Question on authenticity of T206 Mathewson which leads to a rookie grading dilemma...

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Posted By: Ignacio

I'm seeking some wisdom, so I have a question(s) concerning a T206 Mathewson dark cap I purchased on ebay recently as part of a lot of lower grade T206 cards. The T206's were purchased from a dealer who guarantees authenticity. The dealer shall remain nameless since I have yet to contact him/her and this question is not really about a dealers integrity. To my untrained eye the card looks okay but at the same time strange which obviously raises a red flag.

It is slightly discolored on the front (which is not the main issue); but the problem I have is the shine the card has on the front. I wouldn't say gloss, just some shine on the front (especially the white areas) not the back. This one looks good under the magnifying glass and passes most of my simple tests (I don't have a back light, but I might go out looking for one this weekend..). Plus, I have another T206 Mathewson dark cap which I purchased 15+ years ago, and side by side they both look identical (other then the discoloration). Like most, I am pretty good at spotting the obvious fakes but I'm in no way an expert. I am left to "assume" the card somehow came in contact with something that made it shinny and the discoloration can be explained by light exposure, since it does have pinholes indicating it was displayed somewhere. So after that long winded story, here is my dilemma.

I am going to submit this card to SGC for grading to determine whether it's authentic and hopefully, receive some sort'a grade. This is my first experience with the entombing companies (err, I mean grading companies) and "ASSUMING" the card is authentic, will it come back graded or will SGC/PSA or XYZ grading companies (err..I really mean entombing companies) reject it as "tampered" or "altered" because of the shine??? Which will put me back at square one. Any input will be greatly appreciated and of course any insight on whether its legit or not will also be highly desirable? By the way, if someone wants to turn this tread into a Seinfeld episode, well... that would work for me as well...

-Lovely Day, Iggy in Miami...


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