Buying Ungraded T206's on Ebay

[marvjung]

Originally Posted by jabiloxi

Hey guys,

I actually usually collect 1930's-1941 pre war issues and am fairly knowledgeable about the material from these years. However, I was wondering what people here think about buying ungraded T206's on Ebay and the cost comparison to buying them graded. Also, what do people here look for to avoid the possibility of purchasing altered or fake examples. I have never purchased ungraded T206's and am currently looking at some auctions. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

Hey there Joe - I'm relatively new to the T206's as well and I think I'm the only one here that reads random, archived threads from Net54; I do so to simply learn - the things to look for in cards, etc. and I'm quite proud to say that I've learned a tremendous amount in a short period of time from this board and the links that members provide.

There are quite a few T206 websites that I refer too (sorry, I'm at work, would link them here, but the links are all on the home comp), and I've voiced several times that my biggest worry was spending money on knock-offs or fakes. If you look on Ebay now, for example, there's a seller on ebay, 925caliboy999, that's selling a lot of great T206 - the problem? He's using pictures from previous auctions from OTHER sellers.

There's another one going on right now where items are clearly reprints (for example, an easy one to spot, a Sovereign back that's in black and white). I know from reading up on several boards and websites, those backs should be green.

I recently purchased a McGraw with a Tolstoi back (for some strange reason, I chase the rare backs, not sure why ) and I looked over the pics, looked over the sellers feedback, looked at the pics again, looked at the pictures, referred to a couple of websites....then after being satisfied, I pulled the trigger; I got it at one heck of a great price.

Just stay vigilant and spotting fakes or altered cards right off the bat will become easier, as it has for me.

Now, the VERY well done fakes...well...that's another story.....Trust me, no one ever wants to get "Channed."