Forgery T206 O'Hara N.Y. Nat'l
Written by Cycleback Press (July 28, 2000)
Recently in Chicago, a forgery of the 1909-11 T206 O'Hara N.Y. Nat'l with a
El Principe de Gales back was detected by a vintage card expert David Rudd.
Due to the quality and type of printing used, the card obviously had been
made by a printer with
professional skill. Advanced tests, however, have determined that the
printing technology, ink and cardboard stock used were all modern. Further
tests have indicated that card was intentionally and skillfully stained in
order to make the card look old.
For the collector, the forgery has the following details which distinguish
it from an original. While skillfully made, the collector familiar with
T206s should be able to detect a difference when the forgery and a genuine
card are held side by side. The forgery is slightly though noticeably
taller and wider than most T206s, and the forged image of O'Hara is less
crisp and colorful than the original. The person who bought the card in
Chicago later realized that while she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, it
just didn't look right when compared to a real T206. Under magnification,
the images of the forged O'Hara is clearly different then a genuine. The
forgery image is made up of tiny dots, On a genuine T206 the image are
made up of dots, except the dots are much larger and more irregular. Also,
the image on a genuine card is bordered by a thin black line which is solid
under magnification, while the forgery does not have such a solid line.
On the back of the forgery there is no factory information, as would appear
in small letters as would appear below 'Base Ball Series.' The lettering
on front ('O'Hara N.Y. Nat'l') is a slightly taller then genuine lettering.
Also the lettering is jet black, while genuine lettering would be dark
brown. The forgery's borders are darker than most T206s (a result of the
staining to make it look old). The forgery is glossier, both on front and
back. While the card stock of the forgery is nearly the same thickness as
a genuine, it is much more rigid, almost a plastic-like appearance.
Finally the forgery is more opaque than a genuine T206. This means that
when up side by side to a desk lamp or flashlight, more light shines
through the forgery than a genuine T206. This indicates a difference in
card stock.
It must be noted that unlike most forgeries, the lettering on the front
and the lettering and design on the back are completely solid under
magnification, just like an original. This means that the forger was
skilled and totally redesigned the text and back design. This also
explains why the front lettering is different and the factory text on the
back is missing, and that the forger didn't do a careful enough job. Also,
since this was a professional job, it is reasonable to believe than many of
these cards were made.
As the genuine card is common, though with a rather scarce back, this shows
that not all forgeries are T206 Wagners, Goudey Ruths, Mantles and other
premium cards.
SIDE NOTE:
T206 O'Hara N.Y. Nat'l unlike the tougher verison of O'Hara St. Louis Nat'l,
O'Hara St. Louis Nat'l can only be found with Polar Bear advertisement.
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