help with T206 with red ink on it

[TistaT202]

Bought this T206 Elberfeld fielding a while ago from a board member. As you can see, it has quite a line of red ink and a small dab of what looks like yellow on the back. I tried to capture it all in the images below. I have no idea what to make of it and would love to hear from the experts on this board. Full disclosure, I will be offering for sale, so I wanted to understand what this is before I list it. Thanks for any thoughts/help. Best, Mike

Untitled by Michael Antista, on FlickrUntitled by Michael Antista, on Flickr by Michael Antista, on Flickr by Michael Antista, on FlickrUntitled by Michael Antista, on FlickrUntitled by Michael Antista, on Flickr

[Leon]

I am far from an expert on stray lines on cards but those just look like stray marks to me. Others might know more.
Good luck!

.

[bnorth]

For price it really depends on if the card left the factory that way or if it is from postproduction. Postproduction will mean the ink makes it worth less and if it left the factory that way they usually command a premium. I don't know enough about T206s to offer an opinion on how it got there. Cool card either way.

[tiger8mush]

According to SABR:
"On May 1, 1908, with the New Yorkers tied for first place, Elberfeld was severely spiked by Washington outfielder Bob Ganley, essentially ending Elberfeld’s season."

A bloody Elberfeld is the only logical explanation.

[sacentaur]

LOL, very good Rob!

[TistaT202]

Hilarious...perhaps I can have PSA encapsulate as part of the newly unearthed Crime Scene Collection...this is why I love N54.

[robw1959]

Seriously speaking, the red ink looks close enough to warrant consideration for a factory printing condition. However, I have never seen anything similar, so the question is has anyone else seen anything like this before?

[JollyElm]

Is there red 'on top' of the card (don't really know what to call that, but it refers to the thin side section which separates the front of the card from back) connected to the top splatter on front?
If so, that would help prove the red wasn't printed at the factory, but came later.

Visually, it looks like something splattered across the card top and then pooled at the bottom, causing the red to leach onto the back.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Is there red 'on top' of the card (don't really know what to call that, but it refers to the thin side section which separates the front of the card from back) connected to the top splatter on front?
If so, that would help prove the red wasn't printed at the factory, but came later.

Visually, it looks like something splattered across the card top and then pooled at the bottom, causing the red to leach onto the back.

Could an ink splatter happen at the factory? I would think so. If I'm not mistaken, T206 cards had a clear layer (clay or something similar) applied as a top coat. Now, if the red splatter was beneath this coating, that would be interesting.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by TistaT202

Bought this T206 Elberfeld fielding a while ago from a board member. As you can see, it has quite a line of red ink and a small dab of what looks like yellow on the back. I tried to capture it all in the images below. I have no idea what to make of it and would love to hear from the experts on this board. Full disclosure, I will be offering for sale, so I wanted to understand what this is before I list it. Thanks for any thoughts/help. Best, Mike

Hi, Mike.

Two questions:

1. Have you taken a look at the card under a black light? (ink applied post-factory *might* fluoresce differently than the rest of the card front)
2. Have you reached out to the board member from whom you acquired this card? (it's possible they have additional info)

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Could an ink splatter happen at the factory? I would think so. If I'm not mistaken, T206 cards had a clear layer (clay or something similar) applied as a top coat. Now, if the red splatter was beneath this coating, that would be interesting.

Splatters are universal. (Pretty sure that's the first time that sentence has ever been written.)
However, my point was if there's red on the 'side' I was talking about, it would've happened after the card was cut from a sheet, and hence much more likely to have happened after the card left the factory.

[TistaT202]

thanks everyone for the info and input. hard to get eyes on the edges since it sits n a psa slab already. once I locate my black light I will see what it shows.

best,
Mike

[TistaT202]

Upon closer review, the red is definitely on the lower right corner edge, suggesting it probably occurred post-printing and sheet cutting. The ink did not fluoresce under the black light. Thanks again to those who chimed in.

Best,
Mike