Card of the Day: Spin Williams 1988 ProCards Harrisburg Senators #839

Card of the Day: Moises Alou 1990 ProCards Harrisburg Senators #1204

Card of the Day: Cubbie Bear 1988 ProCards Iowa Cubs #554

Card of the Day: Lenny Randle 1987 ProCards Waterloo Indians #1064

Card of the Day: Gordie Walker 1989-90 ProCards AHL #22

Card of the Day: Rockett Wheeler 1986 ProCards Syracuse Chiefs #26

Card of the Day: Chris Lombardozzi 1989 ProCards Cedar Rapids Reds #935

How To Spot A Fake Greg Maddux 1986 ProCards Pittsfield Cubs Card

A key card that any Greg Maddux collector can add to his or her collection is his 1986 ProCards Pittsfield Cubs MiLB card.  Valued at $70-$100, this is one of the earliest cards to feature the 2014 Hall of Fame inductee.

BE ON ALERT FOR COUNTERFEITS!  They’ve been making the rounds.

Here is an example of an authentic card:

ProCards were cheaply manufactured, which resulted in a minor defect in the printing of his last name.  The “DD” in his last name are slightly cut off at the bottom.  Every authentic card has the same defect.

Here is an example of a counterfeit card:

Not only is the font different, but the “DD” in his last name are completely in tact.  The “DD” on an authentic example have flat bottoms, where on the counterfeit you can see a curve.

Card of the Day: 1987 ProCards Macon Pirates Mascot

How To Spot A Fake Ken Griffey, Jr. 1988 ProCards Vermont Mariners Card

“The Kid” has one of the largest collecting bases in the hobby.  His rookies from Topps, Bowman, Donruss, and Upper Deck will always be at the core of any collection.

Before Ken Griffey, Jr. had rookie cards made by the major manufacturers in 1989, he had a handful of minor league cards issued first.  Some of these minor league “rookies” have more of a demand than any traditional rookie card featuring him in a Seattle Mariners uniform.  Like almost everything, it comes down to rarity and condition.

Although its not his most valuable minor league card, Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 1988 ProCards Vermont Mariners #NNO is still one collectors like to own.  This was his last minor league card.  ProCards made a 27-card set for the Vermont Mariners in 1988.  That set did not contain a Griffey.  A Ken Griffey, Jr. card was issued later on that year as a promotional piece.  Compared to the regular set, the Griffey card is basically the same except it has a very distinct red border, and doesn’t have a card number.  The main set has a silver border.

Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 1988 ProCards Vermont Mariners #NNO is one of his most affordable minor league cards.  But you still need to be careful when buying one.  Whether they were reissued a few years later or just straight up counterfeit, many non-authentic versions of this card exist.

To the untrained eye, its very easy to mistake a non-authentic card for the real thing.  Pictured above is an authentic card.  Below is a counterfeit.  Real examples have terrible centering.  Fake ones almost always have good centering.  Take a look at the text on the real card.  The words “KEN GRIFFEY OF” are printed in small/bold font.  Those same words on the fake card are printed using slightly larger font that isn’t bold.  Thicker font was also used on the fake card for the words “VERMONT MARINERS”.  The space between the bottom of the real card and the words “VERMONT MARINERS” is much larger too versus the fake one.