Authenticating Post Cereal Cards

[LeftHandedDane]

I have always thought that the Post cereal cards were relatively easy to counterfeit given the coarse cardboard on which they were printed, a simple design, and the fact that they are hand cut. I have not been able to find much information about this, however, and was wondering if anyone has any insights. This listing, for example, almost looks too good to be true:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-POST-CE...:SS:SS:US:3160

Any thoughts are greatly welcomed.

Ed

[steve B]

A few thoughts overall.

The one shown is probably good, but I think the grade is all hype. But it's a nice example without creases. If it had a rough cut with wide margins I can see a dealer or collector tidying it up. Not what I'd do, but since it's handcut anyway, someone will.


The card is just as tough/easy to fake as any other. Getting it exactly right is hard, getting it close enough to get past someone unfamiliar with the set is easier. Getting close enough to get a few bids with a typical blurry Ebay Image is easy.

I recently tried to find that sort of cardboard for a project where I had to make some mockups. I couldn't find any at retail. Something close to what the current Topps cards are printed on but not coated was easy to find but expensive. So I went with todays flimsy posterboard.

Steve B

[BruceinGa]

I was under the impression that there needs to be a solid black line completely around the post cereal cards otherwise the only grade is Authentic. There isn't any on the right edge.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
I realize I'm not addressing if it is a fake, just grade, sorry

[Exhibitman]

Mantle gets faked. Be careful. I purchased what seemed to be a nice Mantle on eBay and it was a fake. It is easy to see in person because it is a scan of an original. The areas that are pure white stock on originals are hazy in the fakes and the print is just fuzzy enough to arouse suspicion. Also, the cardboard is grayer and nicer than the lousy chipboard they used to make actual cereal boxes.

[Sidepocket]

Bruce you are right. Without the black edge all the way around this would grade authentic, and I don't see ANY black at all.

[LeftHandedDane]

Thanks for the information. I have filled every Bowman/Topps/Fleer set since 1950 (except 52 Topps) - the Post cereal ones, especially 63, have been by far the toughest of all to complete. I am down to needing just one in 61, one in 62, and 6 in 63, and several of them are just next to impossible to find. And the bidding is off the charts whenever they do come up. So that's why I have wondered about fakes.

[Exhibitman]

Which ones? I have some SPs laying around from a buy a few years ago.

[hoot-owl]

LeftHandedDane--

You should try either of these sets if you think the 63 Post and 63 Jellos sets are difficult (and they are). The short prints in the Post Canadian and 62 Jello set are simply not available.

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by hoot-owl

LeftHandedDane--

You should try either of these sets if you think the 63 Post and 63 Jellos sets are difficult (and they are). The short prints in the Post Canadian and 62 Jello set are simply not available.

The Post Canadian set is nuts. It took me 3 years to find one card, and I had to pay substantially over book to land it. Awesome cards though.

[LeftHandedDane]

I need Estrada in 61; Sam Taylor in 62; and Battey, Maris, Blanchard, Willie Davis, Burdette, and Aspromonte in 63.

I believe you on the Canadian and Jello cards, I have not even tried to pursue those sets.

Some other challenging (minor) sets to fill (at least for me) are the 1960 Nu-Card Hi-Lites, 1961 Topps Stamps, and some of the Fleer/Laughlin sets (Famous Feats, Wildest Days and Plays, Baseball Firsts).

[brian1961]

As a Roger Maris collector, I am a huge fan of his 1963 Post Cereal card. It is a very hard card to find, indeed. Moreover, Roger's portrait is priceless---what a beautiful smile! He and the photographer must have connected nicely. It's so vibrant, and since all too many of his Topps cards show no smile, I really appreciate the Post.

I don't care how plentiful the '62 Post is; I love that Rajah too. Our brother who mentioned the difficulty of the 1962 JELL-O knows precisely what he's talking about. Sure, it's the same photograph as the commonplace Post, yet it is very different----the coloring, the use of more of the original photo, and the design differences unique to the '62 JELL-O, definitely put it in a class of its own.

I've got an incredibly sad and frustrating story to relate from my childhood as an 8-year-old in Skokie, Illinois regarding 1962 JELL-Os. I did my best to "paint the picture", without going on and on, and included it in the first chapter of my book on post-war regional / food issues, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN.

If you haven't treated yourself to this delight, get on YOUTUBE and type in Post Cereal Mickey Mantle, and the same with Roger Maris. There's a couple of old black 'n white TV commercials that are saturated with period charm. Gets ya right here, if ya know what I mean.

Love these Post / JELL-O discussions. Have a great one, guys. ---Brian Powell

[Bestdj777]

Brian, without hijacking, when are you getting that book out? I finished the Explosions book you recommended and am anxiously awaiting Never Cheaper by the Dozen.

[brian1961]

Hiya Chris. Glad you read EXPLOSION. Tell me, what did you honestly think of it? Isn't it a treasury of Mickey Mantle heroics and anecdotes? So many of those dear guys who shared their memories with the author have since passed away. Their superb re-telling of the events of Mick's home runs make them come alive again. The author took a subject, Mickey Mantle's home runs, and did such a good job without becoming boring or redundant. Of course, for us Mickey Mantle fans, his home runs are never redundant!!!!

Now to your question about my book. The father of one of my wife's guitar students happens to be a lawyer, a copyright attorney no less. He successfully got my book copyrighted, and so my next step will be finding a printing company to put it on a CD that can easily be slipped into a desk or laptop computer for viewing. While I wanted a printed version, of course, the second choice is very workable, and the pictures look fantastic!

Whilst I'm very embarrassed about how long this has taken and being ignored by the sought publisher, I am buoyed by the fact this is very do-able. I have not forgotten you, my friend; I will email you as soon as it's ready. At this point it looks like it will be $25-28 dollars, postpaid. For those that even hint the price might be high, it's the equivalent of a 480-page book. Though the pictures are relatively few, I've often said they're alone worth the price of the book. Then again, I've also maintained it is not a picture book but a treasury of stories and anecdotes and social history of how important baseball cards can be to a kid, and the lengths he will go to hunt down a card he feverishly desires. As adults, those feelings don't change; in fact, they intensify!!

By the way, what does hijacking a thread mean anyway?

Wishing you the very, very best Chris. --Brian Powell

[1963Topps Set]

I just wanted to know how Post was able to produce full sets of cards while Fleer was not able too?

[brian1961]

Tom, as I vaguely recall, General Foods got away with it for two important reasons:

A. The baseball cards were from a breakfast cereal promotion, not sold with bubble gum as Topps.

B. Post Cereal was part of the huge family of General Foods, ranked about 20th at the time among all US companies in regard to sales. Compared to them, Topps was a little scrimp. I seriously doubt Topps wanted to go up against the powerful team of lawyers that GF would pitch back at them.

You other guys know? Please correct me if I'm mistaken. ---Brian Powell

[1963Topps Set]

Fleer got around that too with a cookie, however, your second point certainly hits home big time and most likely the valid reason. Excellent point.

[Bestdj777]

Hi Brian,

I thought it was an exceptional read. I am not a big reader--I do far too much reading as part of my job to devote much of my free time to it--but I thought it was excellent. Having never watch some of the players, it felt as if you were almost at a game. Plus, I got to learn a lot about some of the other Yankees I own cards of but have not studied in any great detail.

Hijacking a thread means to derail it by taking it off course and discussing something else.

Look forward to reading your book!

Chris

[1963Topps Set]

Come to think about it, how was Leaf able to put out such a nice set in 1960? I think Topps just hated Fleer!

[darkhorse9]

The reason Post didn't have the troubles Fleer did was that the "cards" that Post issued weren't cards, but rather part of the packaging of the product. Clearly Post was selling cereal and not baseball cards. It would have been hard for Topps to claim otherwise. That's why many food issues thrived during those years (i.e. Kahn's, )

[Exhibitman]

Brian: try lulu.com for print on demand publishing. I issue my boxing book that way.