If $ were no object...

[Cardboard Junkie]

If money were no object: Do you think it would be possible to reproduce vintage cards exactly.....say t206s or 33Goudeys or 52Topps....right from reproducing the cardboard stock to replicating the inks, printing process, and cutting? It seems feasible to me...after all if the technology existed 100 or 60 or 75 years ago...it should exist today (or at least the ability to manufacture the same technologies today). What do you think? Remember cost is no object.

[brookdodger55]

My ?,how do we know that it's not already happening, with all the high end prewar to the 60's. could it already be happening. Just a thought. I think it could be done easily (my sources In the printing business)
Mike

[Cardboard Junkie]

Well, I just got off the phone with a professional paper conservator and he said "the hardest part would be reproducing the cardboard stock" he also added "that with unlimited funds it could very easily be done." and "no amount of testing or dating could detect a difference." Yikes!

[frankh8147]

I'm going to go with man over the machine on this one- I think a good vintage collector will always be able to tell if a vintage card is real or not, at least for the major card series' (52' Topps, 33' goudey, T206 etc). For the more obscure card sets- collectors can beat this though networking-if some individuals specialize in certain card sets-maybe they will have a future job in the hobby. That's just my take on this but I really think there will always be individuals who can tell the difference.

[4815162342]

I think it would be hard to reproduce that musty smell of old cardboard.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

I think it would be hard to reproduce that musty smell of old cardboard.

Not if you use OLD cardboard...

[steve B]

With unlimited resources it would be easy.

I don't think the paper would be all that hard for some series. T206 is just a high rag content cardstock coated on one side.

I actually got out some stuff and checked. I thought comic backing boards were very close to right, but they're .024 of an inch and the one T206 I measured was .012. Next trip to the art store I'll see what they have that's like that.
And no, the backing boards don't react to the blacklight.

Stuff like Goudeys would be a bit harder. The cardboard is still available, but you'd have to do some accelerated aging to duplicate how the cardboard breaks down over time.

Steve B