[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

The one thing about photo paper, and thus photos, is that it can be dated to a period with good certainty. Photography is a chemical process and requires specially made paper with photochemicals affixed to the front. You can print a lithograph on most anything, but you need specially photo paper to make a photograph. Due to the historical change in photography and technology, the paper has changed over the years, often in obvious ways (thickness, paper coating, paper manufacturer's stamping on back). So, a photo expert can look at a photo card and judge the age of the paper itself.

If someone made a Ray O Print set on 1995 paper, that could be identified by a photo expert, and even an average collect who knows what to look for. Elementally, if the complete set is in Gem Mint condition, you don't have to be a photo expert to deduce the cards probably aren't 78 years old.