Judging the Authenticity of Early Baseball Cards

by David Rudd Cycleback

Chapter 20 : Provenance

(c) cycleback 2003, 2005 all rights reserved

Provenance is where something came from and who owned it, examined it or handled it along the way. When we hear the word we often think of the sale of the sale of a millions dollar Modigliani painting or George Custer's military uniform and not baseball cards. However, good provenance is relevant to judging the authenticity of a card. Good provenance includes that a rare card was verifiably sold by a respected dealer or auction house or was otherwise judged authentic by someone knowledgeable. A card that is entombed and graded by a top grader is an example of good provenance. The label above the card documents that card was examined in person by the company. Top graders and sellers make mistakes like everyone else, so provenance in and of itself does not prove authenticity. However, if a good dealer believes the card is authentic and you, as an expert collector agree, the card is more than likely authentic. "The card looks good to me plus I bought it from a reputable seller" is always a good combination. Good provenance can be considered the equivalent of a good second opinion. The more expensive and the less your familiarity with a card, the more important the provenance. Many sellers of counterfeits make up histories for the cards. It's amazing how many recently made reprints supposedly came from the collection of the seller's long deceased grandfather. One reason I try to buy from honest people is because they're honest. If a seller you know to be honest says he got baseball signed in person by Willie Mays, that's because he got the ball signed in person by Willie Mays. And if he says the poster came from Sotheby's auction lot #882, you know the poster came from Sotheby's lot #882. cycleback.com................conceits main (c) david rudd cycleback, cyclback.com all rights reserved

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