I’m a longtime collector in Woodsville, NH. On Saturday, I received a shipment of 10 supposedly vintage common cards from a firm that has excellent e-bay credentials, and with whom I’ve dealt before. The cards cover a wide range, from 1958 Topps baseball, to 1980s hockey. There’s even a Fabian card from a set that I’ve seldom seen offered, part of the many novelty sets Topps produced in that era. They are all in suspiciously pristine condition. There is not a mark, blemish or even slightly damaged corner on any of them. Forty perfect corners. The older cards, especially, don’t have a very authentic “feel” to them. They’re all “pack fresh,” and don’t appear to have ever been handled. I have e-mailed the seller, telling him I believe they are recently-produced copies of original cards, and am awaiting a reply. I may be wrong, but I’ve been handling sports cards since I bought my first pack in 1958, and these just don’t feel right. This Massachusetts-based seller offers thousnads of pages of “near mint” cards at relatively low prices, with no shipping charges. These are cards that wouldn’t seem to a target of counterfeiters. Still, if he’s selling hundreds of them … . Any advice? bobhook@juno.com
Sports Card Info 
I’m a longtime collector in Woodsville, NH. On Saturday, I received a shipment of 10 supposedly vintage common cards from a firm that has excellent e-bay credentials, and with whom I’ve dealt before. The cards cover a wide range, from 1958 Topps baseball, to 1980s hockey. There’s even a Fabian card from a set that I’ve seldom seen offered, part of the many novelty sets Topps produced in that era. They are all in suspiciously pristine condition. There is not a mark, blemish or even slightly damaged corner on any of them. Forty perfect corners. The older cards, especially, don’t have a very authentic “feel” to them. They’re all “pack fresh,” and don’t appear to have ever been handled. I have e-mailed the seller, telling him I believe they are recently-produced copies of original cards, and am awaiting a reply. I may be wrong, but I’ve been handling sports cards since I bought my first pack in 1958, and these just don’t feel right. This Massachusetts-based seller offers thousnads of pages of “near mint” cards at relatively low prices, with no shipping charges. These are cards that wouldn’t seem to a target of counterfeiters. Still, if he’s selling hundreds of them … . Any advice? bobhook@juno.com