Question on Bender Card

[MooseWithFleas]

Hey guys, newbie here. Go easy on me :o

Been a long time reader on here and have picked up some nuances on detecting fakes, trimming, and grading in general. However I am still very amateurish and would like a second opinion on a card (and third, fourth, fifth if possible!). This is my first T206 and I've been contemplating the deal for a good 3 deals now reading all the information I can. After scouring the site for 7 hours last night, I figured I might as well join the fun and discussion.

Anyway, here's the card http://cgi.ebay.com/1909-T206-Sweet-Cap-Chief-Bender-Trees-In-Back-PSA-3_W0QQitemZ350408102029QQcategoryZ213QQcmdZViewIte mQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3D UCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D62532 76135275677884

Questions I have are:

1.) Is the PSA slab legit?
2.) Is the grade of a 3 under-graded, fair, or over-graded?
3.) Is there any signs of trimming or something else fishy with the card?
4.) How screwed am I that the monster has a hold on me before I buy the first card?

I know I might be overpaying on this card a bit, but Bender is a Philly legend and would be a perfect start to taming the monster. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to fully go for it, but I'm sure you've heard those words before.

[Pup6913]

I dont think there is anything wrong with the card or slab at all. I have purchased from the seller before. Never hurts to try and negotiate with the seller before purchase.

To address the monster question:

YOU ARE REALLY SCREWED:D:D:D

[Mikehealer]

Card and holder look fine. Good seller and a fair BIN.
Good luck with your quest.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Looks nice, great player to start with and his trees T206 is much tougher to find a nice one than the no trees so don't hesitate grabbin that one if you like it.

[MooseWithFleas]

Thanks for the help guys, 3 confirmations from vets is good enough for me! I will most likely take a break from buying for a bit. Might sell some of my other stuff in the meantime. Young gun here who still has college loans to pay off so $125 can be a significant hit. I'll probably start collecting a few lower scale PSA 1 commons come Spring Training. Wanted my first to be special though (insert joke here).

Do you think the PSA 3 is a fair grade for the card? My next big decision will be to leave the card as is or send it to SGC to get the much nicer looking case. Do you think the grade would go up, down, or stay the same in your expert opinions :D

[ChiefBenderForever]

Unless you are going to be working on an SGC registry set I would just leave it in the psa holder, it's nice to have a mix of sgc and psa cards, even bvg, whatever the nicest card you can get at the time regardless of holder. If you are only going to want sgc cards I would probably just look for sgc cards. Card looks like a 3 and has nice eye appeal and back is clean that is all you can really ask for ! Nice card congrats !! Psa and SGC look great together-

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u284/JOHNNYHARMONICA/001-39.jpg

[AndyG09]

Congrats on your first pickup. The Bender also is a Sweet Cap Factory 25, which has proven to be a bit tougher than the very common Factory 30, so you got a little bonus for your first card. You can find cards with nice eye appeal in your price range. Just be patient. As for taking on the Monster, I will leave that to Barry to comment on. Enjoy the ride!

Best,

Andy

[teetwoohsix]

Ditto what everyone else said. Good luck on your journey-nice card to start out with :)

Sincerely, Clayton

[tonyk1975]

Good luck on taming the monster. Just remember its a marathon not a sprint and to enjoy the ride:)

[steve B]

Nice card, a good start on t206.

Yeah, question 4 -- totally.

If you're going after low grade cards, don't worry about Psa or Sgc unless it's the same price as a raw card. Having a bunch of t206s that aren't sealed in will let you get a feel for the proper look and thickness and overall feel of the things. And if it's bad enough to rate a PSA1 or SGC 10 you don;t need the slab to tell you that.

Trimmed or otherwise A graded cards can be pretty good bargains, great eye appeal, but without the big price. And some of them aren't actually trimmed, but just factory small or miscut.

Steve B

[MooseWithFleas]

Thanks for the kind words and advice all. I can't wait til Mail Day! Until then, I will sit in a corner listening to Some Kind of Monster by Metallica.