Has anybody done this to guard against buying forgeries?

[conor912]

All in all, fakes will be infinitely easier to spot than trimming or other alterations and should be the least of a novice's worries, IMO.

[Wymers Auction]

Here is a piece of advice from my dealings in antiques which I believe would apply nicely here as well. If it makes you nervous and just not quite comfortable walk away. I am not saying this is the only tool you need in the toolbox, but paying attention to your gut will save you a lot of money. I have learned this and continue to learn this the hard way at times.

[brob28]

Originally Posted by conor912

All in all, fakes will be infinitely easier to spot than trimming or other alterations and should be the least of a novice's worries, IMO.

Agreed!

[thecatspajamas]

Bill, your original premise is excellent, and if all collectors moving into a new area of collecting did something similar, there would be far fewer fraudsters lining their pockets at the expense of inexperienced collectors.

Buying the "cheap stuff" first and becoming familiar familiar with the new area you are moving into is excellent advice, regardless of whether you are dipping your toes into pre-war cards, vintage photographs, autographs, game-used, whatever. Some of the wisest advice I have heard went something like, "You're going to make mistakes early on, so isn't it better to make a mistake on a $5 purchase than on a $5k purchase?"

As with anything, the more you handle of the real thing (regardless of value), the easier it will be to recognize the fakes. The only thing I might add is, why stop with one cheap exemplar to compare to? Pick up 2 or 3 or 4, in different conditions, and then you've really got something to go from. Like I said though, I think you have a great approach, and are far less likely to be taken advantage of as you slowly edge into deeper waters than those who dive head first into the deep end before they've had their first swimming lesson.

Edited to add: I think it was David Cycleback who I'm quoting, though he may have been quoting someone else...?

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Bill, your original premise is excellent, and if all collectors moving into a new area of collecting did something similar, there would be far fewer fraudsters lining their pockets at the expense of inexperienced collectors.

Buying the "cheap stuff" first and becoming familiar familiar with the new area you are moving into is excellent advice, regardless of whether you are dipping your toes into pre-war cards, vintage photographs, autographs, game-used, whatever. Some of the wisest advice I have heard went something like, "You're going to make mistakes early on, so isn't it better to make a mistake on a $5 purchase than on a $5k purchase?"

As with anything, the more you handle of the real thing (regardless of value), the easier it will be to recognize the fakes. The only thing I might add is, why stop with one cheap exemplar to compare to? Pick up 2 or 3 or 4, in different conditions, and then you've really got something to go from. Like I said though, I think you have a great approach, and are far less likely to be taken advantage of as you slowly edge into deeper waters than those who dive head first into the deep end before they've had their first swimming lesson.

Edited to add: I think it was David Cycleback who I'm quoting, though he may have been quoting someone else...?

Thanks, Lance. Good to know I'm on the right track.

I'll probably buy a few from each different set I plan on buying. It's something I can do now while I work on building my savings back up. It will satiate my desire to get vintage cards, and help me learn at the same time.

My eventual goal is to build a website specifically for baseball cards (including scans of my collection) where a lot of the information I assimilate can be passed on to others. There are a bunch of different sites I have found helpful information from, but not one clear "go to" site where this information is readily available without some digging. I know that Net 54 has pretty much everything I could ever need, but for somebody not familiar with how a forum's search works, it might be a little more difficult finding information.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Bill, your original premise is excellent, and if all collectors moving into a new area of collecting did something similar, there would be far fewer fraudsters lining their pockets at the expense of inexperienced collectors.

Buying the "cheap stuff" first and becoming familiar familiar with the new area you are moving into is excellent advice, regardless of whether you are dipping your toes into pre-war cards, vintage photographs, autographs, game-used, whatever. Some of the wisest advice I have heard went something like, "You're going to make mistakes early on, so isn't it better to make a mistake on a $5 purchase than on a $5k purchase?"

As with anything, the more you handle of the real thing (regardless of value), the easier it will be to recognize the fakes. The only thing I might add is, why stop with one cheap exemplar to compare to? Pick up 2 or 3 or 4, in different conditions, and then you've really got something to go from. Like I said though, I think you have a great approach, and are far less likely to be taken advantage of as you slowly edge into deeper waters than those who dive head first into the deep end before they've had their first swimming lesson.

Edited to add: I think it was David Cycleback who I'm quoting, though he may have been quoting someone else...?

This is great advise.

Bill, PM me your address and I'll send you a couple 50's commons to get you started.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by conor912

This is great advise.

Bill, PM me your address and I'll send you a couple 50's commons to get you started.

Conor, that is awesome, and much appreciated. Will do.

[timzcardz]

I'd think about going a step further.

Take a common(s) and trim three sides.

You could use scissors, a razor, guillotine paper cutter, and or a roller cutter, or other means. You'll then have a source to see what the effects of various means of trimming look like, compared to the original edge.

Great! Now I'm going to have to go do this myself!

[Leon]

I have first hand knowledge that the scammers are not targeting collectors such as frequent this board, for the most part. They are selling on Craigslist, ebay and locally at shows etc... And they are doing it on the cards everyone knows about ie.... '52 Mantles, '09 Jackson rookies, '86 Jordons and Goudey Ruths etc... A lot of inexperienced people know what those are and can do a quick Google search to see they are valuable and what they sell for. Then, when they see a '52 Mantle, in a PSA 4 holder, for 5k, they jump on it. All the while the card in the slab is either fake or altered and has been put in the slab fraudulently by the scammers. If collectors get feedback from us on the board, or other hobby veterans, then they (most likely) won't get taken. It's the greed factor the scammers are counting on. I have spoken to the ringleader of a large fraud ring in the hobby for over 2 hours, within the last 2-3 days, on multiple calls. He is the one that is behind the Den Prak stuff too..but this guy is allegedly in Mexico and is very slippery. He has allegedly had a warrant for his arrest for a few years.