Original print, reprint, or counterfeit? Guess which?

I purchased two cards with #181 and #253 on them. I also have one that is graded PSA 8 of the Brewer-Erving-Hayes Dunk card on its way to make it official.

The two cards were $5 each from two sellers, one a reputable card shop in town. They both have the card numbers mentioned above on them but very different qualities. So here they are. Do you know which is an original print?

To mess you up flipped the cards to the other side for the reverse comparisons.

I have a feeling the card on the right, left on the reverse is the fake. You can see the lack of detail in the numbers and jersey on the players. The reverse is more difficult to differntiate but the fake card has a slightly larger type size on the reverse and slightly zoomed image on the front. 

This is from eBay, a seller with the coveted Bird, Erving, Johnson card making the case for their raw card being original.

So which is it? I have a none mint PSA graded version of the Erving, Brewer card on its way to compare. I still have a hard time accepting that a 1980 card was a little sloppy. Next blog will do just that and see if helps clarify the differences between an original print and reprint.

Not the definitve guide to spotting reprints and fakes in Bird Magic 1980 cards

Looking to see if that Larry Bird or Magic Johnson card you have or bidding on is the real deal or another reprint or even worse, a counterfeit fake?

Well you found someone wondering the same.

First here are known reprints thanks to eBay. This is an official reprint from Topps and this seller has a graded slab that says so. The real reprint market is just as alive as originals it seems.

1. Note the genuine reprints have dates and markings indicating it is a valid reprint. 1996 was when the official reprints were printed.

2. Also notice the perforations have no breaks in the official reprints AND they are printed, not actually perforated. In the latter from Andy Boone in 2014 shows no perforations reprint as well. There are versions of this one floating around.

3. This is my opinion and I could be wrong but on the reverse of an official reprint and original the images are detailed on the front and the print is cleanly solid on the reverse.

My next blog will show two cards with Julius Erving Dunk 1980 on them. They only cost me a few dollars each so made for good examples to check. Can you figure out which one is an original print, counterfeit, or a reprint?