Thoughts on this 53 topps mantle?
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mickey-Mantle-19...item4cf7441421

Fake or just horrible miscut on front?

Let's go with horrible fake. See the red rectanglar box at the bottom that contains Mantle's name? It's supposed to go all the way to the left border of the card. It stops short. Also the right side of the rectangular box isn't straight. I've seen a lot of fake '53 Mantle's lately.

The fake:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqIOKos...NNQHg~~_12.JPG

An authentic Mantle:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqJ,!h!...5g9mQ~~_12.JPG

it also looks too small? '53 is one of those oversized sets...they fit pretty snug in a card saver but that one's got lots of extra room...

wow, I feel bad for the person who just spent over $750 to buy that.. Looks incredibly fake.

looks too good to be true.......stay far away!

Fake card sold for $760. The buyer was not happy and left negative feedback.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAP...&mPg=14&page=2

The seller responded saying that he said it was fake in the auction. I don't see a clear indicator of that. And when it sells for $760, I think the seller has to assume the bidders believe it's an authentic card. Why hurt your feedback on something like this? The buyer probably opened a case and will get all his money back anyway.

i agree that the seller needed to tell the buyer that it was fake as soon as it went over $10

I can't believe the seller pulled the "Item was not listed as authentic" crap...WOW! and then basically called the buyer a fool, "please read correctly Thank you". All I can say is WOW! As much as I hate to admit it, his response kinda made me chuckle...What an a**hole!! I'm pretty sure the buyer will have no problem getting his money back..

I can't say I feel too sorry for the buyer. What's the old saying? A fool and his money shall soon be parted? This buyer clearly didn't do his/her research, because there were warning signs up the wazzoo...the red border, the fact that it was small for that card sleeve when, as another noted, a true card would fit snugly. And who sells a card like that un-certified (assuming it was real to begin with)? And I learned a long time ago that when a seller pulls the old "I found it at a relative's house," line, you run for the hills. Is the seller guilty of playing a game of semantics? Yes. Was it misleading? Absolutely. But all the signs were right there to determine the auction was bunk. Either the bidder had not properly educated him or herself on the card they were buying, or they thought they took the seller at his word as being unfamiliar with the "valuable" card he's trying to sell, and thought they'd get a bargain. Regardless, they probably learned a valuable lesson. Do your research, and don't buy this stuff uncertified without seeing in person...unless you can afford to lose your money.

FAKE..........FAKE ........FAKE.................AGREEED........STAY AWAY:eek:

The seller is clearly a conniver. However, in order to pull something like this off you need the greed of a buyer. "Found it in my late Grandpa's attic" implies the seller doesn't really know what he's got or how to properly list the item. The buyer thinking he's got a potential steal sets him up for a loss of better judgement.

it obviously, at least to me, appears to be a fake.
But to be fair with the buyer the card
is listed as a '1953 Mickey Mantle"
and the seller later said it was not listed as authentic
well the buyer could easily say that the card
is not even 1953. It's a recent reprint.
The seller is a crook.
Most likely they got their money back.
I hate when sellers try to pull things like that.
They are the ones that need to be scammed.

As someone who has been out of the hobby for nearly 30 years the whole idea of fakes kind of blows my mind. Of course it makes sense that criminals would get involved given the dollars at stake, but it's just something I never thought of when buying cards.

When did fake cards become fairly commonplace? Should I be worried about purchases made in the early 80s?

Yes!

If you bought cards in the early 80's I don't think it was
very common in the hobby.
Other than the Pete Rose rookie I can't think of any big
frauds in the 70's - early 80's.
Now the card they were asking about the Mantle, it's obvious a reprint and many are easy to detect. I've seen some reprints being passed off as originals that are too obvious (for example a 1952 topps reprint that is standard card size from the modern era) that if someone gets taken then they are clueless about the hobby

Terrible fake. I really do feel bad for the guy who bought the card. The seller clearly took advantage. I always buy graded on anything that is expensive. Especially a 53 Mantle.

As soon as you read "Found in my grandfathers (or grandmothers) attic/cellar/closet etc, you know its fake.