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Posted By: barrysloate

I'm agree with Leon. People who have been in the hobby a long time, whether collector or dealer, will begin to "know" all the famous cards that come from these legendary collections. It will not be so easy to fool them. Perhaps the beginner will be taken, but he can always get an expert opinion.

One of my favorite Lionel Carter cards, just for its sheer impossibility, is his 1938 Goudey Hank Greenberg that grades SGC 98. 38 Goudey collectors know that the set was made on somewhat lower quality paper, and for any card to remain Gem Mint for 70 years is extraordinary. Those kind of cards, with impeccable provenance, will always be famous and never be counterfeited. Lesser ones, of course, may fall out of people's memories.

That's why the whole concept of provenance should be limited to very great and very famous material, and those pieces will be a worth a substantial premium. Nobody is switching flips on the Greenberg, and you will never see it on ebay. As Leon said, experience in the hobby is very important.