Seeking thoughts and opinions.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I would not. Unfortunately, not all counterfeits are exactly the same. There image different printing techniques, different card stocks, etc. So, for example, purchasing a fake 52 Mantle and analyzing wont keep you from buying a fake from a different forger in the future. On the other hand, using my example, you could purchase a low grade low number 52 Topps, analyze it , and be in a better position to recog I've fake card stock, wear, and printing techniques than you otherwise would be.

Agreed. While it may be of some use, owning fakes to compare to potential real cards should never be used as a crutch. Every copy of any given real card will be the same (same stock, printing, etc.), whereas there may be 20 different versions of a fake for that one card out there, all made by different forgers, all of different quality. The better way to go about it is to familiarize yourself with the real cards rather than the fakes. Once you have a good idea of what the real ones look like, most fakes will stick out like a sore thumb.