Strange looking pre-war cards on ebay

[tbob]

I may be mistaken but I believe the seller has a bunch of Fatima reprints on ebay listed as authentic. What's strange is that the fronts of the different cards look black and white but the scan of the back looks real. I think he has used the same back scan for all cards. I could be wrong but I think there is a red flag here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-T200-19...d=p3286.c0.m14

[FrankWakefield]

I agree with the red flag...

[jcmtiger]

They may be reprints of fakes, but the scanned backs are all different.

Joe

[Jason Carota]

I saw those as well. This one really raised a red flag:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-T200-19...d=p3911.c0.m14



The font looks blue.

are Fatimas printed on a thin card stock???

[V117collector]

Sorry OT moved to ~ Boston Store and Collins McCarthy Variations Thread!

[steve B]

Yes, very thin. I'd call it more of a thick photo paper. And it's usually pretty brittle.

Which is part of what makes these look wrong. To be stained that badly, but to also have no creases or cracks, no loss of the surface and sharp corners is just weird. I'm not saying it couldn't be, but a couple of them really look like photo reproductions that have been exposed to coffee or something.

Of course I'm comparing to a small sample of the two I own, one team and one player. Both of which are pretty beat, but not stained.

Still not quite sure on these, part of me says fake, part of me says not fake, but I can't think why. The sellers history gives no clues either. Some books, a doll, a calendar, and a bunch of "private auctions" where there's no info about the item.
The fatima reprints are actually someone elses.

Steve

[FrankWakefield]

T200s, the little ones, are photographic paper. Not card stock, not even thick photo paper... just photo paper. They're very thin, and fragile.

[ethicsprof]

I say red flag as well.

and with Frank, i would underscore that they are very fragile, thin, photo paper. i have 12 different teams and have to protect them most carefully.

best,
barry

I actually spoke with the seller and told her to send the cards to SGC for grading. She described the same thing about them. She said they were not like cards but just old photos and very thin. Maybe they are real??? She says she has some other older photos that were with these cards of Sisler and Ruth. Who knows but hopefully they are good for her then.

[Anthony S.]

Remember that clown, Marketkingman? He sold a bunch of fakes back in the first few months of 2008 that he had created himself. Among those fakes were several T200 and T222 Fatimas. He was selling them out of Florida.

Originally Posted by Anthony S.

Remember that clown, Marketkingman? He sold a bunch of fakes back in the first few months of 2008 that he had created himself. Among those fakes were several T200 and T222 Fatimas. He was selling them out of Florida.

Ironically enough this is where these are located. They were found in a storage locker with a bunch of old photos. That is the story anyways

[kcohen]

Anybody know what happened?

She is sending them to SGC for Grading. As I said in a previous post here I spoke with her about these cards and told her that they are questionable to say the least and that if she had them graded and they were real to relist them after otherwise you are misleading without knowing wether they are real or not. She agreed so she pulled the listings I guess today.

[ethicsprof]

great work, Andrew!

best,
barry

[a4beach]

I am the one that was selling the Fatimas on ebay. Did not know it would cause such a stir. Anyway, we will find out the validity of the cards in a few weeks as I have sent them off for grading and I will update you guys. If they are fake, maybe I found the Clown's stash. lol Seriously, thanks for the heads up and I will post the outcome. April

[tbob]

April- I think you definitely did the right thing. If they get graded they will bring you 5x the money you would have received. The problem I see is that the front scans look identical to the reprints which have been sold on ebay. I am only 3 from completing the set so sent off for the NY AL, St.L AL and St.L NL reprint cards to be "placeholders" and they look identical to your front in terms of color, texture, etc. The back scans are what is throwing me as they appear more like the real thing than the fronts.
Good luck and hopefully we'll see them on ebay again.
tbob

[ethicsprof]

Bob M, i'm now 3 away from completing the set and lack the same ones that you do.
have you waited an eternity to find the right ones at the right price?
i have.
your reprint idea as an interim approach is making me think---did it help you keep your patience?

best,
barry

[tbob]

Hi Barry. Yes, the cards are in toploaders filed along with the slabbed rest of the set. The reprints are really nice looking, whoever made them did a much better job than the reprints you see of T205s, 206s etc. I now concentrate on other cards I need while I wait for decent examples of these 3 to show up on ebay

[murcerfan]

April.
If the ink on the back is not black...and if you hold them at an oblique angle to a light and do not see what looks like "embossing" (albeit slight) of the back printing through the paper and front image.....you are not holding the real McCoy.

maybe save some $$ and just send one or two off for grading, presuming there were more than that.

thanks for being honest either way!

[ethicsprof]

sounds like a great plan, Bob.
many thanks,buddy.

best,
barry