I am convinced / brainwashed - grading brings more $$$

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Posted By: Joe D.

I just scared myself out of bidding too high on a card that I was looking for - because it was not graded, and I don't have the skills to spot a fake.

The card is on my 'want list' and I would have gone higher than where it ended up - even if was graded SGC 10.

So, assuming the card is legit, that seller lost some potential money - and if there was another scared bidder out there like me... it may have gone much higher.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&item=150000290331&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

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Posted By: Dan Kravitz

This card looks real to me. The Seller is also legit.

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Posted By: David Vargha

Well, if it's a fake, he did a pretty nice job with the caramel stains. Nonetheless, there are many cards where I feel the same way in that I don't know enough to spot a fake.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: joe

Joe D, thats the same way I feel, sometimes cannot tell with the raw cards. Actually makes me feel good that some others on this board have that problem. While reading through many posts, I thought I was the only one that had trouble spotting fakes and trimming on scanned cards.

Joe

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Posted By: fkw

Stains, paper stock, caption boldness, wear are all consistant and not anything like the reprints.

the reprints are made of a modern smooth surfaced card stock, and sometimes has a glossy or waxy surface. The picture area will be cropped and a new border and caption will be added to the card, making the border and uniform not blend together where they meet. Also the reproduced caption is usually too bold and too dark on the reprints.

Authentic cards are made of a thin low quality brittle rough textured paper, almost like construction paper. The light parts of the uniform is the same color as the border, the natural paper color, and will blend together where they meet.

The Johnson is a E145-1 so it is slightly tougher to tell from just looking at a scan since the back is printed right side up.

The E145-2 cards are one of the easiest to authenticate, as the authentic cards all have a back that is printed upside down.

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Posted By: Joe D.

about 'fake' cards on eBay... but I don't have those skills.

so i guess I missed out.


better safe than sorry. I guess.

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Posted By: fkw

Reprint................................Authentic

Notice how the uniform and border are not the exact same color on the reprint. The two dont blend together where they meet on the right side. Also the caption is too bold and too dark. The fakes were designed by cropping just the photo part of the card then adding a new border and new caption. Also colors are usually wrong.

This is the type of reprint most often seen on ebay, about 5% are slightly tougher to tell and are of the homemade type.

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Posted By: edacra

It's slightly easier to do without the blurry picture and funny angle in the photos. With so many cards sitting under plastic, it's hard to actually handle the paper to evaluate. Goudeys for example have that distinctive cardboard, but I've never handled a fake to know how similar they are.

Wasn't there a guide at one point for spotting reprints, and fakes? Someone should make an online comparison guide just for the sake of stopping the Ebay fraud.

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

Joe D.: It is entirely reasonable to behave in a "better safe than sorry" manner when the card value is more than you want to put at risk. Graded cards sell at a premium, in part, because of this.

With all of the grading company bashing which we have heard, how often is the complaint that they authenticated a fake?

Although I do not want my cards slabbed, I often buy them that way for reasons which you've brought to light. I then free them so that I can display my cards as I prefer.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Gil is right and Joe is right: I don't want my cards slabbed either but when you're talking big numbers on a purchase, better safe than sorry is the way to go. As an aside, last night I met a fellow who had a poster of the T206 collection on his wall; I asked if he was a collector and he proceeded to tell me that he had the entire Monster (save Plank and Wagner) in very high graded, but raw, condition. He bought that sent 25 years ago and paid a tiny fraction of the cost the cards are worth today. He also has a complete T205, 33 Goudey and a zillion other sets. He told me that he never wants his cards in slabs because he, too, likes them in binders (MJ Roop he said) for review. He told me that he took one of his T206 cards to be graded by PSA and it came back a 7 (Cobb, red back). He said he thought it was an 8 or higher and was disappointed. His entire set is of that level...and I will beg and plead to see it someday. So, while there is no doubt that grading gets you more cash upon resale, there are many guys out there that never plan on reselling - and will never get their cards graded.

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Posted By: David Vargha

So, while there is no doubt that grading gets you more cash upon resale, there are many guys out there that never plan on reselling - and will never get their cards graded.


Until they die.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

David, sad but true. Hence the need for an airtight will which prevents such wanton destruction....