period, like these, instead of a baseball item. I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole.