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?