Counterfeit Card Alert: Beware of Fake R423′s

A few days ago Beckett issued another counterfeit card alert.  This time it deals with the 1950's R423 cards that look like postage stamps.  Last week Andy Broome of Beckett Grading Services issued the following detailed warning to collectors who are thinking about purchasing any vintage R423 baseball cards:

Counterfeit is on the left.

This tiny card issue has been looked over by collectors for many years. Measuring in at 1-5/8x 1-7/8", it is easy to see why. These cards are dwarfed by a postage stamp. The cards feature a black and white photoengraved image on the front and a generic game-like back that can be found in different colors like red, green, blue and purple. The cards were issued in either 13-card strips or separated by the perforations and sold individually, most likely through bubblegum machines.

Director of Grading Mark Anderson has brought to light yet another counterfeit example. The examples BGS have are 3 times thicker than an original R423. While an original weighs a mere 0.05grams, the fakes we have weigh in at 0.15grams. The fake cards are on a very bright white stock as opposed to the original stock which is a slicker, more off-white stock. Original cards will have perforations on either one or both sides of the card. The counterfeit cards have smooth edges with no perforations. Under a loupe, it is obvious the fakes have been printed with a computer. The quality is quite poor and is not even close when compared to the tell-tale characteristics of photoengraving found on an authentic example.

If you have studied T206 cards under a loupe, you no doubt are familiar with the “rind effect" of the type found in the players name and team name. The images on the fronts of the R423 are made up of tiny dots of ink that will have that rind effect. The fakes will not have this printing characteristic. The fact that issues like the 1951 R423's are now being counterfeited is disturbing.

These counterfeits prove that there are no limits to what can be faked and should serve as a warning to collectors who buy raw cards online, sight unseen.

– Andy Broome, BGS Grading"

Andrew Chrisman runs Sports Card Info, http://sportscardinfo.wordpress.com/
A blog that provides hobby news, stories, thoughts, and fake card information.