Same cert #, DIFFERENT flips and cards (52 Topps Mantle)

[Peter_Spaeth]

To be clear, the flips are different (hint: barcodes) and the cards are different (hint: one is variation A, one is variation B). My supposition: the card in the pic has a fake flip and an overgraded or fake card. Thoughts? (I suppose too it could be the other way around -- the card in the scan is the bad one and the card in the pic is the good one. Can anyone tell from the barcodes or fonts?)

[Eric72]

Methinks you have spotted a serious inconsistency between the two auctions, counselor. Please proceed.

[MattyC]

The second listed card is in a breached slab; the rear view gives it away-- the entire right edge has been compromised clear as day. Front scan was taken against white background to mask it but the back scan against black background makes it a dead giveaway.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by MattyC

The second listed card is in a breached slab; the rear view gives it away-- the entire right edge has been compromised clear as day. Front scan was taken against white background to mask it but the back scan against black background makes it a dead giveaway.

I kind of are what you mean but am not as confident.


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[MattyC]

Beyond barcodes and fonts, important answers lie on the card...

A key detail is the borders. The lower black border is uncharacteristically thick. It also does not form a perfect right angle with the vertical black borderlines. This variation should form much cleaner lower and top left angles than the ebay example. I just examined several specimens of this variation on VCP, and none exhibit a lower horizontal black border like this ebay example.

The stars within the black seem to be a different size than normal-- smaller.

Lastly, this variation tends to have an gently inward sloping black border on the right side-- to the point where one can just see some of the registration of the card "bleeding" out beyond the border line. With this card on ebay, the right border remains straight and perfectly flush.

Circling back to the flip, I don't like the spacing between the lines of text on the right of the flip. The lines are spaced tighter as I recall. The bar code also seems much too close to the red bottom of the flip.

It seems this ebay card is some type of Frankenstein creation that exhibits characteristics of both variations, along with wholly new traits. I'd pass all day.

Here is a comparison to a known legit example.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

I kind of are what you mean but am not as confident.


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Yeah I thought that might just be the camera flash?

[MattyC]

I think the flash would create a similar effect on the other side, yet there are areas of slab border that seem quite clear. Granted, angles and light can be tricky. Yet while frosting is very normal, and often guys do hit the panic button unnecessarily, in this case it runs the entire length of one side-- which is a no-no.

Taken alongside all the other observations pointed out above, I personally would pass.

People love to look for sweet deals on the 311. But a sweet deal on this card is a chimera-- it is bait to scam those hoping to beat the market and "steal" one. To get a real Mantle 311 centered like this ebay example, one has to man up and pay much stronger than the 17k or whatever this seller will accept. At auction this card-- if it were legit-- would need a 20-25k bid to be in contention at the final seconds. End of the day, the best defense against offerings like this ebay example is embracing the fact that there's just no nickel-and-diming a centered 311-- too many people know how rare such a specimen is, and want one for their collections.

The feedback profile also does not inspire consumer confidence, in my opinion.

[gregr2]

If the card were legit, wouldn't one just put it up at one of the premier auction houses??