Posted By:
PaulI agree with most of you that the photo is the most important feature in choosing (as opposed to grading) an Old Judge. One of the problems with grading Old Judges is that photo quality is all over the map. Some cards have perfect photos, while other cards have photos that are almost indiscernible.
This problem just doesn't exist in most other sets. In most sets, "photo quality" is a subtle thing that may separate a PSA 9 from a PSA 10. It is difficult to imagine, for example, a 1952 Topps Mantle with photo quality so poor that the card must be downgraded to VG. But, with Old Judges, you could rationally grade an otherwise perfect card with an invisible photo as a 1. I don't know how PSA, SGC, etc. deal with this issue, but it does seem to me that the standard (modern card) criteria just don't quite fit for Old Judges.