Venezuelan or Topps?

[TheNightmanCometh]

If the label is present and the origin is uncertain, I recommend using a halogen light or other bright light and doing a direct comparison with known US Topps cards.

When looking at the back of a US Topps card, the text and art image appear very crisp with deep black color. The Venezuelan card, while it appears identical at first glance, will generally have a more washed out look. The black ink just isn’t as dark and doesn’t appear as crisp. The texture of the back of a Venezuelan card is also noticeably different under the light. The texture of the Venezuela Topps card appears uneven and slightly bumpy, while the US Topps card has a texture that is much smoother.

On the front of a US Topps card, the image will appear very bright and reflective. Even if the card is well worn, it will still have reflective qualities. Topps used a high quality gloss and it has held up well over the years. The Venezuelan Topps may actually have a little bit of a sheen – as it seems like they may have applied a very sparse coating of cheap gloss that did not provide complete coverage of the entire front. The image will not have the same reflective qualities as the US card however, as it will still appear a bit duller than the US card.

Credit: Yahoo Venezuela Topps Baseball Card Forum