General Forum

Hello TCDB Forum Members. 

I've been sitting on this card ever since I pulled it from a Hobby Box of T206's back in 2002. To me it looks quite obvious, but wanted to get some other optinions from fellow hobbiest! I've spoke to a beckett rep and they too agree this is very very interesting! To their knowledge bat-corking was not being done untill the 40's-50's. I have not reached out to Topps as of yet, but as the card shows there is a holigram on the back from Topps. I believe this is the tracing number assigned by Topps to the bat used in the relic card. Topps should have records on who, when, and where the bat was sourced for the relic used? 

Link to card photos:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15VjMHKlLTbBWxnUM9_0BEuB0-3kDQR6V?usp=sharing

Any thoughts, insight or Topps contact that might be able to provide some detials would be greatly appreciated. 

-DjR2

Access to the photos is blocked.

That is weird looking! Does it feel like cork? While it certainly looks odd I wouldn't rule out a degraded wood grain necessarily though. I would be absolutely shocked if anyone at Topps could tell you anything whatsoever and is likely just a Topps authentication sticker that simply says "yes, this is a Topps produced item". 

@Brewer Andy, I have refrained from touching the cork like material. But as you said it is very weird! I have reach out to an authority on "Game Used" bats. Hope to hear from him soon on a forensic expert, possibly examination under high-power microscope is next step. 
 

DjR2

Having worked with wood most my life, it doesn't look like cork.  It looks more like a natural flaw in the wood. Considering how a bat is corked and thinking about the "cork" in that tiny sectional piece of the bat as part of the whole; it's the wrong shape for a drilled hole and way too small.  

I don't know enough to have an opinion, but that's an insanely chill card either way! 

That really is an awesome card, but doesn't looked corked. If you compare it to the Manny Ramierez corked bat card Pacific put out in 2000 you can see the difference from the cork to how your card looks.

@Corky, saw that too. Your correct that cork looks nothing like mine, but what did cork look like in 1910? Hard to say cork or some other ”PED”. I guess will have to let science figuar this one out! 

DjR2

@Hamilton2, thanks!

DjR2