Signed Ty Cobb Tobacco Cards

T206Collector · #6 05-08-2020, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred

In the past couple of years we've seen a huge influx of tainted signed cards.

If you were to guess, what percentage of signed T206 cards do you believe/think are forged?

Has this changed the way you collect?

Do you take any special measures when reviewing these cards for purchase?

Great questions.

First, there are lots of fakes out there. Most of them are fairly obvious upon serious inspection and a modicum of research. Starting in 2015, it is also pretty obvious that some absolutely serious forgers got involved that made my area of the hobby really tough. I think these expert forgers entered the game due to the crazy prices that were turned out in a 2013 Heritage Auction. Cards that could be had for a couple of hundred dollars in 2007 or 2008 were now selling for thousands. So if you try to sell me a signed T206 card that I can’t trace to a legitimate collection before 2015, I am not likely to be all that interested.

Stated another way, I search for cards that came out of collections I trust, that I know have been around for 10+ years. I maintain a library of dozens of cards I know exist in private collections and that I am always interested in adding. If I know the owner, I follow up with the owners once in awhile to remind them of my interest.

The Uncle Jimmy auction, for instance, is solid provenance. There are lots of small time Uncle Jimmy’s, and they occasionally divest. I know some but I’m always searching for others, and then trying to preserve the provenance that auction houses stopped including because a PSA label mattered most.

Additionally, I am interested in evidence of a sale prior to 2015, like ebay or an auction house. Beyond that, obviously full JSA LOAs are dated.

SGC authenticated autographed cards with the green label, either with JSA, or without (beginning Mike Root era circa 2013), are pre-2015.

The SGC Authentic red label began no later than October 2015.

PSA original red label and blue label are pre-2015. PSA red label with the hologram on the front of the flip are circa 2015 and later.

Beckett JSA dual-cert on flip existed pre-2016.

I will still consider cards sold/authenticated in 2015 and later if there is proof of the signature's existence prior to 2015. So, an SGC Authentic red label may be fine with me, if you can show evidence of the autograph's existence prior to 2015 (e.g., 2007 Pittsburgh Find, or the Tom Marsilio collection sold by Steiner in May 2018).

So, yes, the way I collect is way different now. But, not many people are selling either. So there’s not much to buy. Nearly all of my purchases over the last 2 years have been when I find one from the Jeff Morey collection or the Pittsburgh Find. Always looking to add those.

If you’ve got a signed T206 card you are considering buying or selling, I’m happy to let you know if I know where it came from.

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