My '59 Hank Aaron was an Imposter and I Didn't Know it for Years!

PSARich

I decided to go through a bunch of 1950's baseball I have in my ungraded sets to see if there were some I wanted to send in with my next PSA submission. One was what I appeared to be a very nice 1959 Hank Aaron probably in Ex to Ex-Mint condition. It was nicely centered so I was thinking why not get it graded? I was at the kitchen table because of the great light above it which is good for viewing cards and it provides lots of room to spread things out. As I lay the Aaron down and reached for the next card I knocked over a very big glass of water right on to the 1959 Aaron. (Broken rule: never have any kind of liquid near you when looking over cards!). I then raced for a kitchen towel to try and minimize the damage and when I got back I noticed the front of the Arron is bleeding all over the place. The card is right in the middle of the water puddle and dissolving before my very eyes. I remove it from the water and dry it off, then let it dry. The front and back of the card shrank when it dried, revealing some kind of silver foil between them that was probably used as a type of adhesive. Interesting that the back didn't run.

I bought the card some years ago, probably at a card show. Guessing it cost me $50-$60 but don't know for sure. For all these years I thought I had a nice Aaron but the truth is now out there for all to see. I owned a fake and I must say a pretty good one as I never was suspicious. I believe I am now very good at evaluating cards before I make purchases but back then I apparently had a lot to learn. Another lesson learned about the vintage card part of our hobby.

Frozencaribou

That is an unfortunate story and the most unique and bizarre way of finding out you have a fake card. I know that moment of dread, mostly when I've dropped a valuable card I was looking at. Watching it careen towards the floor is a feeling like few others.

-Nathanael

itzagoner

thanks for the tip Rich. i just threw my entire raw collection in the jacuzzi. if none dissolve, then everything is cool, no?

mlbfan2

Weird. Do you have a "before" picture?

mattinglymint23

Are you sure it wasn't the 59 Aaron ton foil super reactor 1/1?
But seriously, sorry to hear.

handyman

Crazy. Never heard anything like that before. So your saying it was exactly what type of fake? Printed and then put on a striped 1959 card? Very strange story.
Sucks you got taken. But if it was real you would still have a rouined card bc of the error. But the error works in your favore now as it turned up a fake. It was faith my man.

frankhardy

<< <i>thanks for the tip Rich. i just threw my entire raw collection in the jacuzzi. if none dissolve, then everything is cool, no? >>



That got a laugh out of me AND my wife.

That is a very interesting way to find out you have a fake.