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Authentic 1948 Ted Williams Leaf card?

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lovinlife

New member
Oct 19, 2017
1
0
I am looking at a 1948 Ted Williams Leaf card and wondering if it is a fake.
I don't have another card to compare it to. There is dots on the picture that are not on the borders and shading so that makes me think it is authentic.
The problem is the color of the border. It does not seem yellow enough for the age of the card.
Any ideas, comments, opinions would be appreciated.
Thank you

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bstanwood

Well-known member
Sep 24, 2016
3,666
332
Mystic, CT
I'm very far from a vintage expert so take this for what it is I guess. I've looked at more than a few cards from this time period putting together some of my redsox collection and I would think a card of this age in that kind of condition would see much less yellowing based on the pure fact it was probably exposed to less light because it wasn't handled much to stay in that condition. I was looking for a decent deal on a Pesky for quite some time and I noticed the ones that had more general condition issues we're prone to more yellowing. By no means highly scientific but just a general observation I've seen with vintage.
 

swish54_99

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2012
1,160
221
I agree that the border does look awfully white. Also, the near perfect centering would be a concern to me. Cards of that vintage, while they are out there, are hard to find that centered. It also looks to be in NM or better condition. Again, a card that old, would more than likely show more wear than this one. If you have it in hand, see how the paper feels. Does it feel thick enough or is it flimsy? If flimsy feeling, it's definitely a reprint. Just my .02
 

forgerelli

Member
Apr 4, 2013
383
8
1948 Leafs are known for bad printing, paper, centering, etc. If that card is real, it's maybe the nicest one in the world.

Scott F
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
I'd say it actually looks legit. While cardboard would tend to tone over time, it's not universal. Compare it to the high-grade examples shown here.
https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/baseball-cards/1948-leaf/ted-williams-76/21590
https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/baseball-cards/1948-leaf/honus-wagner-70/21586
https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/baseball-cards/1948-leaf/mickey-harris-27/21550

The Williams has the slight registration offset of the blue, and the graininess of the black shadows looks right. They all have the same clean, very lightly off-white borders. Even on the lower-conditioned Harris, the borders are very light. I don't see anything on this one that screams fake.

Without seeing it in person, which is usually a dead giveaway, I'd say it could be worth a shot sending it to PSA.
 

KLARNOLD

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2008
1,409
147
Owensboro, KY
I just found the following info but I don't know if it is true or not. I copied and pasted this from another site:

I know this doesn't help for eBay auctions, but the easiest way to tell if a Leaf is real or not is turn it on edge. The card is made of 2 distinctly different pieces of cardboard. One gray, the other white. Reprints will not have this
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
That's interesting. Tonight I'll dig up the one Leaf card I have and take a look.
 
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