Are you Smarter than an SGC Grader? Revealed.
 

Two cards are scanned without the flips exposed.
Both cards were scanned simultaneously and the scans are not altered.
Both are Mullen Portrait cards with Piedmont 350 backs.

One card received a number grade and one received an Auth.

Question No. 1A - Which card received a numerical grade, L or R?

Question No. !B - Explain why you think so.

Question No. 2 - What numerical grade did that card receive?

The result scans have already been made and will be revealed at an
appropriate interval or if anyone out there is correct.

The card on the left got the A, because of that one sharp corner. I am sure the grader thought that card was trimmed.

The card on the right got an SGC 3, I am thinking.

Question No. 1A - Which card received a numerical grade, L or R?
R

Question No. !B - Explain why you think so.
Card on left looks wavy at top. Its top two corners are much sharper than its bottom two. The card on the right looks short, but not trimmed.

Question No. 2 - What numerical grade did that card receive?
card on the right received an SGC 50

Sgc
 

+1, same as Rob.

By the way Rob, cool avatar!

Tony

Left is trimmed on top and Right got a 40

cards...
 

left got a SGC 30 ................right got an "A" way short definitely got an "A":D

I'm going to say.....left got a 45, right got an A.

Left is A

Right is a 60

Well one would think you posted this because the one on the right, which obviously is more likely to be trimmed because it's so short, got the grade and the one on the left got the A. But maybe that would be too easy. So I will say the left is a 60 and the right an A.

Are you Smarter than an SGC Grader?
 

Question No. 1A - Which card received a numerical grade, L or R? Right

Question No. !B - Explain why you think so..Left appears trimmed along the top

Question No. 2 - What numerical grade did that card receive? Card on right received an SGC 55:D

Right A

Left 50

left 5 right A, right looks trimmed on the bottom right border to me

This^

Left is the "A" due to that suspect corner

Right got an SGC 50

Left A
Right 45

New scanner looks good.

Agree with many that have already stated LEFT received the Auth (top corner and wavy top edge)

RIGHT SGC 50

Left: A

Right: 60

By popular demand.....
 

Due to the overwhelming popularity of his thread and the finite number of possible responses, I am going to do the following.

Leave the thread open for now.

Reveal that there has been one (or possibly more than one) correct response, but

will not reveal which one yet so that all who want to participate can.

For those who have participated, you now have a chance to pat yourselves
on the back if you are sure that you were correct.;)

left 60

right A

Left A - top and bottom ok, but both left and right trimmed.

Right 50 ----Or If I'd sent it in 40. (Just kidding, they've been both over and under on mine some good some not.

Steve B

they are all twix, they both got an A

My Guess
 

Card on the left looks trimmed. Bat ears at the top right corner. However, I am assuming that the grader missed it and gave the card a 60.

The card on the right probably received the A grade. Wavy top.

Joe

It is super-difficult to tell this sort of thing from a scan, and the larger the scan is, the harder it is to tell.

That said, these games are fun as hell to play.

So I'll say the card on the left got an AUTH, because the top and right edges look wavy and uneven to me.

The card on the right, despite having much smaller borders, received a numerical grade, because the cuts appear natural (though you can't possibly tell this for certain without looking at the edges, obviously). That said, I'll guess it's an SGC 50.

-Al

the correct answer is a question, not an answer.

the correct question is, did they get the results right or wrong. you can only answer correctly if you know that.

kevin

Im not a very good grader but i say left A(top rt corner looks too sharp)...rt 60.

I agree with this post!

Left got an A

Right got an SGC 60.

Right = A
Left = 5.5

Left is an A for evidence of trimming and the right is a 50.

The one on the left is trimmed and is a horrible card. The one on the right is so neat and is an sgc 84. I hope they find that guy who ruined the card on the left.

Left looks trimmed. The top border is slanted a little to the right.

I'll go with SGC 50 on the right card.

From scans on phone
 

Left a
Right 50

That said making a definitive statement on grade based on a scan is certainly not advisable.

Left = A (top right corner trimmed)
Right = SGC 40

Left - A, as many have said, the top right corner looks fishy
Right - 50 - the t/b centering is poor, but SGC seems comfortable giving 50's for cards that look like this

Left - A (top has been trimmed)
Right - 60

1 - left card got the A - slight trim, on angle from left to right.

2 - Right card SGC 40

Agree with most of the others.

Left looks trimmed so A
Right SGC 35

Still seems kind of funny that the card on the left despite looking trimmed measures slightly larger than the one on the right.

Question No. 1A - Which card received a numerical grade, L or R?

L

Question No. !B - Explain why you think so.

The left one is a diamond cut, not a trim. The wide borders support this. However, the only way to see if a T206 card has been trimmed is by comparing all four edges while looking perpendicularly at the card -- compare the color and striations. You cannot determine a well-trimmed T206 by looking just at the front and the back.

The right one has the tell-tale "bat ears" top corners, showing that rounded corners were trimmed down to look sharper.

Question No. 2 - What numerical grade did that card receive?

The left got a 60; the right got an A.

The reveal is coming soon
 

Well, I was hoping Zone91 would chime in before ending this thread. I know he's awake somewhere out there.

In this post I am including the corner scans. There certainly seems to be a consensus developing, in part perhaps (?) due to the "herd immunity" effect of folks reading the thread before submitting their answer. Not that the herd is wrong as evidenced by the corner scans.

At this point based on the answers so far, I would entertain offers from the following for the card on the left (all of whom gave it a 60),

Sean
Jose
Paul, a late addition who posted while I was composing this post,
Peter, who tried to second guess me &
Joe, who tried to second guess the grader.


For the card on the right an offer from

Mr. McKenzie (who gave it an 84)

would be more than welcome.

I wish I had structured this thread a little differently.
It would have been interesting to see what people would offer for the card they thought had received the numerical grade, rather than guessing the grade itself. Then it would have truly been a buy the card not the holder thread.:D

Revealing the corners in the proper L and R configuration below will end the thread's statistical analysis. The upper right corner was sighted and cited by many as the "tell". (HOMOPHONES used in the same sentence appropriately are rarer than hen's teeth.:D) (Thanks to David for the correction just edited.)

Ironically there is only one post that corresponds to reality. I agree that giving the answer that is the same as the SGC graders does not imply or prove that either of them is correct.;)

I also don't know what this says about TPG, but roughly 30% of the board disagreed with 70% of the board regarding the authentic card. I think SGC did get that right.

For those trying to second guess me, I recently purchased the upgrade to replace the authentic card. When I looked at them though, I was impressed that the authentic card was clearly shorter than the "trimmed" card and from a distance of 6 feet or more, depending on one's eyesight, the authentic card actually looks more appealing.

The market value of authentic cards seems more variable than their numerically grouped counterparts, and even though some folks wouldn't touch a "trimmed" card, eye appeal does seem to affect market value to some extent.

Finally, I didn't pay too much for either card, and will do well regardless of which one I choose to sell first.

The full reveal will follow soon. Further discussion is welcome of course

Jim (Greenmonster) is The One Post #10
 

To be fair, the only conclusion I can draw from this is that

"Jim is as smart as an SGC grader"

The rest of you ??????????????

Drag. I missed the grade by a half point. :)

They're both very nice cards, Frank. I love the huge borders on the authentic card, but the 55 looks more natural to me, and the off center top doesn't bother me as much as it would if it was off center to the left or right.

Fun thread.

-Al

deleted

Not that it matters, but I had this typed and then saw that it had been revealed. I'll go buy a good back disposable back-scratcher for myself.

Question No. 1A - Which card received a numerical grade, L or R?

R!


Question No. !B - Explain why you think so.

L Mullen example is trimmed on top.


Question No. 2 - What numerical grade did that card receive?

I think the Mullen on the right will have graded SGC 55.

.

Close....but I missed by a half grade, lol.

I have a hard enough time grading let alone factoring in half grades...sheesh!!!!!

Me too!!

Damn half grades,

I like him without the Cindy Crawford mole on his upper lip. The left also has darker shadowing on the right jawline which makes his head look huge.

Post #38 updated
 

I was called on the carpet for my crappy gigantic corner scans by a member who didn't even participate in this thread. I have changed the scans hopefully to his liking.

The only note is that Left is now Top and Right is now Bottom for the corner scans.

Didn't notice the mole before.

I didn't call you on the carpet. I was just suggestive in my own pm-ing long-winded way. The mole is your own concern. ;)

Edited: Oh yeah, I didn't participate because I was too fascinated with...

Wow, 55? I think I've got to send in a bunch for review..........

Steve B

What am I missing I didn't read the whole thread but the grades look in line to me??? Nothing really stands out as out of line in terms of the grades.....