How can I spot a fake patch?

[pwaldo]

OK, so I cam across these two cards on ebay and it seems fishy to me. Maybe some of the experts can check it out

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251167454877...84.m1438.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261112987942...84.m1438.l2649

They are both 1/1 from the same year and even have the same design. I just don't understand how there can be two 1/1s so similar. So do you think they are fakes or are they real?

There are usually 4 printing plates per card (sometimes more) and the companies label them all 1/1 to make it appear like there are more 1/1 cards than there really are in the set. People would prefer four 1/1 cards to having 1 card numbered to 4 it seems (or that's what the companies prefer).

[DiebytheCubs]

Ok, that makes sense. I guess I was a little anxious

[Stl_Cardinals_Fan]

There used to be a great website called Fake Patch Report or something to that extent, where people could post pics and report ebay and other website auctions/listings with suspected or confirmed fake patches. Patches are by far my favorite relic cards. There aren't as many patch pieces as potential basic jersey swatches and some patch cards are totally awesome looking. As for tips for identifying fake patches, there is no sure fire 100% way to detect fakes, but there are a few tips to help the weary buyer.

1 - Does the patch correspond to the date on the card?
Be especially weary of new-looking patches. If the card is too old it could be a fake. For instance, I once saw a 2006 Inaugural Season Cardinals Patch on a 2005 Card....you could even see the 2006 from the patch. Completely fake.

2 - Look for "Patch" or "Jersey Prime."
http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-Prime-Pat...item2a25d254d1
That is a fake patch. Look under the patch window. It only says "jersey". All patch cards from 2004 and on have all denoted the patch by saying patch or jersey-prime.

3 - Look for low #'d cards
Along with the same link, check out the card's numbering. /261 is far too high for any patch card, much less one of that awesome appearance. Look for most patches to be #'d less than 100. The better the patch, the lower the #'ing (in most cases).

4 - Research other cards from the set
If you suspect a fake, look for other completed auctions (to match serial #'s), or look at other auctions in general to see if there are any similar looking patches in a given set.

5 - Ultimately if it's too good to be true it probably is. Buyer Beware.

[XL5]

Sportscardsuncensored.com does a lot of patch spotting, or did.

There's also Fakepatcheonthebay (http://www.fakepatchonthebay.com/ cut and paste because SCF seemst to redirect to ebay)