Tell Tale Signs of Reproductions

[Tennis13]

Originally Posted by rtsmith18

I have been intrigued by the lengths people take to make reproductions. Beyond tea stains, misspellings, scratches on certain letters, and card discoloration, what else do people look for when they examine non-graded vintage cards?

So my dad bought a Jordan Fleer rookie back in 1993 or so. We had it in our possession ever since. Bought it at a reputable local FLORIDA dealer. Got it graded at National and came back fake.

The SGC guy said Florida is a transient state, a lot of transplants and people passing through, and is known for fakes. Thats purely qualitative and could be BS but makes sense to me. Like the olden days (early 1990s) some dude shows up with a box of good stuff, sells it off into circulation, and until some guy gets it graded 25 years later, its in the hobby as legit.

Like I would have sold it and never thought twice that it was a fake, except that that card is known for fakes, but even back in the early 1990s, that thing would have cost a pretty penny to fake given technology. I was shocked it was a fake but totally understand how.