An example of a T206 card chemically altered on ebay

[mrvster]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1909-11-T206...item27e7eb0c86

I was cruising around Ebay and noticed a chemically altered T206.....just wanted to show an example how a card is missing color due to a chemical stain.....the back is the dead giveaway......

just wanted to show an example to some of the new guys

[Matvoo]

Very cool never seen one chemically altered before.

[2dueces]

I don't know anything about chemical bleaching. I'm sure you are correct. How can you tell that it's chemical and not the sun on both sides? Is it possible it was stored in such a way that the sun faded it ? Thanks for your answer in advance. Joe

[jcmtiger]

I'm not an expert on this, how do you know this is chemical altered? Sometimes I think members jump on these cards just using scans. Maybe you guys know more than me.

Joe

[e107collector]

Shouldn't that card be graded an "Authentic" instead of a numerical grade?

[steve B]

It's been subjected to some chemical. Possibly actual bleach.

The part that makes it fairly certain is that most blue inks have dyes or pigments that don't fade all that much. It is complicated by the 1910 era being right around the time a lot of new synthetic dyes were being invented.
Many modern dyes do fade, but are used because they're far cheaper than the old natural pigments/dyes.

If it was from light, I'd expect to see the red on the back edge of the hat faded as well. Red inks usually are among the worst for fading from light exposure.

The red ink there is within the affected area, but isn't faded. It is blurred, so whatever did it was able to partly dissolve either the ink or the coating on the front of the cardstock.

On the back it's a great example showing how colors are mixed. In the faded area the blue is gone, but the black remains. Dark blues are usually made by mixing a more normal blue with black ink. And since most black ink of the era is made with carbon, it simply won't fade at all. Whatever did the bleaching removed the blue and left the black.

Hard to say whether it should be graded "A" or 1. The damage could be accidental, and could be from back then. Card left in shirt pocket, mom (or whoever) finds it as it's going into the washtub and pulls the card out before it gets totally soaked. Or it could be from a failed attempt at whitening the borders.

With the creasing I'm inclined towards the first explanation. Assigning intent to a technical subject is often difficult. In this case, I think the 1 is appropriate, as the damage is a stain of sorts.
If it was a big ink stain from a pen in the pocket leaking the 1 wouldn't really be questioned.

Steve B

[atx840]

Great post Steve.

[usernamealreadytaken]

This came in a lot from an auction . . .

[Milton]

Thanks for the heads up! Good info

[curtis-cards]

I'm new and learning about T206's...

How would you classify this card? Altered? If someone is just picking up T206 cards and not worried about the grade, would this be a card to consider even though it has been chemically altered? I guess my question really is...Would you want this card in your collection knowing what you know about it?

[drcy]

Personally, I'd call it grade poor. It's been altered, though very possibly accidentally. My personal rule is to grade altered cards as poor, though many collectors grade them Authentic/Altered instead.

Lithography ink doesn't dissolve in water. It takes specific chemicals, including a common type of rubbing alcohol found in many bathrooms cabinets. There could have been an accidental spill some years ago when the card was in a drawer, garage or basement. It's not the fist time I've seen old cards damaged by solvent or chemical.

It wan't bleach, because only the ink is removed. The cardstock itself isn't brighter. I don't believe bleach dissolves ink, just whitens everything.

[mrvster]

just trying to educate