What are some good resources to learn about detecting fakes/reprints?

[david_l]

Originally Posted by drcy

If a card or other paper/card ephemera smells musty, that's a good sign.

With all due respect, I completely disagree with you. As someone who has a bit of an archivist background, musty smells are very often a sign of mold. Mold should be avoided at all costs as it can spread from one card (or paper, etc.) to others. Collections can get destroyed via mold. The only real way to combat mold is preventative.

Furthermore, I can create a musty smell in a matter of weeks. I would hardly use it date anything. In my opinion, the smell of older tobacco would be a much better clue of age than a musty smell (although it would certainly not be a definitive clue).

--David Luft--

[drcy]

I meant old must, not that new kind you can buy at Rite Aid.

[RCMcKenzie]

It's hard to say...the people on the board are the experts in the field, without question....Take for example the "Black Swamp Find"...I liken it to someone finding 300 Vermeer's. If someone found 1 Vermeer, the art world would have it's skeptics...If someone found 300 Vermeer's, most would not even bother investigating it. JMHO

[TCMA]

Originally Posted by david_l

Mold should be avoided at all costs as it can spread from one card (or paper, etc.) to others. Collections can get destroyed via mold. The only real way to combat mold is preventative.

Any suggestions on how to eliminate or prevent mold?

[david_l]

Originally Posted by drcy

I meant old must, not that new kind you can buy at Rite Aid.

Yeah, I know what you meant. That's actually what I'm taking exception with.

Originally Posted by TCMA

Any suggestions on how to eliminate or prevent mold?

Like I said, really the best suggestions are all preventative measures.

(1) It's best to know how to recognize the signs that there could be mold on an item.

(2) It is important to examine your collection periodically looking for mold as well as other developing problematic issues.

(3) It is crucial to be cautious when adding any foreign items to your collection. That last part is why I find the blanket statement that "a musty smell is a good thing" to be troublesome.

Honestly though, don't take it from me. I'm some guy on a message board that you've never met. The Society of American Archivists (SAA) and the American Library Association (ALA) have a plethora of resources regarding recognizing mold and doing item-level assessments. They're also a great resource for understanding preservation strategies and developing disaster plans. In my opinion, these resources are invaluable. A web search will reveal a lot of that info.

Just a note here. I'm not trying to start a flame-war or put anybody down. I just want to contribute to you all making your own informed preservation and collection decisions.

Oh, and as far as recognizing fakes. Take your time and learn about the printing techniques of the time. Such information will be invaluable when making an informed buying decision.

---David Luft--

[drcy]

I know mold and know it's bad. I was just making a joke.

The post was about how to identify a reprint, and that's all I was addressing. The smell of mold is a sign a card isn't a recent reprint. Rust and corrosion on the back of a pin and foxing on a cabinet card are signs they are old.

I think conservation of baseball cards is a good topic to discuss, considering many don't like altering a card at all. Movie posters, etc are regularly restored, including deacidified for mold. Someone should write an article on this. A friend and Net54 is an expert on conservation of documents and knows a lot more about it (and the issues) than I do.

[david_l]

Originally Posted by drcy

The smell of mold is a sign a card isn't a recent reprint.

This will be my last post on the subject as I'm pretty sure I'm just beating a dead horse at this point. A musty smell (and god forbid, mold) is not a sign that a card is an original and I think one should be cautious in making such a statement for reasons that I've already pointed out.

I can buy one of those fake Wagner cards on the 'bay, leave it in my basement for a few months and it would have just as much of a musty smell as any vintage item in question. Heck, leave a reprint card in a damp area for a few years and see what happens. It's still not an original no matter how moldy or musty smelling it appears upon inspection. We're talking mold here not stalactites.

David Luft

[drcy]

I said it's a sign not proof, but will let the issue drop too. We've both made our points. If people wish to mentally cross off my sniff test, that's fine by me.

[david_l]

@ drcy

I always enjoy the opportunity to talk about preservation issues. Thanks for the conversation. Best of luck with all your collecting endeavors in the future!

[Leon]

Originally Posted by drcy

I said it's a sign not proof, but will let the issue drop too. We've both made our points. If people wish to mentally cross off my sniff test, that's fine by me.

For the record, I was one of the first adopters (*I am aware of) of the smell test. I still use it and everything else. A lot of times it's the whole picture that doesn't add up, not just one or two things. Knowledge is king. Thanks to you and the other David for the discussion. It probably helped some folks.