Black-bordered bummer

Elemenopeo

I was preparing some cards for submission today when I took a closer look at some black-bordered tobacco cards I bought on eBay a couple months ago -- and found a whole lotta this on the edges...



Looks like a paint job to me. I guess I was just blinded by their beauty when they first arrived and didn't look beneath the surface, as it were. Should've known they were too good to be true. I already left the seller positive feedback -- impossible to know if he was the culprit, anyway. The really sad part is that these cards are otherwise in fantastic condition. Now, they're crap.

Estil

Wow, I guess I'll have to watch out for that once I'm ready (eventually) to get a 1971 Topps set.

nightcrawler

Some people are so ignorant??? Grrr.

That's a real bummer.

jmbkb4

overzealous inking of the cards at the Topps factory?

Ahmanfan

what am I looking at here?

envoy98

you're looking at black sharpie that leaked through to the edges and back of the card. Common on 71 Topps baseball, 85 Topps football and 95 SP football.

mikeschmidt

but what card is this?

T218s? Mayos?

Elemenopeo

Sorry I was a bit vague on the details. The scan at the top is a blown-up view of the edge of the card, almost head-on. You can see the ink or whatever kind of added coloration it is seeping through from the front of the card almost through to the back.

The cards are T25s, circa 1911, a 50-card set featuring prominent actors of the 19th century. Here's one of the 7 that I found to be touched-up.

Morgoth

Cool card, bummer it is restored. Could go for an Authentic grade maybe.