Reprint cards are reproductions of original baseball cards that were printed many years after the original issue date. There are several tells that can help identify reprints:
Paper stock – Real vintage cards were printed on thinner paper that has aged and yellowed over the decades. Reprints are usually printed on thicker, whiter modern card stock that doesn’t have the same texture as vintage cards. The paper used for reprints does not properly replicate the feel and look of aged cardboard from the original years.
Image quality – Original cards from the 1950s and earlier have worn images that have lost some definition and clarity over 60+ years. Reprint images look much crisper and clearer, without the wear you’d expect to see on a true vintage card. The photo reproduction quality is usually too sharp.
Color accuracy – Colors on vintage cards have faded considerably since original issue dates. reprints often have colors that look too vibrant and true to the original photograph, without the proper fading over time. Colors should be muted on real vintage cards.
Glossiness – Reprint cards are often printed with a noticeable modern sheen or gloss to them that vintage cards lack due to loss of coating after years of handling. Vintage cards have a natural matte finish.
Registration/centering – Vintage cards were mass produced quickly and have centering, color registration and cut quality issues that reprints lack. Authentic vintage cards will have these minor flaws while reprints are perfectly centered without any production defects.
Edges – Check the edges of reprint cards. They are often too perfectly cut compared to authentic vintage cards. Older cards have worn, frayed or discolored edges that reprints lack due to modern printing advances.
Card stock stiffness – Authentic old cardboard is flexible and soft after decades stored in attics, basements and shoeboxes. Reprint stock is too rigid and stiff with no give when bent compared to real vintage.
Card finish/condition – Reprints are flawless out of the package while real vintage cards show wear like creases, stains, scratches or writing that has accumulated naturally through the years. Reprints lack these organic aging signs.
Text quality – Reprint text is often toocrisp and clean compared to the muted,less defined look of faded, vintage card wording that has dulled over 50+years. Text on reprints can also lack centering issues seen on originals.
There are also signs on the back such as a crisp, clear copyright date that is very noticeably reprinted compared to an aged, worn copyright seen on real vintage cards. Reprints also have better color registration between the front and back compared to true vintage cards.
Another important tell is confirming the exact card design. Reprints usually replicate only the most popular and expensive card designs. But many true vintage cards have more obscure, less valuable designs that are rarely worth the cost of reprinting in today’s market. Finding an online listing or database image of an exact card for sale can help authenticate the specific design.
No single aspect rules out a card as a reprint – it takes examining multiple factors and getting a feel for the combined signs of aged cardboard through handling authentic vintage. But noticing differences in paper, images, color, edges, text and condition are great starting points to determine the true vintage status of nearly six decades worth of baseball cards currently on the market. Taking time to become familiar with these reprint red flags through comparison of known authentic examples can save buyers money and lead to wiser vintage baseball card collecting decisions long term.
