The trading card and sports collectibles market has been growing in terms of value, volume of transactions, and number of cards being submitted for grading. Unfortunately, this market has no oversight or regulation. It’s up to you to make sure the cards you’re buying are real.
This blog covers some of the most common types of fake and altered vintage cards and the telltale signs to look for in card stock, printing patterns, aging, and condition. It also breaks down which high-value cards counterfeiters target most often, how third-party authentication can help, and the red flags to watch for when buying from dealers, auction houses, or online sellers.
Common Types of Fake and Counterfeit Baseball Cards and Sports Trading Cards
Because fake sports trading cards can take several forms, knowing how a card has been reproduced or altered is the first step in knowing what to look for.
Iconic Cards Are Common Targets for Counterfeiters
The most common reprints and forgeries I see represent “iconic” and/or valuable cards.
For example, the T206 Honus Wagner is considered to be the “holy grail” of baseball cards. Because of this notoriety, hundreds of thousands of counterfeits are for sale at estate sales and flea markets every weekend across the country. Many reprints of this card will state so on the reverse.
Is Your Michael Jordan Rookie Card Real?
The 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie is another iconic card that is frequently forged or reprinted. Fortunately, there are several details that can help you identify a fake baseball card. A real 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie will have several key indicators of authenticity:
- A real Jordan rookie on the reverse will have a white dot above the word “corp.”
- The real Jordan will have the reverse red color, always darker red on the top and lighter red on the bottom.
- The Bull’s eyes on the reverse will always show the eye pupils. If not, the card is a reprint or forgery.
- There is always a dot (.) for the 27.2 point average total
- The arrow on the front, which is located right next to the word premier, should always look orange.
How to Spot Trimmed, Altered, and Doctored Cards
A significant portion of the value of a trading card is tied to the condition of the card. Edges, corners, centering, and surface are vital in determining value:
- Edges: The condition of the four sides of the card, including any chipping, roughness, wear, or damage.
- Corners: The sharpness and condition of the card’s four corners, including rounding, fraying, bends, or other wear.
- Centering: How evenly the printed image and borders are positioned on the card from left to right and top to bottom.
- Surface: The condition of the front and back of the card, including scratches, creases, stains, discoloration, or other imperfections.
Because condition can have such a significant impact on value, some people trim cards to make the corners appear sharper or color in borders or corners to “enhance” their condition.
It’s always best to bring a ruler to measure card dimensions and a loupe (a small, handheld magnifying lens used to inspect fine details) or magnifying glass to look for imperfections, especially around the edges and corners.
How Card Stock Can Reveal a Fake Vintage Card
The paper itself is an important factor in determining the authenticity of a card. Vintage cards, especially pre-1950, were printed on paper stock that is impossible to buy today. You can’t recreate the look and feel of that paper. Additionally, paper oxidizes at a certain rate over time. Counterfeiters sometimes try to replicate this natural aging by “baking” cards in an oven to make them look old. However, experts never fall for these tactics because they know what to look for.
When examining the trading card, look closely at:
- Weight: Does the card feel unusually heavy or light?
- Thickness: Does the card stock seem unusually thick or thin?
- Texture: Does the paper look and feel naturally aged, or does it seem too smooth, glossy, or modern?
These characteristics can help reveal a counterfeit that otherwise looks convincing.
How Printing Patterns Can Reveal a Fake Card
The printing and paper stock of a vintage card can offer important clues about whether it’s authentic. Look closely for these two elements:
- Uniformity: Under high-powered magnification, the printing on authentic pre-war (pre-1939) cards will have a highly irregular shape. If you see dots that are uniform in shape and neatly lined up in a dot-matrix pattern, the card is likely fake.
- Glow: Brighteners weren’t added to paper stock until after World War II. Brighteners didn’t exist. If a pre-WWII card has a noticeable “glow,” it may be a fake.
How Counterfeiters Make Baseball Cards Look Old
Counterfeiters are getting better and better at artificially aging cards to make them look authentic. It’s their full-time job to trick you. Some common tactics include:
- Artificial baking: Sticking a card in a hot oven to darken the card stock and make it look old.
- Tea staining: Soaking a card in tea to turn the card stock yellow or dark off-white.
- Chemical toning: Using chemicals to artificially age or alter the appearance of a card.
Regardless of the method used, there’s one important thing to look for: Does the entire card look consistent? If so, the card may be fake. A real vintage card ages inconsistently. It might be lighter in some areas and darker in others. The entire card should not necessarily have the same color or appearance.
How to Spot a Tampered or Counterfeit Graded Card
Just because you visit a card show and see a graded card you want to buy doesn’t mean the card is legit. There are still a few things you need to check:
- Check the certification number: Always visit the third-party grading company’s website and enter the corresponding cert number. A card might have been recently stolen and somehow ended up at the card show, so checking the cert number is an important first step.
- Look closely at the slab: Card slabs have been cracked open and inferior cards inserted in their place. For example, someone might crack open a PSA 8 slab and replace the card with an inferior example. Look closely at the edges. “Frosting” can be a dead giveaway that the case has been tampered with.
- Inspect the label: Slab labels are also being reprinted using the same or similar font styles as PSA and other leading grading companies. Counterfeiters can insert an inferior-looking card into a slab with a fake label that uses a real certification number.
And remember: A cert number coming up as real on the grading company’s website does not guarantee that the card in front of you is the card that was originally graded. That’s why you need to check the cert number, slab, label, and card itself.
Most Vintage Cards Are Not High Grade!
Most vintage cards are not high-grade cards. They weren’t collected or stored in ways that preserved their condition. If I’m going through a collection of cards and they all look to be in high grade, I need to take a second pass and make sure I am not missing any hint of a counterfeit or reprint. The reason why high-grade vintage cards are valuable is that there aren’t a lot of them in high grade.
Top 10 Most Faked Baseball Cards
Counterfeiters tend to target iconic, high-value cards because that’s where there is the most money to be made. After decades of examining vintage sports cards, these are some of the cards I see forged, counterfeited, or reproduced most often:
- 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan
- 1985 Star #101 Michael Jordan
- 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle
- 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig cards
- 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle
- T206 Honus Wagner
- 1914 and 1915 Cracker Jack baseball cards
- 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente
- 1939 Play Ball #92 Ted Williams
- 1948 Leaf #79 Jackie Robinson
Seeing one of these cards doesn’t mean it’s fake, but it should give you a reason to look more closely. If you’re considering buying one of these high-value cards and have any doubts about its authenticity, it’s always best to ask an expert before spending the money.
Authentication: Your Best Line of Defense
You can learn to spot many of the warning signs of a fake baseball card or trading card, but there is no replacement for having a card professionally reviewed. Third-party grading and authentication provide your strongest line of defense against counterfeits, alterations, and fraud.
Why Professional Card Grading Matters
Decades ago, you would walk into a trading card show with hundreds of dealers, and the cards they were selling were not graded. You had to blindly trust what the dealer told you. Today, third-party grading services such as PSA provide an independent assessment of a card’s condition and assign it a grade. That gives both the buyer and seller a much clearer understanding of the card’s condition and potential market value.
But not every raw card is worth grading. As PSA’s Lead Appraiser, I review raw cards every day and help clients determine which cards, if any, should be submitted for grading. There is a financial cost to having each card graded, so the goal is to make sure grading will actually benefit the client and the value of the collection.
Ready to have your collection appraised? Contact Baseball in the Attic today.
Buying Baseball Cards: Practical Tips to Protect Yourself
When buying vintage baseball cards, knowing who you are buying from and recognizing the red flags of a bad deal can help protect you from fakes, forgeries, and scams.
Vetting Dealers, Online Sellers, and Auction Sources
When buying a card in person or on eBay, it’s always best to buy from a reputable person who has been in the business a long time. Somebody with no feedback or a store that just opened up in your town may not be the best option for you.
Some questions to ask before buying include:
- How does this card compare to others you have seen?
- Did PSA recently grade this, or is it an old slab from decades ago?
- Is there a money-back guarantee? What is the return policy?
Red Flags When Buying Baseball Cards
Be very cautious if you’re buying a card on eBay from a seller who has zero feedback and just created an account. If a seller is using stock images and not the actual item being sold, run for the hills.
If a price is too good to be true, it probably is. And if you feel pressured into buying something, don’t buy it. There is probably a reason you’re being pressured to hurry up and make the purchase.
What to Do If You Suspect a Fake Baseball Card
If you suspect a fake or think you might be involved in a “bad” deal, just walk away. Regardless of how far you have negotiated, walk away.
There are experts and, depending on the value, even the grading company that can inspect the card and verify its authenticity. There are also sports card communities on Facebook and Instagram that are always trying to shut down the bad guys and get them reported.
Make sure you keep diligent notes about what happened and report suspected scams to these groups. We all need to band together to combat reprints, forgeries, and scammers.
Not Sure If Your Baseball Card Is Real?
If you have a vintage baseball card or collection and aren’t sure what you have, I can help. With more than 30 years in the hobby and as the Lead Appraiser at PSA, I work directly with collectors to evaluate sports cards and understand their value.
Contact Baseball in the Attic today and start the conversation.
