1969 Topps - expert opinion needed

Big80s

Hello there,

I recently bought a raw lot of cards and I'm a little worried about a few discrepancies. First off, the Reggie Jackson rookie has a back that's significantly lighter than the Clemente card from the same set (scans below). From what I've seen - the Clemente back is the typical shade of pink. The Jackson appears much more pale. Is the Jackson possibly a fake? Any guidance would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

70ToppsFanatic

The Jackson RC was a heavily counterfeited card. Need to review a few notes I have on what to look
for and will get back to you on what you've scanned.

This may be of help:

Here is their guide to spotting a counterfeit 1969 Reggie Jackson Topps #260 RC:

"Many hobbyist, upon viewing this counterfeit for the first time may think they've lucked onto an unusually well-centered specimen of the Reggie Jackson rookie card. However, a slightly glossy finish on the front and an overall fuzziness to the photo should raise a warning flag to a person who has a familiarity with genuine 1969 Topps baseball cards.

While definite indicators of this card's counterfeit status can be found in the purple circle at the upper-right (a fuzziness of elements that should be printed in solid colors), it is easier to present in a black-and-white photograph the differences to be found in the letters of "ATHLETICS" at the bottom of the card.

The counterfeit exhibits the black lines around the yellow letters as a series of tiny black dots, totally unlike the solid black lines found on the genuine card.

The word "REPRINT", which appears on the back of the card shown here may not be present on all specimens of this counterfeit."

The full link is: Link

Big80s

Thank you very much!

Jeff

70ToppsFanatic

From what I can see in your scan, none of the typical issues seem to be present (and there is no "reprint" on
the back either).

If you can get a close up of the purple circle (upper right) and the Athletics at the bottom there would be
a bit more certainty.

Big80s

I really appreciate your help. I'll try to get tighter scans of those two spots tomorrow.

Jeff

jeff8877

I have seen the lighter backs where they were just faded by sun or light. Good luck.

Jeff

Big80s

Thanks, Jeff. This was my first thought, too - but would the color fade so evenly?

PowderedH2O

Yes. I've seen this happen to both baseball cards and comic books left by sellers in store windows. They lose a lot of their color and become evenly faded. Very possible that this is what happened with the Reggie.