Okay, so today I want to talk about something that’s been driving me nuts lately – figuring out if this Tom Brady Bowman baseball card I stumbled upon is the real deal or just some cheap knock-off. You know, Brady’s the GOAT, and having his rookie card would be epic, but the market’s flooded with fakes, and I’m no expert. I started by grabbing my phone and hitting up some forums.
The first thing I did was I started by trying to find out when this card was made. I found some forums online. After a little bit of digging, I found out that it was released in 2000. Man, that’s ages ago! Then I dove into figuring out what kind of materials they used back then. I read somewhere that you could compare the cardboard quality with other cards from that year. I didn’t have any 2000 Bowman cards on hand.
- So, the next step was hitting up a local card shop. I figured the owner, a guy who’s been in the business for ages, would have some insights. I laid the card on the counter, and he examined it, then he grabbed a loupe – you know, that little magnifying glass thingy – and started scrutinizing the card. He pointed out a few things, like the sharpness of the printing and the feel of the cardboard.
- Then he pulled out a black light, I was a little bit confused, but he told me that it can tell if the materials are real. He turned it on and waved it over the card. It seemed normal under the light, but I’m still not 100% sure what that means.
He mentioned that the real ones have a certain glossiness and the colors pop in a specific way, but honestly, it’s hard for me to tell. He suggested comparing it to some authenticated Brady cards, but they didn’t have any in stock, lucky me.
I also remembered reading something about a hologram on some cards. This card doesn’t have one, which I guess is a good sign since Brady’s rookie card shouldn’t have it. But that’s just another piece of the puzzle.
Reached out to some online communities.
I posted some pics on a few collector forums. A couple of folks chimed in saying it looked legit, but then others were like, “Nah, the coloring seems off,” or “The edges are too sharp.” It’s just a mixed bag of opinions, and now I’m even more confused. It’s like, one person says one thing, and another says the complete opposite. How’s a guy supposed to figure this out?
I’m thinking my next move is to send it off to a professional grading company. Yeah, it’ll cost a bit, but at least then I’ll know for sure. This whole thing’s been a wild ride, I gotta tell you. It’s way harder than I thought to spot a fake, and I’ve definitely learned a ton along the way. I’ll keep you all posted on what happens with the grading. Wish me luck!
