General Forum

I'm just using this as an example, but I see many listed on Ebay as "RP" or "Reprint", but I associate reprint with the same card company re-issuing a legitimate copy, noted somewhere on the card as such (1997 Topps Stars & 2011 Topps - 60 Years of Topps), while other cards where such notation is nowhere to be found as forgery.

If that assessment is correct, I wonder why they are allowed to operate as such? Simply writing reprint on an ad does not make it legitimate in my mind.

On the one hand calling it a "reprint" may be "true" but still isn't an original card but a copy and I'd be interested in what others say here regarding this subject. I'm leaning toward forgery but I am no lawyer.

You are correct. That is a forgery. Ebay is known to not care about forgeries being listed. They get their fees no matter if the item is legit or not, so they are happy.

Forgery usually refers to something done by hand, i.e., signatures, paintings. 

99.99% of ebay "reprints" are correctly and legally called counterfeits.

Forgery. I have the Mantle from this set. The only reason I keep it is to remind myself to watch better.

These fakes bother me because while the purchaser of this card knows it is a reprint/counterfeit if they sell it they may sell it as real. Then there is the "I believe it to be real, but will list it as reprint" crap.

Found it funny in one of his negative feedbacks he mentions the guy bought an aged reprint. At least he puts forward the effort to make them look legit lol.

I'm glad this topic was brought up as it always puzzles me on eBay. I had always assumed the unmarked reprint/forgery applied to cards of high value, vintage cards from 1960s and before but as I have been working to add HOF rookie NFL cards to collection I have been amazed at how many cards from the 80s (Rice, Montana, Kelly, Elway, etc)... these cards can be had for $10-15 (ungraded) if patient and dilignet enough so to think there are many reprints for these cards too is unnerving.

Are there any key tips/tricks anyone has learned to increase their odds of spotting a reprint when only able to see a picture of card online?

Thanky you!

To add to this confusion some of the sites for telling how to identify "fakes" only mention the fakes can be identified by their printing being blurry or other printing flaws that even a real card could have. So I sometimes think some real cards get misidentified as fakes. There can't be thousands of fakes of some of these more modern common cards to just one or two real ones.

Learn what the cards look like. All the cards, not just the expensive ones. When you are familiar with how they should look, you'll know. If you're buying in person you will also be able to tell if the texture and grain of the card is correct or not...some sets even have a disctintive scent. (Although less reliable as it can be masked or removed).