Where there is money there are scams, and vintage Star Wars collecting has seen more than its fair share over the years, but this new alleged scam has defied many collectors as surely achieving the impossible.
We’ve had scams where cardbacks are touched up with black marker pens like this (note – this was perfectly accepted practice back in the 90s)
We’ve had scams where cardbacks are freshly made on personal home printers
We’ve had scams where bubbles have been reattached at a later date to production.
We’ve had scams price stickers have been used to cover tears on the card
We’ve had scams where stickers such as the ones on this roll are used to increase the value of a standard card
And now we’ve got scams where two cards are used to make one. But it’s not how you may initially think.
Remember this item which was recently sold at Vectis Auctions?
Well, it has been recently refused grading due to an incorrect front back combination and evidence of glue between the cards. Just a reminder, this is the view of a cardback from the side
Is it possible to split a cardback that is no thicker than 1mm and yet cause no damage to either the front or the back? Ensuring that the bubble has sufficient grip to not fall completely off? To me, it sounds impossible but where there is money to be made then there will always be scams. Yet another problem for Star Wars collectors to be keeping an eye on.
Photos © Richard Hutchinson, Jason Smith, Star Wars Forum UK and Vectis Auctions
