Buying Ungraded T206's on Ebay

jabiloxi · #1 05-12-2009, 03:48 PM

Hey guys,

I actually usually collect 1930's-1941 pre war issues and am fairly knowledgeable about the material from these years. However, I was wondering what people here think about buying ungraded T206's on Ebay and the cost comparison to buying them graded. Also, what do people here look for to avoid the possibility of purchasing altered or fake examples. I have never purchased ungraded T206's and am currently looking at some auctions. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

Potomac Yank · #2 05-12-2009, 04:09 PM

Go to shows, if there are any around, and get to look at, and feel all the T206's you can.
Build your own knowledge about the card, and don't rely on a third party.
If you're going to make a mistake, let it be your mistake, and not a third party mistake ... they make mistakes also.

Knowledge begins at home.
Lot's of luck, and enjoy.

Joe

Doug · #3 05-12-2009, 04:16 PM

Make sure you are comfortable with what you are looking at and you should be able to make a pretty good judgment based on what you have learned. Here's an example of a reprint being sold as "authentic": http://tinyurl.com/om3fb5 which is something you will have to keep an eye out for. Just remember that if it seems to good to be true it probably is. Good luck with your collection!

marvjung · #4 05-12-2009, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabiloxi

Hey guys,

I actually usually collect 1930's-1941 pre war issues and am fairly knowledgeable about the material from these years. However, I was wondering what people here think about buying ungraded T206's on Ebay and the cost comparison to buying them graded. Also, what do people here look for to avoid the possibility of purchasing altered or fake examples. I have never purchased ungraded T206's and am currently looking at some auctions. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

Hey there Joe - I'm relatively new to the T206's as well and I think I'm the only one here that reads random, archived threads from Net54; I do so to simply learn - the things to look for in cards, etc. and I'm quite proud to say that I've learned a tremendous amount in a short period of time from this board and the links that members provide.

There are quite a few T206 websites that I refer too (sorry, I'm at work, would link them here, but the links are all on the home comp), and I've voiced several times that my biggest worry was spending money on knock-offs or fakes. If you look on Ebay now, for example, there's a seller on ebay, 925caliboy999, that's selling a lot of great T206 - the problem? He's using pictures from previous auctions from OTHER sellers.

There's another one going on right now where items are clearly reprints (for example, an easy one to spot, a Sovereign back that's in black and white). I know from reading up on several boards and websites, those backs should be green.

I recently purchased a McGraw with a Tolstoi back (for some strange reason, I chase the rare backs, not sure why

) and I looked over the pics, looked over the sellers feedback, looked at the pics again, looked at the pictures, referred to a couple of websites....then after being satisfied, I pulled the trigger; I got it at one heck of a great price.

Just stay vigilant and spotting fakes or altered cards right off the bat will become easier, as it has for me.

Now, the VERY well done fakes...well...that's another story.....Trust me, no one ever wants to get "Channed."

toppcat · #5 05-12-2009, 05:05 PM

I would beware of trimmed raw T206's on Ebay. It seems pretty prevalent to me.

mkdltn · #6 05-12-2009, 05:19 PM

"Channed" that is great! Like your name is "Mudd" the doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth or "you are Joshing me" a man named Josh who dusted 5 dollar coins with gold and passed them off as 20 dollar coins. Then there is my favorite: Munsoned ( I know fictional) I'm using it.

I just started collecting and the recent developments that have come to light on this board are disconcerting to say the least.

FrankWakefield · #7 05-12-2009, 05:56 PM

Joe,

First thing you need to do is get a few white border tobacco cards. Once you have seen, held, handled a few real ones, then it becomes easier to spot reprints and trimmed cards. At that point you can buy ungraded T206s without great fear.

I'd suggest that once you've bought a few, stay with 3 or 4 of the sellers that you trust.

There are a few guys here on the board that won't mind an occasional email from someone new to T206s, asking them about the authenticity of certain eBay auctions. I've answered about 100 such inquiries over the years for several different guys. They eventually get a few cards and can make decisions on their own. It is a neat progression, seeing them start out with "what about this auction", to "I'm not too sure about the look of the back of this one, what do you think?", to "this is an obvious fake".

The other thing you could do is find a collector near where you live, who has T206s. There is nothing like spending a few hours with an old dinosaur of a collector, listening to tales about how things used to be. A fellow could look and listen, could learn quite a bit...

I have 3 or 4 T206s on eBay now, and will list a few more in the next few days. I've not responded to you to get you to bid on my auctions, although someone may well think that.

Wish you well with it.

Frank W.

fkw · #8 05-12-2009, 06:19 PM

I agree,

And this applies to any vintage card set you are a newbie at.

you should buy a handful of lower to mid grade commons first, then look and study closely at how they were made (printed) and how they naturally wear over the years.

If you handle these cards daily you will get a sense of what they should look like and when a fake or altered card comes along usually you will see a problem right away.

In person a reprint card stands out when compared to an authentic card, they are made 2 completely different ways (T206 cards, like many cards of that era, are lithographed)

a couple good pages for info on IDing fakes and how 1910 era cards were printed...

http://www.caramel-cards.com/e95reprint.html
http://www.caramel-cards.com/printing.html

PS... the higher the grade and the higher the worth... the higher the chance its been messed with (if raw)..... so look closer at these

BCD · #9 05-12-2009, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toppcat

I would beware of trimmed raw T206's on Ebay. It seems pretty prevalent to me.

and because they are so familiar they seem commonly to get certed that way as well. Now,if they are American Beauty backs........they might get rejected as trimmed of course!

danmckee · #10 05-14-2009, 02:35 PM

BCD trashing 3rd party grading??? Say it ain't so.

pgellis · #11 05-14-2009, 05:33 PM

I started my T206 collection about 3 years ago. I was weary about trimmed cards, I felt I could spot a fake card, and decided to try a few raw cards on ebay.

I had mixed results. I bought some cards that I thought were bargains, only to find out that when I got them in my hands, they were obviously trimmed. Then I bought some beautiful cards that I got at a decent, not great, but decent price, then submitted them to SGC to only find that they came back as "Evidence of Trimming". I contacted the seller and he swore that he had them in his collection for 20+ years. He offered to buy them back from me, but I declined because I liked them. Who nows, maybe they were trimmed before he got them.

Obviously grading companies are subjective, but if you want my 2 cents, I decided to buy only graded T206 from SGC. Easier to sell if you have to. An unnecessary evil.