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NEED HELP on Determining Whether Real or Reprint: 1933 Babe Ruth Goudey Sport Kings

warrencenterwarrencenter Posts: 133
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Hi,

Hope someone in the forum can help me out on this one. I am considering bidding on a 1933 Ruth Goudey Sport Kings at a local country auction this weekend (May 3). However, I have not seen the card yet and I am concerned it might be a reprint. I took a look at the cards recently sold on eBay and about half were originals and half were reprints. All but one of the reprints had "reprint" and the year on the back bottom of the card...but one did not (the seller stated it was a reprint). Is there any failsafe way to actually determine whether a card is an original vs. a reprint?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Jerry
eBay ID: warrencenter

Comments

  • BobSBobS Posts: 1,738 ✭✭
    Take an authentic 1933 Sport Kings with you for comparison. If the card is in a screw down or other holder, insist it be removed for inspection first. If you are not comfortable with the Sport Kings issues, STAY AWAY. Tons of reprints out there, many very good.
  • stevekstevek Posts: 30,406 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Hi,

    Hope someone in the forum can help me out on this one. I am considering bidding on a 1933 Ruth Goudey Sport Kings at a local country auction this weekend (May 3). However, I have not seen the card yet and I am concerned it might be a reprint. I took a look at the cards recently sold on eBay and about half were originals and half were reprints. All but one of the reprints had "reprint" and the year on the back bottom of the card...but one did not (the seller stated it was a reprint). Is there any failsafe way to actually determine whether a card is an original vs. a reprint?

    Thanks in advance for any help,
    Jerry >>



    The odds of that card being a reprint in a "local country auction" has to be as close to 100% as mathematically possible.
  • yankeeno7yankeeno7 Posts: 9,253 ✭✭✭
    bring a loupe and check the print/ink on the card. And like bob said, nice to have something for comparison so you know if its too glossy or a different paper stock.
  • Ladder7Ladder7 Posts: 1,221 ✭
    "Dead man walkin'"

    This has disaster written all over it, but I reckon we've to learn from our mistakes.

    Get all the info on the seller. If it is real, possibly stolen or altered/trimmed?
    Don't bid unless the seller signs a note of guaranteed authenticity. Ask for a license and use a credit card!

    In the meanwhile look at all the PSA, SGC, BVG graded SKs you can -there's tons in Google/Images... That way, a fake will stick out like a sore thumb.

    Post a scan here if you win it. Steve F
    some cards
  • warrencenterwarrencenter Posts: 133
    First of all, I would like to thank all the folks that have quickly responded to my question. I just called the part-time "country" auctioneer 10 mins ago and he said I could drive over after lunch today to look at the card. I will bring my digital camera along and if possible get a picture of the card and post it here on the forum. I know this is risky business, but there is a big upside in the risk. Just for chuckles I included below a scan of the advertisement in the local newspaper (I didn't include the name and phone number of the auctioneer). The Ruth card is about halfway down under collectibles.

    Jerry

    image
    eBay ID: warrencenter
  • stevekstevek Posts: 30,406 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>First of all, I would like to thank all the folks that have quickly responded to my question. I just called the part-time "country" auctioneer 10 mins ago and he said I could drive over after lunch today to look at the card. I will bring my digital camera along and if possible get a picture of the card and post it here on the forum. I know this is risky business, but there is a big upside in the risk. Just for chuckles I included below a scan of the advertisement in the local newspaper (I didn't include the name and phone number of the auctioneer). The Ruth card is about halfway down under collectibles.

    Jerry

    image >>




    Right in between the toy truck and the pail - LOL

    I can't think of a bigger waste of time than going over there to check out that card, especially when you don't really know what you are doing - there are some dam good reprints out there of cards like this.

    Lemme tell you something about these "auctioneers" and guys like this - they know the value of basically every little collectable out there and he for sure, no doubt about it, knows the exact value of a baseball card such as this. It ain't real...but even if it was real...he's gonna shill up the price anyway as all, I mean ALL, of these types of auctions have multiple shills in the audience - every one of them.

    But of course you're gonna go there anyway. Even more fun than photographing the card, which I know is fake anyway, it would be fun, if he does one, to hear his lying "sales pitch" about the card. LOL


    -
  • yankeeno7yankeeno7 Posts: 9,253 ✭✭✭
    Well, I dont think it is impossible that a real one could pop up in an estate auction. It's at least worth taking a look.
  • GuruGuru Posts: 3,127
    If it's real, more than likely it's trimmed. image
  • stevekstevek Posts: 30,406 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Well, I dont think it is impossible that a real one could pop up in an estate auction. It's at least worth taking a look. >>




    Nope not impossible I agree, but it either wouldn't be advertised this way, or every card shop in the area would have been notified with a postcard that this card is for auction. I receive these auction notices in the mail on a regular basis.

    Also, I know a guy who used to do auctions like this for many years. Generally, if it's cost effective, they flood the surrounding area with postcards announcing the auction. It's not as though Jerry is gonna be the only one who knows about this card.

    Yes, not impossible, but I'd say the odds of that card being genuine is near to impossible, and the odds of getting any sort of "deal" on the card if it is genuine, actually in my opinion would be impossible.



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  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    "...I mean ALL, of these types of auctions have multiple shills in the audience - every one of them...."

    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    Depend on it.

    Such auctions are to legitimate-auctions, as pro-wrestling is to olympic-wrestling.
    Scamarama on steroids.

    Folks who live in small cities/towns can find deals. Here is how:

    Go to the local newspaper and have them make you a tiny display ad. (Reverse-type
    works best.) Body Copy:

    INSTANT CASH
    We BUY
    Baseball Cards ** Football Cards
    High Prices Paid
    Phone#
    INSTANT CASH

    Run the ad as many days per-week as you can fund.
    Thur/Fri/Sat is usually best. EVERYDAY is better.

    Your phone will ring off the hook. MOST calls will be
    for total carp. SOME will be homeruns. GUARANTEED.
    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • bifff257bifff257 Posts: 751 ✭✭
    Hey Jerry,

    I wish you luck and hope it turns out for the best but I tend to agree with stevek on this one.


  • stevekstevek Posts: 30,406 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Hey Jerry,

    I wish you luck and hope it turns out for the best but I tend to agree with stevek on this one. >>




    Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling the OP is going to have to learn the lesson the "hard way" - I do understand the "thrill & excitement" of possibly finding a tremendous value such as this, but this isn't the circumstance whereby that is going to happen.

    Oh well, we tried to warn him, and the OP is probably gonna p*ss away a few hundred dollars on a reprint...the same type of "mentality" whereby folks get scammed on ebay every day on phony baseball cards and other collectables.


    -
  • warrencenterwarrencenter Posts: 133
    Well, I took a ride over to the auctioneer to see the Babe Ruth Goudey Sport Kings card...and the advice you guys gave to me was right on (especially SteveK)!! Based on what I have learned today, the card is definitely a reprint. I attached some pictures below of the front of the card plus the dead giveaway corner (which is missing part of the top ribbon around Sport Kings Gum). Some one else had looked at the card earlier and said it was probably worth $1000-2000. I feel like going to the auction just to hear the bidding. It wasn't a completely wasted trip. The auctioneer said another card had "fallen out of the box" and it turned out to be a raw 1948 Bowman Bob Feller...probably would grade PSA 2 or 3 (picture below). That one might be worth bidding $5-10 on.

    Anyway, thanks again for your help...
    Jerry

    imageimage

    image
    eBay ID: warrencenter
  • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭
    yeah the background color is a giveaway on that ruth too..

    another thing to look at is the back, on a lot of originals, you can see the red ribbon bleeding through to the back a little bit..
    ·p_A·
  • KbKardsKbKards Posts: 1,782 ✭✭✭
    There's reprints of that Feller card out there too and that ones looks a little too white.
  • fkwfkw Posts: 1,766 ✭✭
    The R338 Ruth above is 100% a reprint.

    You found one of the easier ways to tell with that particular type of reprint (cropped banner corner). They needed to crop the entire picture when designing the reprint (so there will not be print dots in the white border when they rescreened the car).

    The Ruth reprint card is the only one that has that part of the banner cropped that way (so you cant use that with the other cards in set). Other ways to tell R338 reprints, the white letters under close examination will have print dots in the white (making the letters darker overall compared to the pure white border), The distance between certain objects (silhouettes, logos, etc.), and the border will be narrower. The dark areas of the face (shadows) will be darker overall compared to an authentic card.
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