There are several things to examine when authenticating baseball cards to determine if they are real or fake. Often fakes have subtle differences from real cards, so it takes a trained eye to spot them. Some things to carefully inspect include:

The Cardstock – Real vintage baseball cards are printed on thicker cardstock than modern cards. Fakes often use thinner cardstock that doesn’t have the same rigidity and texture of authentic vintage cards. Feel the thickness and rigidity of the cardstock and compare it to a known real card from the same era.

Color and Clarity of Photos – Photos on authentic vintage cards will have a slight color variance depending on age and condition. Fake photos often appear too perfectly sharp and high resolution or have unnaturally saturated colors. Real photos shows signs of aging over time. Use a magnifying glass to inspect for pixelation or flaws in photos that shouldn’t be there.

Centering – The centering of all elements on a real card (photo, text, logos) will be consistent and the margins even all around. Fakes sometimes have elements off-center or not aligned properly. Check for even spacing around photos and text front and back.

Level of Details – Real vintage photos show more imperfections and flaws as expected from the printing quality of the time period. Fakes sometimes have elements that appear too crisp or “new”. Closely examine faces, uniforms and field backgrounds for expected levels of details or pixels based on the printing year.

Corners – Real old cards have corners that are rounded and worn from age and handling. Fakes corners are often too sharply creased or show less signs of wear. Check corners for appropriate level of smoothing and softness over time.

Gloss/Texture – The glossy coating and texture on real vintage cards is duller and shows fingerprints readily. Fakes may have an unnaturally shiny gloss or smooth texture. Check for expected faint roughness on coating that accents details.

Writing/Font – Inspect text font, coloring and thickness. Authentic cards will have fully legible text and stats not pixelated or oddly shaped letters. Text should be proportional and sizes consistent front to back as originally printed.

Card Stock Colors – Each card set from each year has telltale color variations in the cardboard stock behind the photo that fakes often don’t replicate properly. Compare hues and tones to example authentic cards from the same vintage.

Coding – Examine production code/copyright stamp and text in margins which are unique for each year. Fakes can copied but will lack subtle imprint quality or kerning issues of original presses.

Feel and Scent – Scent, hand feel and rigidity/flexibility are also clues due to aging. Old paper has a particular “antique” aroma that modern fakes lack. Flexing gently tests brittleness and curling.

Examining all of these fine details takes time but can reveal flaws in fakes through small inconsistencies across all attributes reviewed. With experience, the right tools and comparisons to known authentic examples, you can determine legitimacy with confidence. But if there are any doubts, have experts look closely under magnification before assuming a card is real or fake.

Carefully scrutinizing each aspect like centering, color, texture, details, corners and coding/writing individually as well as looking holistically will help root out fakes which often slip up on the finer points of authenticity. Combine visual inspection with supplemental materials authentication as needed. By knowing what to look for across various characteristics through a trained discerning eye, collectors can avoid purchasing fake baseball cards.